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

For a beginner there is a bewildering array of Shaving Soaps and Shaving Creams. In your experience, what would you recommend? What's your brand preference? What's your favourite way to apply? Is there a starting point you would recommend and then....what would be the second step?

Pretty sure there will be lots of discussion on this one and as a Newbie, I'm really interested in your comments!

Wishing you a pleasant day and shaves as soft as silk.

I would recommend C.O. Bigelow/Proraso cream. It performs well at a very economical price. My favorite so far has been Castle Forbes Limes, but it's pricey.

I have found that face lathering works best for me. When I started wet shaving I lathered in a ceramic bowl with a flat bottom. After about a month I tried face lathering and it worked better for me, producing more lather.

For first soaps starting out I would recommend Proraso and Spieck. Both are great performers and easy to lather on the cheap

It just goes up from there...lol

Start up costs are expensive for shaving, so cheap soaps/creams are attractive. That said, when I started out, I hadn't realised how long a tub of something lasts for (a really really long time)!!! So don't feel too bad if you like the look of something higher up the price range. It might even be worth getting a cheap soap like Arko and making a combination lather with a more expensive cream (that smells nicer - Arko has mixed reviews regarding smell, I don't really like it, but it gets masked in a combination lather).
The thing I use the most is a combination of Proraso Red (in a tub) and Tabac. Tabac smells fantastic (to me) and is one of the most protective creams I have used.
Castle Forbes in the next one for me to try when I've run out of cream...it gets a great reputation, but import may make it expensive in Canada.

I would go to Shoppers Drug Mart and grab some Proraso or go to The Body Shop and get some Maca Root cream for a start. They should all be available locally and are good products. After that the sky and your wallet is the limit.

You have a choice to either bowl lather or face lather and either work well. This fellow has some good vids on shaving Michael Freedberg - YouTube .

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

I would go to Shoppers Drug Mart and grab some Proraso or go to The Body Shop and get some Maca Root cream for a start. They should all be available locally and are good products. After that the sky and your wallet is the limit.

You have a choice to either bowl lather or face lather and either work well. This fellow has some good vids on shaving Michael Freedberg - YouTube .

Bob

Thanks! The video was interesting. So much to explore right now. I most certainly will try some of the more inexpensive stuff like the Proraso and I think a couple of more involved varieties like the Tabac. Still interested and what others are moving on to after their initial foray. (Down the rabbit hole we go!)

Originally Posted by SteveTheCanuck

Thanks! The video was interesting. So much to explore right now. I most certainly will try some of the more inexpensive stuff like the Proraso and I think a couple of more involved varieties like the Tabac. Still interested and what others are moving on to after their initial foray. (Down the rabbit hole we go!)

He has more than one video and seems to be pretty sensible in what he says about things. Do not put down the "inexpensive stuff". From personal experience if you can't get a decent lather and shave from the likes of Proraso or Maca Root going up market may not be worth it until you can get a good lather and shave from the inexpensive stuff.

I get a decent lather and good shave, if I do my part, from using Arko and Palmolive shave sticks on the inexpensive end up through Tabac as a middle of the road example to MdC at the upper end. Not saying you should not go up market, only that you are not at a huge disadvantage starting and learning on the inexpensive stuff. Anyway enjoy the ride.

Bob

For a soap Tabac is one of the cheaper tallows, and performs wonderfully in all kinds of water (unlike some more expensive soaps). Mama Bear's glycerine soaps are a favorite also, easy latherering & not too pricey. For an inexpensive cream I'd say Proraso, Kiss My Face ain't too bad either and is inexpensive.

Cella. Very very nice almond croap and not too expensive.

Proraso or Tabac. consistent and slick. Pick one and stick with it until you master it. Going back and forth between product and razors in my opinion are confusing to the beginner.