TGQ, Colleen's soap

I have many soaps/creams in my rotation. Colleens, (TGQ) Mama Bear's, MWF, Vintage blades triple milled stuff, (which is great by the way) some Goat's milk soap from the Soap shed, Some old Williams, Tabac, etc...For creams, I have CF, T&H, Nancy Boy, Proraso, Tabac, etc...Needless to say I have a bunch. AT least a dozen in rotation, I'm probably forgetting a few...
The thing is, and I want to be fair here, Colleen's soap doesn't lather worth a darn for me. Now, I have no trouble with anything else, at all. I have good brushes, Silver tip badger. I know how to work a lather, etc...
I read so many good reviews about her soaps and most of the time you guys are right on with your reviews.

Now, to be fair, I purchased the sample pack of 5 soaps and 2 creams. The creams were good, but my hand starts to hurt from trying to work a lather on her soaps. What I eventually do is, Uber them, that is a shot of "Kiss my face" and a couple of drops of glycerin. As I said, I want to be fair. Should I purchase a larger puck and give it a shot? I mean, if it get's all these good reviews, there must be something to it, right. Maybe I got a bad batch. The fragrance is great, but lather leaves something to be desired, it's just flat. I even have a water softner, so it makes extra lather, sort of...Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Rich

Hmm. I got crap results from MWF, but great lather from my TGQ samples. Strange how it varies sink to sink.

WoW, that is wierd. When I got MWF, I was a little skeptical myself, but really surprised my the thick lather I got, plus it stayed while I stropped. That's another one of my tests, How long it takes a soap to disapate on my face. I have this Goat's milk stuff from the Soap Shed, Their Bath Soaps are awesome, I'm hooked on it, It got me off body wash, now I use those bars on the poofy...But their shave soaps are horrible...
Your correct, I read everyone raving about Colleen's soaps, and I'm thinking, What happened? I thought of emailing her, but there's really no point.

I get good lather from everything, I was a little worried about MWF but it ended up lathering great for me, only problem is it dried to fast on my face and my skin felt dry.

I just recently tried Colleens soap and it is the best I have tried so far. Im gonna use all my other soaps up in the shower and only use Colleens soaps. I plan on ordering at least half her soap line this week with the custom wood bowls that she carries. On my next paycheck I will order the other half of her soap line with bowls. Then I will just sit back and wait for her to come out with a new one and I will only have to buy the one. My skin never felt so good , lather is great, the scent makes my mouth water , I was almost tempted to put my tongue on the soap.

Rich go for the bigger bar and see what happens. I'll buy it from you if you dont like it.

Mike,

This is what I mean, I didn't get that. Now, Mama Bear's soaps were awesome...
BTW, What are you putting her soaps in to use. They don't look like they would fit in a mug...I'll give a bigger puck a shot and see what happens.
It has to be the sample sizes, If your willing to make it your one and only soap, there must be something to it. I'm really looking for someone to chime in and say, Yes, it's the samples, They suck, Get the big puck. I hear the Cavendish Black is quite good...?

Take it for what its worth from a newbie to straight razor (but I had been using williams soaps for the last 13 years, until I found this site and decided to try others out). I found that the soap samples did not yield near as good results as her full size. I put the samples into a coffee mug to try them out.

I think the poor results where because I had really hard time getting the brush loaded properly. I get really good results with the full size versions. And yes Cavindish black is really nice I"m hoping she'll come out with an AB/AS in it so the scent will last longer.

Almost forgot, I melted the full size into sugar bowls from the dollar store using the double boiler method.

P.S.
you guys are hard on the wallet, I still to try SRD soaps, Mama Bear, and CF........

Rich, Im using the bowl that the Dr Harris soap came in, but Colleen has a bowl that is custom made for her soaps that I will buy as soon as she gets them back in stock. They are really nice bowls. Hopefully she will chime in and tell you more. Now I used mama bear and it was great but I like the slickness of Colleens soap.

I think I have a couple n00b issues with my lather, but Colleen's soaps are working well for me overall. I also got the sampler and just starting out, I'm loading my brush with the soap and adding a speck of cream to do a sort of mini-uber.
Here's a "Pro Tip" I sort of picked up from Jockeys - I zapped the soap puck in a small bowl to melt it in there. I use that to load the brush and then a separate "shaving mug" from Burt's bees as my lathering scuttle.
I've said it before, but I think I need to go with another Jockeys trick and do the redneck scuttle so my lather stays warm.

All that said, though, I'm pretty sold on Colleen's soaps.

I have the same problem with Castle Forbes creams. I have varied the proprtions but still get lousy lather. I don't have any problems at all with TGQ soaps.

Thanks to all who responed. I guess we all have our one soap/cream that gives us trouble. I did purchase a 3 oz puck of CB and one of her bowls. I'll give it another shot.
I love shave creams, but I also like the feedback I get from a good soap too.
Rich

I love Colleen's soaps! I use "Leatherneck" almost exclusively as a hard soap, and CF for cream. I've yet to use any of her creams, but hear only good things. As for the bowl, I ordered one with my last puck of "Leatherneck" and while they are beautifully made, I don't think it's deep enough. The soap comes all the way to the rim and there's no room to build up a good lather without spilling over onto your hands. I've since moved my soap puck into a LARGE coffee mug that I picked up while in Germany and it works wonderfully. Colleen definitely has my business as far as soaps go!!:rock:

Mike

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As for the bowl, I ordered one with my last puck of "Leatherneck" and while they are beautifully made, I don't think it's deep enough. The soap comes all the way to the rim and there's no room to build

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Now she's gonna make the soap smaller :eek:

Mike and Mike,
Which of her bowls did you buy- the $7 or the $14? Just curious what the difference is and if there's more room to build in one vs the other.

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Originally Posted by Mike257

Now she's gonna make the soap smaller :eek:

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:hmmm: ;)

Good Morning Gentlemen,

I was having my cup'a joe when I stumbled across this wonderful thread this morning. I thought the comments regarding the sample sizes were "very interesting" and I'll tell ya why.

"Keep in mind the larger quantity melted, the clays, and the butters". Clay sinks and so does butter because of the density. When pouring into a larger 3 oz. mold you have a greater surface area and a more even distribution of everything "sinking".

Now, I have ALWAYS wondered and worried about the 1 oz. sizes, because they are poured into a "tube".......smaller surface area, clay and butter sinking. Which has always left me wondering what happens to the soap at the top of the tube, vs the soap at the bottom of the tube, and quite frankly the soap in the middle..

Because really, there should be no difference in the 1 oz. vs the 3 oz. because it's all the same soap, but if the clay and butter doesn't distribute the same, therein lay the difference. I will tell you that the soap poured into the the tube is cooled right away to try to slow the sinking effect, but from your comments I can see this "isn't" working well enough.

How can I do this differently :thinking:

Advice, questions, comments, suggestions, and constructive critiques are always welcome.

Soapmistress

For what it's worth, I have only tried one, a sample sized lavender soap another member sent me along with a razor, and it lathered pretty well.

I got a TGQ sampler pack and it totally left me flat. I got perfectly fine lather, and it's fine, but for me QED is much better and I like HBS and MB better as well.

So I'm in the minority for sure on not liking the TGQ, but if you aren't getting good results you aren't alone.

I do think which soap and cream you like is very subjective, and it's also true that I've gone back to products I didn't like half a year later, and for whatever reason, I figured them out later. So I"m hoping that happens with me on TGQ.

For me TGQ soaps are some of the best preforming I have very slick and easy to lather and the scents seem to be more noticeable to me then some of the other soaps I got.

Just a suggestion I couldn't get MWF to lather worth a damm in a bowl even after multiple attempts and various brushes from stiff to scracthy to soft but I tried face lathering with it and it works fine.

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Originally Posted by kenneyty

Mike and Mike,
Which of her bowls did you buy- the $7 or the $14? Just curious what the difference is and if there's more room to build in one vs the other.

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The $14 bowl Im hope to have all 12 soaps with bowls by the end of next month

Any of you guys want to send me the MWF, Please do. I find the lather to be thick, lubricating and has staying power, plus, it smells pretty darn good. I do have a water softner though, which is another reason why i couldn't figure out the TGQ problem?
Oh Well, When the 3oz puck of CB arrives with the bowl, I'm sure I'll be happy!

Rich, how hard or soft is your water? That is more than likely the problem.

Though I agree that water hardness/variations are definitely a factor I will admit that I coundn't get TGQ soaps to lather worth a damn at first either. I found that, when lathering directly on the face, it worked quite well, but seeing that I'm primarily a bowl latherer (if that's even a word :D) it was very frustrating. I did find that if I work the sh%t out of the soap to load the brush I could make a decent lather in a bowl, and it did take a while to figure this out. I have some soaps that are way harder than Colleen's soaps (density) that seem to load up a lot quicker than her softer soap, so go figure.

Unfortunately when members have problems with a much beloved soap/cream the tendency is to blame the person's lathering skills right off the bat. Everyone has an opinion, and what works for one person may not work for another. For example, who can simply not tolerate the smell of Tabac?

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Though I agree that water hardness/variations are definitely a factor I will admit that I coundn't get TGQ soaps to lather worth a damn at first either. I found that, when lathering directly on the face, it worked quite well, but seeing that I'm primarily a bowl latherer (if that's even a word :D) it was very frustrating. I did find that if I work the sh%t out of the soap to load the brush I could make a decent lather in a bowl, and it did take a while to figure this out. I have some soaps that are way harder than Colleen's soaps (density) that seem to load up a lot quicker than her softer soap, so go figure.

Unfortunately when members have problems with a much beloved soap/cream the tendency is to blame the person's lathering skills right off the bat. Everyone has an opinion, and what works for one person may not work for another. For example, who can simply not tolerate the smell of Tabac?

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Good Morning Gentlemen :D

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate everyone's comments. It is true, that scent.....and soap......are very much a personal thing "as it should be". Which is why I never mind when someone says they like another soap better :cry: ... ;) Can you imagine if all men in the world decided they would only use TGQ soaps.....lol. Why, you would never get your order filled ! :p


I love all of you who order from me, and guess what......I even adore those of you who don't, because you're the ones who keep me "laying awake in bed" at night wondering if I add 3 more grams of XYZ will that be the difference. I think perchance I would become a very boring soapmaker if I never had anything to strive for.

Soapmistress

FWIW zib, I have great luck with TGQ soaps. My favorite is cavendish, then probably oak and moss.

I have had no problems whipping up a rich lather very quickly with the soaps (sample sizes worked fine too).

I have, however, had problems with getting the creams to lather (kind of the opposite from you huh). The sample creams I got have always been really thin and not very satisfying:shrug:. Funny huh, the soaps have always been great for me.

One more thing, I read something about you almost emailing colleen but then deciding not to... I'd say send her an email if you ever feel like doing so. She has been very helpful to me and I'm convinced that she'd like to hear about your experiences with her soaps (good or bad).:tu

Funny you should ask, I have a water softner.....Ironic, isn't it....It's good too...

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Though I agree that water hardness/variations are definitely a factor I will admit that I coundn't get TGQ soaps to lather worth a damn at first either. I found that, when lathering directly on the face, it worked quite well, but seeing that I'm primarily a bowl latherer (if that's even a word :D) it was very frustrating. I did find that if I work the sh%t out of the soap to load the brush I could make a decent lather in a bowl, and it did take a while to figure this out. I have some soaps that are way harder than Colleen's soaps (density) that seem to load up a lot quicker than her softer soap, so go figure.

Unfortunately when members have problems with a much beloved soap/cream the tendency is to blame the person's lathering skills right off the bat. Everyone has an opinion, and what works for one person may not work for another. For example, who can simply not tolerate the smell of Tabac?

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There ya go, I to am a "bowl lather"......

TFTA, I ordered the Cavendish, 3 oz in a bowl....I'll give it a shot.

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Originally Posted by Del1r1um

FWIW zib, I have great luck with TGQ soaps. My favorite is cavendish, then probably oak and moss.

I have had no problems whipping up a rich lather very quickly with the soaps (sample sizes worked fine too).

I have, however, had problems with getting the creams to lather (kind of the opposite from you huh). The sample creams I got have always been really thin and not very satisfying:shrug:. Funny huh, the soaps have always been great for me.

One more thing, I read something about you almost emailing colleen but then deciding not to... I'd say send her an email if you ever feel like doing so. She has been very helpful to me and I'm convinced that she'd like to hear about your experiences with her soaps (good or bad).:tu

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Originally Posted by zib

TFTA, I ordered the Cavendish, 3 oz in a bowl....I'll give it a shot.

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Thats cool rich, I admire you for spending money on something your not sure is going to work for you, I also do the same thing with stuff. I have cavendish and bowl comming as well, along with a few others.

ok I swirl my brush around Colleens soap 8 times then I go into this big coffee mug, I then just keep swirling and the lather just keeps getting thicker, I then just dip the very tip of my brush in the water to pick up a few drops, This is what I have left over after shaving and I did 3 passes tonight.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...4/100_0064.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...4/100_0066.jpg

I recieved three samples of soap and cream from Colleen this week, I'd previousley onlu used the Irish Moss, which worked fine, but it was a gift in a scent I perhaps wouldn't have chosen.

The samples I got were leatherneck, Cavendish black and the lavender. made uber lather this morning with The Leatherneck soap and cream( no Glycerine) it lathered well but took a good while to build the lather in a DB scuttle , I must have been building for a good 5 minutes. Lather held up well whilst I stropped and lasted well giving a comfortable shave.

Excellent shave and a great scent, thumbs up from me.

Colleen you need to label the samples better though, my two year old took them all out of the plastic bags when they were laying on the kitchen table and it took me a moment or two to work out which was which.

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Originally Posted by Mike257

ok I swirl my brush around Colleens soap 8 times then I go into this big coffee mug, I then just keep swirling and the lather just keeps getting thicker, I then just dip the very tip of my brush in the water to pick up a few drops, This is what I have left over after shaving and I did 3 passes tonight.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...4/100_0064.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...4/100_0066.jpg

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WOW ! If I can get that, I'll be happy.....

See, That's my point, You "Uber'd it, and it took you five minutes.
I want to see how it stands up on it's own without Ubering....
I have some "Kiss my Face" and Glycerin on the counter for Uber Lather, but a good soap of cream doesn't need it. Mama Bear's, needs no Uber, nor does Mitchell's and Vintage Blades, triple milled....

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Originally Posted by Englishgent

I recieved three samples of soap and cream from Colleen this week, I'd previousley onlu used the Irish Moss, which worked fine, but it was a gift in a scent I perhaps wouldn't have chosen.

The samples I got were leatherneck, Cavendish black and the lavender. made uber lather this morning with The Leatherneck soap and cream( no Glycerine) it lathered well but took a good while to build the lather in a DB scuttle , I must have been building for a good 5 minutes. Lather held up well whilst I stropped and lasted well giving a comfortable shave.

Excellent shave and a great scent, thumbs up from me.

Colleen you need to label the samples better though, my two year old took them all out of the plastic bags when they were laying on the kitchen table and it took me a moment or two to work out which was which.

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OK, Colleen's CB arrived today complete with the little wooden bowl. The only one available at the time I ordered was the one that's less expensive, but it's fine.
The soap exceeded my expectations. The fragrance is awesome, Lather is great, A big thumbs up. She has another satisfied customer. I actually used it right in the little wooden bowl, worked great.....Rich

oh Cool Rich , very cool Im glad that worked out for you man ! As soon as I get the complete line of shave soap Im going to order some of the body soap.

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Originally Posted by Mike257

oh Cool Rich , very cool Im glad that worked out for you man ! As soon as I get the complete line of shave soap Im going to order some of the body soap.

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You'll love her bath soaps too. I use her Oak&Moss bath soap.

FWIW, I too order Bath Soap, but I've been into these Goat's milk soaps from a place up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, called The Soap Shed. Her bath soaps w/Goats milk are awesome, but stay away from the shave soaps.....

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Originally Posted by zib

OK, Colleen's CB arrived today complete with the little wooden bowl. The only one available at the time I ordered was the one that's less expensive, but it's fine.
The soap exceeded my expectations. The fragrance is awesome, Lather is great, A big thumbs up. She has another satisfied customer. I actually used it right in the little wooden bowl, worked great.....Rich

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Good Morning Gentlemen,

Rich, I couldn't be happier :D thank you for taking the time to share your results. .........and this conversation really ended up pointing out a weak point in the samples, along with a few messages about how to adjust that problem. :tu

Soapmistress