What gives the best shave with a straight? Soap or cream?
Any advice appreciated.
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What gives the best shave with a straight? Soap or cream?
Any advice appreciated.
Well I haven't tried them all, but I've put in a lot of money into soaps and creams. If I'd started with castle forbes I may not have spent as much. Try castle forbes, it is a top cream and my go to recently.
Either can give good results but I think most would agree that a cream is easier to lather than a hard soap for a beginner. You don't have to spend a ton of money on either variety to get good results. The problem with asking what is "best" is that a lot is personal preference which you can only get by trying a few out. There is a long running thread on top tier soaps which should give you an idea of what to try. http://straightrazorpalace.com/soaps...ps-creams.html
Bob
As Bob said creams are by and large easier to make a great lather but some swear that a triple milled hard soap makes the best lather. Personal preference is key in most things in this game. One thing to bare in mind is water hardness, so what works for some might not work as well for others.
And yes Castle Forbes is magnificent.
I use both, but I agree, creams are easier to lather for a beginner. I don't find very much difference in the lather quality between high quality soaps and creams, so I generally shop by scent. Now that I am proficient with soap lather as well, I choose soaps over creams if the scent is offered in both, but that's just a preference, not related to quality of lather.
The easiest, slickest cream I ever used is Wm. Neumann...it still has a place in my rotation, the 1911 scent is great.
I use both. I have lots of lots years worth.
Either works when wet, both are tough when too dry
I do find that the soaps and creams most often referenced here work very well. I find many soap companies that have smaller followings trade on great scents but performance may be almost there but not quite.
Yes! Once you can get a satisfactory lather from nearly anything, that may be ok. But there are some that are very difficult to lather that will only result in frustration for a beginner. Go for easy lather, high quality soaps and creams, get your skill built, then branch out into building a rotation. Nothing wrong with wearing the same scent every day while you learn to shave (or even after; a signature scent isn't a bad thing). If you have the shave part down, then stick with your tried and true and work in new things every now and again, if you're looking for variety.Quote:
Originally Posted by JTmke
Oddly enough one of the easiest soaps to lather that I know is ARKO. It is high quality yet inexpensive.
Bob
Taylor of Old Bond Street is a tough act to follow. Cold River Soap Works is currently making what I think is the best soap, but there are soooo many other good choices as well.
Either of the two aforementioned products will create a superior lather with little effort. If I HAD to choose, I'd probably go with TOBS, at least today I would. Tomorrow??? Who can say?
I have used both individually, and sometimes a bit of both together. I like creams very much but stick pretty much with soaps because a puck lasts me so much longer and I'm basically a skinflint . :)
If I was going to give a beginner a tub of soap or cream, it would be any of the soaps from Catie's Bubbles. It's virtually impossible to not be able to get a massive lather quickly, regardless of experience.
Soap or cream will work equally well.
There are several factors that will play a role in your experience.
1. Quality of the product, not all that is out there will perform the best for you
2. Water quality where you live will affect performance
3. To lesser extent, the brush you re using. Very hard soaps may not later easy by very soft brushes.
BobH gave you a very good reference point about top quality creams/soaps in the link he posted earlier. Take a look at it.
Gentlemen,
Fine brush, soap or cream, quality water and skill produce glorious lather.
I use both soaps and creams, although I prefer soaps for their traditional value. Both equally provide superb lather for my straight or safety razor shaves.
For beginners, although cream is easier to lather than soap, I recommend one of each to help embrace traditional shaving's colorful ritual. Whether bowl or face lathering, spend all the time you can afford in creating luxurious lather.
In my shave den every morning, the outside world ceases to exist. This is my time, and I spend it with my shaving, coffee and music sometimes, and my thoughts.
Happy Easter
It depends on what you make work the best. I used to use cream only, because it was easier to lather. Now that I have some experience, I exclusively use soap. I feel that a larger selection of soap is available to choose from than cream. Also, soap lasts longer.
From reading similar threads it seems that many people start out with creams and bowl lathering, because of ease of use, and end up using mostly soaps and face lathering. I agree with choosing a quality soap and cream and spending the time learning to build a good lather.
Do you have thoughts on particular Castle Forbes scents?Quote:
Originally Posted by prodigy
I've tried a sample of the cedar and have a full size tub of lime. Both are great, it's only a matter of time before I buy full size tubs of the cedar and lavender. You can find places online that sell sample sizes, might help making the choice of brand and scent a little easier before committing. However, I doubt you'd be dissappointed in castle forbes.Quote:
Originally Posted by benhunt
Thanks for the input - I think I'll have to try some samples from Maggard's.Quote:
Originally Posted by prodigy
On another note, I recently tried D.R. Harris hard soap, and it's really great - wished I tried it earlier.
Boy, there are a Ton of soaps and creams out there, a link or way to get the products mentioned might help some folks that do not have good google foo.
Just my 2 cent's, Noxema, and Col. Conks Bay rum soap have worked excellent for me, dab your brush into the noxema and get a small bit on then run into the soap or cream, the Noxema does soften your beard and sure leaves a smooth face after. The V.A. hospital had Williams soap on the shelf for a Whopping .99 Cents, I didn't like it but have only used it twice, but hey .99 works fine in a pinch.
Frugal is right in line with Common Sense, I have almost too much common sense so if you need some I'll sell you some, but only those who really need it may contact me. :gl:
Seriously though Gent's, don't go Hawwwggg wild buying soaps and creams for big Bucks because there are so many and So Many good deals, take your sweet time and enjoy.
Guys keep mentioning Lime scented and Cedar scented, might try one of those flavors next.
I'm not sure that you asked the right question for a couple of reasons. First, there are both excellent quality soaps and creams, and there are some not very good soaps and creams. There is no fundamental difference in lather requirements for straight razor shaving vs. any other wet shaving method. With regard to a cream being easier to lather than a soap, that depends entirely on which cream and which soap one is referring to. Tabac, for example, is a very hard soap but produces lather very easily and if one is talking about MdC, I would think it's almost impossible to not make a great lather very easily. So rather than focusing on soap vs cream, the more important question is: Which soaps or creams provides the best slickness and cushion and do not dry out or dissipate quickly? Clearly, cushion and slickness are very important to a beginning straight razor shaver because they will help the razor glide along the skin smoothly and evenly. Also, as a beginning SR shaver it will take longer to perform a pass than it will later on, so a lather that dries or dissipates quickly will not be a good choice.
Here's my two cents worth:Quote:
Originally Posted by benhunt
I have been shaving with a SR for about 8 months now. I have tried both the creams and soaps that were recommended. Both worked as the others said they would. YOU will have to determine which works best for you and gives you the most comfortable shave. Your equipment should be of descent quality. It doesn't have to be the name brand top of the line, but stay away from inferior quality tools that the community has identified and doesn't recommend. Great multitude of information that will help you make wise decisions. Your face will Thank You too!