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Ok I'm still new to all this and I think I'm going into information overload but I'd like to know what everyone prefers. I currently use cream because I got it in a set when I got my SR. for Christmas. Thinking about experimenting with soaps just not quite sure which soaps are good. I know everyone is different and everyone likes different things but just looking for ideas.
I use creams, soaps, and croaps (somewhere between hard soap and cream).
There are a lot of soaps out there. Your best bet is probably to buy a sampler pack from SRD, Maggards, etc. That way you can try multiple good brands and scents before spending the money on something that you may not like.
A couple names to try are Taylor of Bond Street, Tabac, Mitchell's Wool Fat, and Razorrock.
Check out the soaps sub forum as well.
Yep..
Sampler packs.
SRD makes a nice glycerin soap. Their sample packs are like $14. Save the ones you dont like, and mix them in with a grated puck of Williams mug soap.
Alot of us mix our soap remenents together. You'd be surprised what concoctions we've come up with by doing just that.
I personally prefer the creams, but I do very much like soaps too. I especially love Mama Bear Soaps orange essential oil product. Love it!
I am definitely a soap guy probably just because it feels slightly more traditional to me. When I think of creams, I think of safety razors and when I think of straights, I think of soaps. That's just me. Plus, I have found so many wonderful soaps, I haven't bothered to start buying creams yet.
My usual is a mix of soap spiked with a bit of cream, but I received a tin of Grim's luxury soap and it is the easiest and best lather I've ever experienced -- even with my cheap boar bristle brush. Give it a try.
The Good news: There are a lot of fantastic choices...
The Bad news: There are a lot of fantastic choices...
I have the same basket o soaps and creams in the shave den that many of us have, and the truth is most of them are good to great....it is easier for me to stay with a razor rotation than to pick a soap or cream each day...
IMHO high quality creams are easier to master - and they can be tubes (Musgeo Real and Tabac come to mind) or in tubs (Truefitt & Hill Ultimate Comfort and Baume.BE - and there are many others)
We are blessed and cursed with choices.
The advice above to look for samples may save you from not only some serious SAD but the trauma of having to go through "what to use today" - every day...
Good luck and enjoy...and may Canned Goo never touch your face again...
I use both. I started with creams, as I found them easier to lather, but now I have no problems with soaps. I generally choose by availability of the scent I want; some things only come as soaps, and others as creams, so I buy what is available. Given a choice in the same scent by the same company, I'd probably choose a soap as it is easier to use less when loading the brush than a cream.
I must admit that I still prefer creams. At least I find that the lather is thicker which I enjoy more. But just today I used a soap that I purchased from Etsy.com, and while the lather was less than what I consider ideal the shave was great. And in the end, that is all that matters.
When I have time for my straight I use a soap. If using DE I use my proraso cream. Time is my guage....