Thread: Cream seems hard

I've noticed a little bit of a difference with my lavender creams as compared to the others that I have. All of the other creams that I have are all soft and kind of gooey, but the two tubs of lavender (one truefitt & hill and one castle forbes) aren't that way, they seem a bit harder. At first I thought it was just the T&H was maybe a little old when the vendor shipped it to me, then I got the castle forbes and it was the same. It's only the lavender cream so I was wondering if this is normal for lavender or if both tubs of cream are lacking in moisture? I read on a different post that I could add a little distilled water to soften it up, but haven't tried this as I wasn't sure if lavender is always like this or not. Anyone else have the same experience with a tub of cream, brand new being a bit hard?

If it's soft enough for your brush to pick enough to lather with just a swirl, or if you can scoop some out easily-think soft cake icing, give or take-then it's good to go. If you have to use it like a soap, it's dried out. Then you have several options.
Personally, I usually rehydrate my creams, as I have so many that I'm using some that are easily 4 years old now and still work fine.
To rehydrate, add a little water on top, then microwave the cream in 15 second intervals until the water can be stirred in easily. Some creams I've melted completely to accomplish this. Then I keep stirring it as it cools (I cheat a little and place the tub in a bowl of ice and salt water) and voila! any consistency within reason you want it to be. Just remember keep stirring, if you want that somewhat whipped consistency. It should look like new cream when you are done and the cream has re-solidified. If you do not constantly stir it will look much like noxzema before you use it. You could still stir at that point, but I don't know how effective it would be.
My dried out tubs I simply added water to the line the cream used to be and did it that way.
You could also use a double boiler, I guess, but I'm not that patient.
There are other methods, but thats how I do it.


John P.

I have two Castle Forbes creams Lime and the sandlewood and the sandlewood is pretty hard. No big deal I just use it almost like a soap Just its not quite that hard so a little swirl with a wet brush and it lathers right up. The Lime is very soft.

Pretty much all of the top english creams used to be rather firm in the pot, Trumper, Taylor, T&H, DR Harris,Coates etc. In the past few years there has been a rash of reformulations (EU regs being blamed) and Creightons, who makes these creams for most of the above names have shifted their production to a new facility and there have been issues with consistency and quality for some time now. It sounds like you have two tubs of the "Good Old Stuff" which is in marked contrast to the over whipped light and fluffy modern shaving cream that has been seen as of late. Taylor of Old Bond Street was the only one to come out and admit to the reformulation issue some time ago and at the moment seems to be delivering fairly consistent and good quality cream. The others have not been so fortunate and... well... people are complaining left and right.

So, not to worry about the firmness of the creams you have, they are what many wetshavers search for, a fine vintage cream! If you would like to read more about this whole debacle, slip on over to shavemyface.com and search for "reformulation" and that should give you hours of reading about this subject.

Regards

Christian