Thread: Soap / Cream Recommendations

I tried Williams soap first, and eventually got the water ratio right so it made shiny thick lather - but it still drys quickly enough that the razor starts to grab even when I mix it a little wet. Lathering my face in sections (to keep the lather wet) got old, so I tried VDH soap. It stays wet much longer, but still not quite long enough (even when I mix it to a slightly over saturated consistancy). I also noticed that the VDH makes the razor glide a whole lot better than the Williams (which provided about as much glide as plain water).

So now I'm thinking I should try "better" soaps or creams. The SRD soap, Tabac Soap, and Poraso Soap / Cream, and KMF cream seem to get good reviews and aren't super pricey. I'd prefer to stick with soaps for cost reasons, and so I can face-lather - unless the creams give a lot more lubrication / cushion.

I don't want to buy all the soaps / creams above, or go to the pricey end of the spectrum (T&T, MWF, etc) if I can help it. What do you recommend ?

I'd recommend any of the soaps or creams I have:

- Tabac soap
- Any of Mama Bears soaps. I've got five of them, and they are all excellent!
- Trumpers sandalwood soap
- As above in cream!
- Mitchells Wool Fat soap
- Castle Forbes lime cream

I think all of these are excellent products that give high quality and slick lather. You wont be disappointed with any of them!

Soap: Tabac, Haslinger
Cream: JM Fraser’s

if you like bay rum scent, try Ogallala soap line

I haven’t used it in a while, but this morning’s shave was with Cyril L. Salter Indian Sandalwood Luxury Shaving Cream. I’d forgotten how rich and slick the lather is and how good my face feels afterwards. The sandalwood aroma only lasts about as long as the shave, but the shave was great and I enjoyed the scent while it lasted.

MDC original. Get it over with.
YMMV

I suspect many retailers offer samplers of shaving soaps and creams, but I ran across this one from Fendrihan in Canada that seemed to be very reasonably priced for 12 TOBS scents.

https://www.fendrihan.ca/collections...-cream-sampler

If you are trying to decide which of the offerings in this first-tier line of shaving soaps to use, this could be a great place to start.

The thread gives a LOT of recommendations on peoples favorite soaps. Unfortunately, none of these posts ever asked the OP what his needs were in a soap. Some questions that might be helpful are:

1. What implements do you use for shaving: cartridge razor, SE or DE razor, or straight razor? Someone using a straight razor may need a soap/cream with more cushion and protection than someone using a cartridge.

2. What type of brush do you like to use for lathering? A floppy badger is great for creams, but not so good for hard soaps.

3. How often do you shave? Someone whose beard grows so fast that they need to shave twice a day will have different requirements in a soap/cream that someone who shaves every other day.

4. What type of beard do you have? Someone with a tough beard needs a soap or cream that softens the beard more so than someone with a fine beard.

4. What type of skin do you have? Someone with skin that is sensitive to certain fragrances or chemicals or someone whose gets razor burn easily has different requirements than someone with less sensitive skin. Some people are allergic to lanolin and need to avoid products like MWF.

5. How many passes do you need to achieve the shave you desire? If you do four passes in search of a BBS shave, you will have different needs than someone who does one pass and a cleanup.

Only after questions like these are answered can you truly make an appropriate recommendation. Otherwise, you are just stating what works for you. It may or may not work for the OP.

The OP has specifically stated that cost is a consideration. Thus, recommending expensive products like MdC and Castle Forbes may not be appropriate.

I have a fast growing, tough (white) beard with sensitive skin (blue eyes, ruddy complexion). I shave with a straight razor. Thus for me, many of the products recommended above do not meet my requirements. As an example, I love bay rum scents, but a bay rum with clove like Ogalala burns my face. I also have problems with lime, grapefruit, and peppermint. As I have learned which factors in a lather (softening, slickness, residual slickness, cushion,
protection, and post shave conditioning) make for a truly wonderful shave, some of the products I used to think were excellent, I now consider only average as I have added better products to my den. However, I realize that my requirements, needs, and preferences for soaps and creams are different than those of most shavers. Thus, while something that works well for me is likely to work for most (but not all) shavers, products that do not work so well for me might work quite well for others. As we say YMMV!

Originally Posted by RayClem

The thread gives a LOT of recommendations on peoples favorite soaps. Unfortunately, none of these posts ever asked the OP what his needs were in a soap. Some questions that might be helpful are:

...As we say YMMV!

Maybe I just oversimplified his question, but I think he just wants to know how to lather well without breaking the bank.

Originally Posted by JohnG10

I don't want to buy all the soaps / creams above, or go to the pricey end of the spectrum (T&T, MWF, etc) if I can help it. What do you recommend ?

Please don't make the mistake I did a few years ago and buy loads of soaps looking for the "magic" one. Instead buy a soap like Arko which is cheap, (by which I mean inexpensive) and lathers well or just work with what you have, although lots struggle with Williams. Then again for you, it may not be the soap, it may be your technique or your water hardness.

Almost any soap made for shaving (and some that are not) can make a good lather when the water/soap/technique/brush balance comes together. Check out the video I've attached, experiment some, maybe think about whether it could be your brush (what are you using?), and really work at it. You may be surprised that you start to get some success and you'll be better able to judge how the lather "sounds" and feels. https://youtu.be/_4zESTQWDuw.

There are lots of videos if you got to youtube and search for face lathering or bowl lathering. They'll show you a lot of approaches. Frankly, I think it's patience and practice that get you to where you can get it right.

I'll say again don't just buy a lot of soaps...get a known thing like Arko, that can be much more easily lathered than Williams, and try some different approaches. PM me and I'll send you some Arko.

I've been doing this a number of years and still do it badly occasionally. Enjoy and don't stress over it.