I'm pretty new to DE shaving. I'm sort of confused about the difference between creams and soaps. I know that one is a cream, and one is a soap. I wondering what are the benefits of each. Do you like one more than the other, why?
Totally subjective decision. I prefer shave sticks. I face lather. That's me. Only two kinds of lather, adequate and inadequate. It really depends on how you like to make your lather, and what type of brush you like. No better or worse here, soaps are the fun part of all this.
Personally I like soaps more than creams for a couple of reasons. 1. I feel like I can control my lather especially a face lather more with a soap. 2. Soaps last longer Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk
Typically, creams are quicker/easier to lather. Soaps take a little more attention to water ratios. Soaps tend to last a lot longer, and...as mentioned before...are easier to control lather amounts. I have both, and I prefer......drum roll please.......croaps! Yes, they exist! It is in between a soap and a cream. Most "modern" shave soaps actually fall into this category. They last longer than creams (though not as long as hard soaps), and are incredibly easy to lather (as easy as creams IMO).
Biggest difference is the water content of the product. Creams are prehydrated & tend to have added ingredients to preserve because of the water already mixed in. Soaps at the other end of the spectrum may be triple, even quintuple milled. That milling compresses and squeezes out the moisture. Ever use a cleaning product that's thick versus a thinner watery version? It's common to pay more for the thick concentrated product because the added water is not expensive compared to the rest of the components. I'm not saying a cream isn't good. I enjoy C.O.Bigelow, and used Kiss My Face shave cream tonight. I also enjoy Arko and Klar - both are "thirsty" soaps that require a fair amount of water to make a juicy slick lather. YOMV, but they each work fine for me.
Have both. Use both. Prefer soaps because... 1. They do take longer to whip up a lather, but I do enjoy that part of our 'ritual'. B. They do last longer than creams. Find what you like. Use what you like.
I prefer hard soaps. I enjoy the process of creating a lather and they last a long time. Both do the same thing, creams just have more water in them. I also find creams have stronger scents, which is a plus for them, in my opinion. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
I also enjoy the lathering process and prefer using soaps( not hard) instead of creams. I have some creams, like Proraso, La Toja etc., but I don't use them very often.
It's a personal preference, but I do like both. Creams are easier to lather than soaps, but do not last nearly as long as soaps. I have more soaps than creams in my den, so I do lean towards soaps. More bang for the buck! As @Bama Samurai said, there's two types of lather; adequate and inadequate. Find the adequate ones and try out both types to determine your liking. Taylor of Old Bond Street makes a great cream and Stirling make a great soap.
+1 Vintage hard soap is still usable decades later, ie; Williams. Stocking up on a decades worth of cream not so much.
i enjoy creams croaps and soaps. i bowl lather creams and croaps and lather hard soaps in their tins/mugs.the scent dictates the product for me.
I have seen vintage Palmolive cream that was rancid, but I am thinking that if stored in controlled conditions it could last a very long time.
I have both. Just recently fell down the soap rabbit hole. Been using soaps for the last two months and enjoy the lathering process. As a matter of fact I'll be using Route 66 "Rum Runner" tomorrow morning