Thread: What would you recommend as a first soap or first cream?

I really believe that Tcheon Fung Sing is a super performer for the price. Everyone has their favorite cheap soaps, and I really dig this one. Personal preference, but I love this soap.

Tcheon Fung Sing Hard Shaving Soap Refill | RoyalShave

First - we all need to be glad that we have so many choices...it could be: Williams or VDH as our only options...

And the Proraso/Bigelow, Tabac, Spieck...all great choices.

I recently started caring a 1oz/30g container of Proraso as a travel soap and was reminded how well it seemed to work with any water/brush/method combo - as good a place as any to start.

Good luck, smooth shaving, and enjoy the ride!

Another vote for Proraso. Proraso green tub. The menthol and eucalyptus sensation and smell I still cannot shake.

Cella-I bought it and didn't realize that it smelled like almonds. Lathered well and was price point acceptable, but it smelled like my grandmother's perfume.

I had a hard start with a soap that was difficult to lather. I went to Van Der Hagen and was finally able to lather, but then I went to a soap based on a friend SRPer and haven't regretted buying the Proraso Green and will do so again.

Best wishes,

I actually did a poll on this and the results were very easy to figure out. The majority about 80% started out with Proraso cream. Why I think for a few reasons .... #1 creams are easier to build a lather when starting out plain and simple. As long as you follow the basics of not over hydrating and going slow you will get a great lather. Proraso is also very obtainable and a classic. The second most popular was Taylor of old bond street's Sandalwood. I will repeat it is a classic scent and creams lather easier as a very general statement. I personally started with Proraso though rarely use years later. I feel it is a great product that makes a quality lather, but found I liked soaps more as I progressed. Soaps are a little more picky when it comes to loading and water ratios etc... though not always. Which ever way you go make sure it is a scent you enjoy as if you don't enjoy the scent you wont use it whether a cream or a soap. Good luck and I'm sure what ever you get it will be the right choice.

I think you should take the high road. Buy the best soap or crème you can buy so you are not disappointed and you will learn faster. You can buy the cheap stuff but you will end up with the best later anyway. My best list include Le pere Lucien soap, MDC soap, DR harris cremes

I'm just a starter, started about 1,5 month ago. But I like trying soaps and creames. Soaps work best for me.
I've got one expensive soap. Truefitt and hill - Sandalwood. Like the smell but the lather isn't great (for me). But the wooden box looks great .
The rest is quite inexpensive:
Tabac (My favourite soap)
De vergulde hand (Dutch, really cheap and definitely my second favourite soap)
Proraso green (Really nice)
Palmolive cream. (For me soaps shave better. But it's not bad)

Also I've got suavecito cream (not inexpensive) which I sometimes use is as a pre-shave cream. It doesn't lather, but it's a nice cream.

I can really recommend the Tabac. It has quite a strong scent (which you may or may not like), but the lather is really nice.

PS. Face-lathering works best for me.

I'd check out Stirling Soaps. Great.variety of fragrances and.down to Earth pricing. They are really easy to whip up, tallow based and great protection.

Shaving Soaps

Go to the Sample page, he has the largest sample pucks (1 oz.) for $2.
In Christ
SB

+1 for Sterling Soaps. Best kept secret in the wet shaving world. One could spend years trying their samples, not a bad idea.

Not sure whether I agree on Proraso.
Not everyone likes the strong scent of (green) Proraso and there are reports that not everybody's skin agrees with it.
After years of problem-free occasional use, I started developing a rash from either the green Proraso pre-shave cream or shaving soap when shaving with a straight razor and have laid off Proraso for a while.

If you want a fairly inexpensive, proven shaving cream that is known to agree with skin types, I would pick Nivea (cream only, no hard soap).

It's economical, smells pleasant (if unobtrusive), lubricates nicely, and is easy to build a good lather with.
In Western Canada it can be had in Shoppers and London Drugs for about $3.99, either in the blue (mild or extra moisture) or the white (extra sensitive) variant. For me, both work equally well.
In fact, these Nivea products seem to be available pretty much all over the world and you just can't go wrong with good ole Nivea - in particular the less expensive baseline products like shaving creams and Nivea skin cream in the dark blue tub or tube (which I apply after the shave).

My mother used to put Nivea cream on this baby-boomer's face in the 50's, and today my wife still likes to kiss the cheeks of this 61-year old, so Nivea can't be that bad, can it?

Lynn is 110% on mark I wish I had that advise before I bought 60 others ! No joke. Just to add my two more cents BAUME.BE and Esjberg creams are darn close too. They cost more than what I earlier said about Proraso or TOBS but they are also on a different level.