Thread: Soaps or creams

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.

Originally Posted by JTmke

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.

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 .