Thread: Shave cream or shave soap?

I've been using a straight razor for about 5 years now and have only used shave soaps. What is the difference between shave soap and shave cream? Thanks.

I think about the only real differences are that creams contain more water than triple milled soaps so they might be a bit easier to lather but you get less shave from them.

Bob

As a beginner, I found it much easier to make a proper lather with cream, because it's easier to measure amounts ("an almond-sized dollop"). Later, once I knew what lather is supposed to be, I could manage with the soaps.

Originally Posted by deepweeds

As a beginner, I found it much easier to make a proper lather with cream, because it's easier to measure amounts ("an almond-sized dollop"). Later, once I knew what lather is supposed to be, I could manage with the soaps.

And it's easier to go back for just a little more.

I agree with deepweeds in regards to the cream being favorable to the beginner. I like the soap for lathering straight out of the tub, you don't need a mug if you just face lather. Now that I know what I'm doing, I use soap exclusively now, unless I'm making uberlather.

With creams all the work is done for you so it's easier. Soap is the classic he-man way to shave. (har har).

There are some excellent soaps that come only as creams and some that come only as hard soaps so you don't always have a choice if you really like a particular product. Also there are some products that come as both soap and cream and folks have reported them to be very different so you need to discuss a particular product and it's characteristics.

I don't mind using soaps, but I prefer cream. It just takes much less time to build a good lather, and I have yet to find a soap that gets as slick was Wm Neumann cream. Since I'm not particularly inclined to buy every puck of soap just to see if I can find something better, I'll stick with creams. Tabula Rasa is a close second as far as slickness goes. Nice stuff.

Cream is my go to choice..

Soap takes a bit more work, but not much.

I have playing around with both creams and soaps. the last ones I tried where The Art of Shaving cream and soap. the soap lathers very well its my favorite so far. I do find it pricy $50 for 3oz. the cream lathers up faster than the soap buy dries out faster. normally when I go to reapply lather for my second pass there is more than enough left on my brush. when I reapplied what was left on my brush and did my second pass on one side of my face the cream on the other side dried to a powdery crust.

Thanks for the replies. I am so used to using soaps that I think I'll stick to using them