Castle Forbes Creams - Different Technique?

Discussion in 'Shave Creams' started by DMS, Mar 15, 2008.

  1. DMS

    DMS New Member

    I finally tried a CF cream today - Lavender.

    I'd heard that a little bit of this stuff goes a long way, so I applied a generous pea sized snurdle to a normally soaked brush and started lathering on my face. This cream is so solid that I had a tough time dissolving that pea sized drop, and this was with a fairly solid brush and a couple days growth to abrade it against.
    I ended up chasing a couple thin wafers of cream around until one got embedded in chin whiskers and wouldn't come loose and the other finally disappeared.

    The lather was fabulous and the scent equally good. 2nd and 3rd passes the lather wasn't as rich but still shaved well. When I was finished I found the other wafer hiding out on the underside of the bowl lid where I rested the brush between passes. I'm thinking that the 2nd/3rd pass lather would have been as good as the first if I'd been able to utilize those two wasted wafers.

    My face felt so good when I was done that I didn't apply any aftershave or balm, which is unheard of for me.

    For those with more experience using this cream:
    Is yours almost as solid as a soap?
    Do you apply some to the brush, or swirl the brush in the cream to load up?
    Do you follow CF's instructions to not soak the brush? I didn't read them beforehand.
    Do you build lather on your face or in a bowl?

    I was reluctant to swirl the brush in the cream from concern that I'd pick up too much, but think I'll try that next time. Maybe I needed more water to dissolve even that little pea sized snurdle.
     
  2. Cowtown

    Cowtown New Member

    Hi Dave. Welcome to the world of Castle Forbes. As you have noted, there aren't too many shave creams around that leave your skin feeling in no need of a/s treatment of some sort. This is normal with me as well and unusual. Only my best lathers leave me with that feeling. Anyroad, back to your question. Yes, I use to "chase the snurdle" as you so aptly describe it. I have given all this up. The CF is so dense I simply load it like a hard soap and all is well. Just don't use a sopping wet brush. Shake it out a bit. I am using even less than the 1/4 teaspoon I was getting away with when dipping it out and putting it in a lather bowl. I usually face lather after loading directly from the jar but using a lather bowl will likely make a spectacularly good lather because you can add hot water a drop at a time. This lets you get that zen type creamy lather that other creams dream about attaining. I have unreservedly championed the CF lavender as one of the BEST lathers out there. Cream, hard soap, or otherwise. For those of us who respond well to its skin conditioning properties, it is just magic.

    Regards, Todd
     
  3. Baloosh

    Baloosh Duder

    Yes, CF cream is easily the densest cream I have... easily. It's almost like Proraso soap, although just a slight bit looser than Proraso.

    I tried doing the "take a scoop out" method, but found that I was getting the same end result as you did -- chasing around little slivers of cream. I now swirl my brush in the cream tub. CF is the only cream I do that to.

    I didn't see those instructions... what do they say?

    I build lather in a bowl, all the time... regardless of which soap/cream I use.
     
  4. IsaacRN

    IsaacRN Active Member

    I do the same as above on the samples ive received.

    Anothe think you might do if you must use a bowl..is your pea size amount.....and put some warm water with it in a bowl. shake your brush out completely and you can build a lather with the soap and soapy water.
     
  5. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    I also have castle forbes lavender, and while it is dense, it doesn't seem as severe as what you guys are experiencing. It does "scoot" around the bowl a bit on me, but nothing severe. It really is a great cream, and nothing else has a lavender scent this good. I was completely blown away by the size of the tub.
     
  6. TstebinsB

    TstebinsB Active Member

    You guys have said some good things but is it worth the price?
     
  7. IsaacRN

    IsaacRN Active Member

    YES!!!!!!!!

    Heres the thing. You say....35 bucks....CRAZY. Just off of the sample....if you have two or three soaps/creams in your rotation, your gonna get ALOT of mileage out of it.

    Its funny...I keep saying...35 is WAY TO MUCH...but after buying all this Coates at alot more than that....i dont know why I havent pulled the trigger yet on this great cream
     
  8. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    It's a big tub of cream too... much larger than I expected it to be. I've only tried the lavender, but it's the best lavender scent i've experienced.
     
  9. TorzJohnson

    TorzJohnson Member

    It's only a little more than T&H, and considering the larger amount you get and the small amount needed to generate a great lather, it's a pretty good value.
     
  10. Cowtown

    Cowtown New Member


    You said it Isaac! I have had my jar over two years and there is still over half of it left. I bought mine for $32 plus shipping so lets use your $35 figure. I have used this cream about four times per month since I bought it. Sometimes six. So even going with a 24 month time frame, it boils down to about 100 shaves. If I get a total of 200 shaves from the jar, then using the $35 dollar figure it comes down to 17.5c per shave. To me it is more than worth it. It is one of the great bargains in wet shaving. This is not a joke chaps. I was using no more than 1/4 tsp. per shave the old way because this stuff is so dang dense and concentrated. I use even less now lathering directly from the bowl. Having said all that and falling at the Altar of Castle Forbes Worship, get yourself a sample before you chuck your money at it. After all, it may not work for you and that's the way it goes sometimes.

    Regards, Todd
     
  11. DMS

    DMS New Member

    Thank God for scanners and OCR :D

    OUR ADVICE FOR THE PERFECT CASTLE FORBES SHAVE

    To open the pores, wash your face with hot water and towel dry.

    Apply a small amount of our water soluable Pre-shave to the fingers and massage into the area to be shaved. Dip the brush into the hot water and flick off the excess water.

    Load the tip of your brush with cream, you should find that only a little is necessary (you will learn by experience what suits you best). Dip again in the water and lather-up on the face in a circular motion - hydrating and raising the hairs. If you need more lather, add more water. Do not soak your brush.

    The first pass with the razor should always be in the direction of the hair growth ie downwards, although this may not be so under your chin and neck area. This is essential to protect against in-growing hairs and razor burn.

    Rinse your blade frequently in the hot water as you shave.

    Dip the brush in the water, re-lather and then shave again in a crosswise direction. If necessary repeat for a third time shaving in an upward direction. Re-lathering should only require dipping the brush in the hot water again and not having to apply more Shaving Cream to your brush. Our cream is aimed at delivering more hydration to the skin and hair without the addition of more product to your skin.

    Wash off traces of the cream, towel dry and apply the Aftershave Balm.

    It is important to remember that Badger hair is used in Shaving Brushes because, like human hair, it is very porous and holds water. The brush needs to be well rinsed under the tap, flick dried and then hung with the bristles downwards to completely dry out. This is why we only sell our brushes complete with a stand. Remember to change your blades when they lose their edge as dull blades can encourage in-growing hairs and razor burn.
     
  12. Baloosh

    Baloosh Duder

    Cool... thanks Dave!!
     
  13. DMS

    DMS New Member

    My pleasure.

    I tried this method with a Fatboy shave today although I didn't have much to work with after taking several days growth off yesterday with a straight.

    This time around I soaked only the bottom third of the brush in hot water and loaded up straight from the CF container. I probably should have flicked some more water off the brush since it started foaming and lathering in the container almost immediately. I went back to the container with a dryer brush after transferring that first load onto my face in order to clean it up a bit.

    It seems odd to work with such a dry brush but I have to assume the Castle Forbes people know how to get the best results with their product. The lather was very good and it's hard to tell where any cream is missing from the container. I've been a face latherer for some time now so that part wasn't new to me.

    As to the question asked of whether this cream is worth the price - that's very subjective.
    Given the quality of the shave and how long this container is likely to last, I'm certainly not dissatisfied. Quite the opposite.
    I can get a damn fine shave with Proraso Red also but a lot of the CF value is in how much you enjoy the scent and how well it conditions your face after the shave is finished.
    The cost per shave will likely be pretty competitive but only time will tell.
     
  14. Sejanus

    Sejanus New Member

    Must.. resist.. urge.. to.. buy.. CF..Limes.

    Oh what the hell.. not like I need to eat. :rofl
     
  15. DMS

    DMS New Member

    I want to try that one too now, especially with warmer weather just around the corner.
     
  16. Sejanus

    Sejanus New Member

    Lime is for ALL seasons IMO. I add it to Jams whether the recipe calls for it or not.. :rofl
     
  17. TstebinsB

    TstebinsB Active Member

    Where's the best place to get the cream - any scent?
     
  18. Sejanus

    Sejanus New Member

    I know ClassicShaving.com has the creams for 35, which seems to be the general price around.
     
  19. TstebinsB

    TstebinsB Active Member

    QED sells it for $32.50. I'm going to spring for the Sandalwood/Cedarwood scent. I'll try to stick to just that but I have Charles just a few more things in the box.:ashamed001
     
  20. DMS

    DMS New Member

    I tell myself I save money by spreading the shipping cost out over multiple items. :D
     

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