Thread: What's better soap or cream?

What's better soap or cream? I've noticed a lot of talk on soaps and very little talk on creams. I'm a real newbee to str8 and would like some real feedback on the benefits of both and why one vs the other. Also what brands of both people would suggest. I will have my first str8 shave after i determine which way to go and hope to have a good experience.

Hello Omajack,

This is certainly not a new topic here, and I'll be willing to bet that you will not be able to get a definitive answer from most members. Soaps/creams are probably the most subjective aspect of wetshaving, so asking which one is the best is like asking what's the best razor, or what's the best music etc. You'll get many different answers.

Most of us who have used many products will appreciate them for what they are, be that a cream or a soap. Preference may change on a daily basis. But if I had to throw out a couple favourite brands of mine....

Soaps: Tabac, Mitchell Wool Fat, Trumpers, Xpec

Creams: Castle Forbes, Domenico Caraceni, DR Harris

+1 to what Ryan said, The both of us have had this discussion many times...You ask ten members, you'll get ten different answers. There have been survey's done here.....Basically:
Soaps are thinner, and give you more feedback when you shave.
Creams tend to be thicker, and offer more cushion...YMMV (your mileage may vary)
I like all the one's Ryan mentioned plus Truefitt and Hill 1805, and Tobs Avacado....for creams...and add any of the SRD soaps, especially the Bulgarian Rose Otto...it's awesome....

what about price? are creams more expensive or soaps, what lasts longer?

I don't think you can compare anything about soaps vs creams because there are so many of each. This is epecially true for price. There are cheap and expensive of both.

I have some soaps and some creams, and I like both. I choose what to use for any given choice based on what scent I want for that day and whether I want to face lather or use my lather bowl.

In my experience creams are better for me because the water here is slightly hard. In hard water creams tend to lather better. One thing that has been suggested in another thread is to use very hot water when lathering soap with hard water. That tends to work well but when I am either too lazy to boil the kettle or shaving at the gym the cream works best for me.

Omajack,

Creams, soaps etc - they are all lather producing products.

You choose by their performance for you, not by their product type

That is why most people have a mix of creams, soaps and other products in their shave kit.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

i tend to enjoy soaps more because they seem to create less of a mess than i do with creams.. also.. soaps tend to make me shave more cautiously than i do wtih some of the really thick creams.

creams on the other hand have much better scents than soaps.

Both are good and its really down to personal preference as to what you go for.

Soaps: Tabac, MWF, Trumpers, TOBS, Mama Bear...

Creams: Castle Forbes, Trumpers again, CarrieM's creams, Penhaligons...

There are myriad of each out there and what you go for really is down to your personal tastes and choices.

+1 to all of the above,A puck of soap will last longer, Like 18 months or more!! Most soap users, facelather rather than whip up soap in a scuttle.And creams are thicker and are whipped up in a scuttle. And some people load their brush with puck soap and put a little cream in the scuttle and make a ton of suds (like me). So buy a puck of MWF and get a Tube of Tebac cream and tell me what you think!!!!