Thread: Tried some Caswell Massey

I picked up some Caswell Massey shaving soap while on vacation. It was from their 1752 collection and came in a nice wooden bowl. It looks great, but I must say I am disappointed with it. I have a hard time working up a lather with it and it dries out very quickly. My ivory soap in a mug works much better for me, and Proraso is still my favorite. I expected better performance for that price. Anybody like Caswell Massey? Maybe it's my technique that needs improving.

Eagle,

Building lather in a wood bowl is a little trickier than in a mug. It could be the soap, but I've had success with all kinds of soaps, even Colgate. This should work: soak your brush in warm water briefly or untill it feels saturated, then shake out almost all the water. Swirl your brush a bit firmly into and all around the soap catching the stuff that tries to run over the edge and working it back into the mix. Re-wet your brush slightly if needed. Keep at it until you have a pretty dense foam, almost paste-like. Most of the cream will be in the brush. Then turn on the faucet at a thin trickle or stream and add small amounts of water to the brush. Just hold the brush under the stream for half a second and then mix in the bowl. Keep adding small amounts of water until you have the desired consistencey. Careful though, too much water and you may have to start over.

Hope this helps. (If not, send your soap to me and I will dispose of the offending product for you )

Scott

Your technique may be having some impact, but it's the soap. C-M has some great products. Super colognes. But their soaps and creams are not very well thought of. I have the 1752 Almond shaving cream, and it is "okay". Superb scent, weak lather.

RT

Scott (a.k.a. honedright),

Thanks for the tips on building a lather in a bowl. I was able to get a much nicer lather using your technique. It still dries out too quickly though, so I relathered multiple times. It serves as a great reminder of how nice my proraso is

Mike (a.ka. eagle)

Mike,

I'm glad that my suggestion helped you.

Sometimes, if the soap tends to dry too soon, I add the water to the brush and then go directly to the lather on my face and work it in.
I've found that the best consistency for lather, in my opinion, is on the thick side of runny. But YMMV. Haven't tried the Prorasso yet though.

Scott

What is Prorasso? ( sorry to get off subject)

I have to agree that C-M soap isn't all that great. It smells better than it works and for the money there are many better brands out there.

Originally Posted by pitbulls20

What is Prorasso? ( sorry to get off subject)

Proraso is available as a shaving cream in a tube or a semi-hard soap in a plastic "puck". It is menthol heavy and very cooling. And besides being very inexpensive, it is available at Target! If you search it out, you'll have to find the Spa section. It's not with the men's shaving gear. You can also pick up a jar or Pre-Shave (which can be used both pre and post) and their liquid After Shave Balm. All good stuff!

RT