Typically it pertains to Italian soaps exclusively but in shaving anything goes. Call it what you like.
I would also throw in Taylor of Old Bond Street Coconut or Avocado. Great soaps. And +1 on the Cella and Valobra suggestions.
I think "call it what you like" kinda goes against the purpose of having a term for something Having a term that well describes a sub-set of products is useful. Having a term where anything fits under is less so
My suggestions are very personal as others might, indeed, should and will disagree with me. I much prefer creams to soaps. Creams lather easily and the lather of my three choices lasts. I find it easier to control the moisture content and hence the foam density/richness with a lather. 1. Proraso green. I keep coming back to it for no reason I can give. Perhaps it is addictive. It is really a very creamy soap. 2. R.P. Williams shaving Cream. Unscented, inexpensive. A 500 ml jar cost me $10.00. It seems to last forever. If I want a scent I can add a few drops of shaving lotion to my scuttle. It is made right here in Toronto. I apply a little dab to my brush with a popsicle stick ( formerly chocolate). 3. Nivea Shaving Cream. It comes in a tube. I would prefer a jar. Pleasant mild scent. In addition to my three standards I always have one "on trial" specimen in use. Who knows what I might discover. I have never had a cream that I disliked. I can not say the same for soaps. I will not go for the expensive products. I am too cheap and my face would, I am sure, rebel. Mickey
Do you have a suggestion of how to formally define and catorgorize "croap"? That would be very useful. If not, I propose we use my definition since no other exists.
Lol, sorry I don't. It seems like products are called croaps when they are anywhere from hard creams...to soft soaps. I wish I could even start to come up with a definition...but I can't think of one that could be universally accepted. Now, if that in itself makes the term applicable to anything one wants...and therefore flexible and useful....or...so generic and ill defined that it is bound to mean different things to different people - and therefore have little or no use when describing an item - is up to each and everyone to figure out for themselves.
On the omega "croap'' it's called a cream soap. I like the term croap though. Maybe an exclusive TSD term.
How about this as a start to categorizing soaps? A. Hard Soaps - triple milled; dense, compact in nature as in a soap bar or puck. can be grated. can be in stick form. e.g. Penhaligon, D.R. Harris, Tabac, WSO, MWF. B. Soft Soaps - texture is less dense that hard soaps and can be shaped and molded with the hands. Putty-like. e.g. Stirling, Mike's, Le Pere Lucien, MdC, Mystic Water. C. Croaps - very soft in consistency. can easily be molded, shaped and pressed into a container. too soft to be a stick. e.g. Italian soaps such as RazoRock, Cella, P.160, Proraso. Some artisan soaps may be croaps such as Queen Charlotte, Tiki. D. Creams - a toothpaste-like consistency; usually dispensed from a squeeze tube or dipped from a tub container. e.g. GFT, Penhaligon, XPEC, Castle Forbes, Kiss My Face. It's just a place to start. Please amend. It may help newbs and others decipher soaps in general.
That's great man. I can drink to that. Hell... thinking of it.. I can drink to anything. Maybe my opinion doesn't really count.
Yeah, that seems like a useful way to do it. Worth noting, maybe, that there's not really sharp distinctions, especially between B & C, and folks might disagree about what goes where.
Well, Stubbl E, You have got my number all right. Except for "Anxiety". I am retired. I am no longer anxious about anything. What is OCD? Old Codgers Department? Mickey
