Im thinking’s of trying shave soap. Which one should I go with? I don’t know the difference between any of them.
I’m not familiar with Lisa’s so I can’t speak to it. TOBS makes a fantastic cream but their soap doesn’t seem to get much more than average reviews; so while I have several of their creams, I’ve avoided their soaps. If you’ve never tried shaving soap before, let me suggest you start with samples rather than full size pucks. Vendors like West Coast Shaving or Maggard Razors (among others) offer sample kits that let you try a little bit of a lot of different choices.
Save your money, and buy Williams and Arko. Learn to lather both of those, enjoy the full shave experience and then revisit the creams.
i have tobs sandalwood, cedarwood, and eton college..will always have tobs, different flavors when these are done..
I would group Mr. Taylor’s, St. James, Eton College, and Jermyn Street as similar scents. Platinum, No. 50, and Royal Forest are more cologne-like. Eton and Jermyn are almost the same, scent-wise. Mr. Taylor’s and St. James are similar with Mr. Taylor’s being more lavender and St. James being more bergamot. Without having any of the tubs with me, I’d say one of them reminds me Tom Ford’s Oud Wood.
May I expand on this Aaron? Why thank you, Sir! Williams is the latest version sometimes called Modern or reformatted Williams. It's a very inexpensive shave soap, and may be found at pharmacies or grocery stores near you. It has it's fanatics and detractors. While it can be difficult to coax into a rich, creamy, clown face paint lather, it does work. Many former or one time users dislike it's common tendency to dissipate after application. The slick remains, but the visible lather looses it's air bubbles. Arko is a whole 'nother beast. Imported from Turkey, it's an easily lathered soap. It's been known to spontaneously create lather not just on your shave brush, but on any tooth brush, hair brush, or toilet brush in the near vicinity. Unlike the mildly soapy scent of Williams, it's strongly scented. I'll call it lemon, though others that feel strongly negative about the scent may have a different opinion. It's possible to grate it into small chips and let it air out to reduce the scent but if you like it it's unnecessary. On the down side it can be some what harsh and drying to your skin because it will wash away your natural oils. They are both worth trying! I'd avoid many local artisan "shave soaps" just from my own experience. Spend $3-$8 on enough of them and you'll learn that lesson. Keep in mind when you purchase these products - moisture content. Creams in tubes or pump bottles are prehydrated. They can make quick easy lather since they already have water mixed in. You are buying soap + water so you ought to get more product for less money. Far end of the range are hard soaps that may be called milled. Triple or even quintuple milled means the water is squeezed out. It's all soap and it takes a little more effort to move the soap from the puck to your face. A damp brush and a minute of scrubbing action is usually all that's needed the first time. If you use the same soap for a week and keep it in a closed container it will soften up and load more easily. In between are soft soaps or croaps. Many Artisian soaps arrive in this manner - a little squishy or putty like. There's some moisture in there so they load easier than a hard puck. Depending on your "skin type" you may desire a moisturizing component. Lanolin, shea butter, & glycerin are just a few ingredients that can add to rather than remove the oils from your face. The idea of Sample Sized works well. Browse several website and find scents that sound interesting. Choose a couple scents of a manufacturers product. You may get 3 -10 shaves from a sample depending on the size. Stirling Soap Company is one I'd recommend for large samples of well scented soap that lathers easily. I am not affiliated with nor own stock in any of these companies. I've used the ones mentioned above and the opinions are my own. I currently have 4 or 5 of the last named company's samples and it takes a long time to use them up. Still have my first stick of Arko and puck of Williams, too. This is called Falling down the Rabbit Hole ala Alice in Wonderland. It's a side effect of SSAD - shave soap acquisition disorder. My name is Rick and I'm an Addict. It's been several months since I last purchased shave soap because my cabinet is full.
@Swampfox You will not get this comprehensive and thoughtful advice on any other shave forum. Take heed!
I'll add something as a relatively new guy, if it's not too presumptuous. Learn what ideal lather is with what you have or like, then learn how to render it(ideal lather) based on the soap or cream you have in front of you, with the type of brush you prefer or at your disposal, not a static approach to making lather. I enjoyed learning with ToOBS cream, but had to do it differently with a Pre de Provence No. 63 hard puck. Once you know what to look for and how that soap/cream performs, it'll be easier to decide what you think about the soap/cream. ToOBS is some of the easiest stuff to get to work for you.
I'll hypocritically agree there are cheaper soaps (like those mentioned above) that do the job just fine. I can get great shaves with any of them. I say hypocritically because, while the advice you have received is solid and wise, and have done a poor job of following it. Now, to directly answer your question: As one who enjoys experiences and variety, and who has fallen down the rabbit hole so hard that I broke multiple bones (figuratively) and my wallet (less figuratively), and who has stockpiled enough soap remain well-shaved for the next decade, I own and use TOBS and LNHC. TOBS was my first proper shave soap and is still in rotation. I bought into LNHC early on, and own several different variations of her soaps. My personal preference would give an edge to LNHC. That's not a knock off TOBS at all. I just find the LNHC a little better for my skin. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
The TOBS coconut and grapefruit creams work very well for me. Maybe the best shaves I’m getting. The scent is just ok. A little subdued for my tastes. There also something there scentwise that’s a little odd, which I can’t put my finger on. Probably what they make the cream out of. I bought these as samples from Maggard. I also bought a sample of the Eton College aftershave, which smells sublime. Based on how good EC smells, I will probably get a sample of the cream, as well as some sample AS of the other scents people often rave about: Jermyne Street, St. James, Mr. Taylor, etc. Rabbit hole indeed!
