Hi again Could someone put me in the right direction when it comes to soaps v creams. What are the pros and cons? Creams feel easier to work with for me (more luxurious?) I will be ordering one of the 'fancier' soaps soon to see if this makes much difference, also do some blade / razor combos work better with soaps or creams. Some members have said "It aint rocket science" Beginning to wonder! but boy it's fun. "We welcome the chase" Mr Struth
yes, indeed! it is fun! I like both soaps and creams. I mix them together- I put a little cream on my brush and then lather it in a mug w/ soap. I don't use anything fancy: Williams Mug soap and TSD unscented. Soaps tend to provide more slickness and less cushion, and creams tend to provide more cushion and less slickness. Combining the two gets around that. It sounds like you've found the key to good shaving = having fun exploring.
I have been using creams and soaps since I have started wet shaving about 9 years ago.During my first years I used only creams.The pros are that with creams you have more "cushioning"(in most of the cases) and theyre easier to make a good lather from(at least for me).About 6 years ago I tired my first shaving stick and since them I like soaps better.Pros of soaps theyre provide more protection and are more slicker than creams,but as you have said this is not Rocket science.Some creams are almost hard like a soap other soaps are soft as a cream(Cella for example)You can try Musgo Real cream and feel its like a soap...protective,slicker,good lather and try a soap and feel that has a lot of cushioning but not so slicker or protective....so,TRY THEM ALL!!!!:happy102happy102:happy102 at least if you could,and make your own choice. My choices are soaps: ebay soap Speick shaving stick Tabac La Toja shaving stick Cella cream Erasmic old formula Lea/Bea shaving stick Kent Creams: Musgo Real Tabac Speick Florena and looking foward to try tomorrow TSD soap and cream.
Hi Mike Thanks for that, I'll give the soap / cream combo a try. What ratio, Mostly soap with a little cream or vice versa? "We welcome the chase" Mr Struth
Hi all Being in Europe (well almost!) We have easy access to things like Palmolive cream and shaving soaps that are well, cheap!!! Buck 40 for the cream and the stick is about 60 cents. The stuff from the 3T's is expensive however, think that's the same all over though. "We welcome the chase" Mr Struth
The ratio is not fixed at all. I eyeball the amount a dig out a dab with my finger. I found that I had to use a lot of the Derby menthol cream to get any results, and so the amount you use will vary according to brand.
While the lather properties have tendancies, the final product is really product by product. I find the only consistant difference is soaps take an extra 5 second to load on the brush and soap lasts FAR longer than cream. I'm frugal and don't feel a need to have 50 different products (I have 6 right now), so I have mostly soaps. I've also like more of the soaps than I have creams, but I've tried a couple creams that are nothing short of excellent (connaught, KMF).
Used both soaps and creams. Prefer creams -- easier, simpler and less messy. However if cost is an issue soap clearly offer the betrer bang for the buck. Its possible to get a year worth of shaves from a soap.
There is no correct answer to this question. There are several excellent products in both categories. Your best bet is to try some of each and see what you like best. Try some of the highly recommended ones in each category to find out - and that doesn't mean the most expensive. For soaps, probably the one that gets some of the highest praise is Tabac, and it is really fairly economical in terms of hard soaps. For creams, there are several options that won't ruin you financially. Proraso is a great cream, if you don't mind lots of menthol and eucalyptus. After that, the Palmolive creams, Ingram, Musgo Real, are all excellent and can usually be had for ~$10/tube. Try them, see what you prefer.
I just started trying a cream again. I did not like them initially. However, based on reviews here, I tried WARS cream. It was inexpensive and excellent. I am waiting for a few more to arrive (La Toja Sensitive, Mem, and Omega). They are all "tube" creams as opposed to "tub" creams. However, I still prefer soaps. I really like the French soaps. Give Pre de Provence and Provence Sante a try. They are both superb. L'Occitane Cade is another favorite although I find it tends to make a drier lather than the other two. It still gives a great shave. For me, the soap at the top of the list is Roger & Gallet l'Homme shaving soap. I do not believe it is still being made but if you can get your hands on a puck, give it a try. Of course, many people rave about Tabac out of Germany and I have to agree. It's a regular in my rotation. Assuming all of the products work for you then the only caveat about all of these soaps, and creams for that matter, is how you like the scent (or lack of it). If you truly dislike the scent, no matter how good the shave you get, you won't be happy. If you have not already done so, definitely read the reviews of the different soaps because it will give you a place to start. The first soap and cream I tried were by Caswell-Massey. I thought the soap was okay at best. This was before I realized there was help out there. Sure enough, on another shaving site, it is not reviewed positively and on a forum topic here at TSD it is truly not thought of highly. It would have helped knowing ahead of time. Have fun in the hunt and let us know what you ultimately choose.
I would imagine that there would be some people where the soap would dry out their skin a lot and therefore the soap would nto be a real good option.
Soaps are not necessarily more drying than creams. If that's your concern, go with MWF, IK, or one of the other soaps designed for great skin care.
I've tried a little of both. The glycerine soaps made my face sting. Right now, Institut Karite is my soap of choice. Somewhat tricky to get lather started, but once you get it down, it performs fairly good. I also use Proraso cream. So far, this is what I usually use. I've tried T&H cream samples, and they didn't work very well for me. Proraso rocks! Aaron
Hi to all Thanks for the advice guys. Have tried soap / cream combo and think I've just got another foot on the WS ladder. Rubbed Palmolive shave stick on my face, loaded a little Trumpers coconut cream on my brush (the sample sets are excellent) W/Sword blade (made in UK) Futur set at 2, bingo!!! it was superb, got a glimpse of nirvana, however! not becoming complacent, will try again tomorrow and attempt to replicate today's success.
