Newibe question soap/cream - comments welcome

Hi There, I am from Central Alberta, Canada and I have been shaving with my straight razor for about 6 weeks now.

I am currently using Col. Conk Bay rum soap but I find that it dries my skin out within seconds and makes the first pass with my razor difficult. I use Proraso pre-shave and then Primalan post shave almond balm.

What is the difference between a soap and a cream when it comes to wet shaving?

I am thinking of ordering myself some Taylor's of Bond Street cream or soap. Is there a difference? Is a cream better for the skin and or a better performer than a soap?

I allow myself 30 minutes in the morning for shaving. I generally make four or five passes. The last two I do with hot water only. That really gets it smooth.

Anyway, any suggestions or comments are welcome.

Thanks
Chris in Central Alberta, Canada

First off welcome to SRP from a fellow Canadian.

About your question regarding the soap. I personally have not used Col. Conk soaps but when I first started out I noticed that my soap was drying while I was shaving this usually is because there is not enough water in the mix. Your best bet is to read the wikis if you havent already and check up on how to make a good lather also add a bit of water while you are whipping it up and just experiment.

William

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Originally Posted by wmac

First off welcome to SRP from a fellow Canadian.

About your question regarding the soap. I personally have not used Col. Conk soaps but when I first started out I noticed that my soap was drying while I was shaving this usually is because there is not enough water in the mix. Your best bet is to read the wikis if you havent already and check up on how to make a good lather also add a bit of water while you are whipping it up and just experiment.

William

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Thanks William,
I will try using more water and see how that helps. I have three cakes of the Colonel to use up so I hope using more water helps.

Chris in Calgary/Red Deer, Alberta

I've used the conk. it's not bad but there are way better products on the market. Try some MWF or a quality milled English Soap.

To me the only difference between soap and cream is the convenience and ease of making lather with the cream. Castle Forbes by the way is a superior shave cream. About as good as it gets.

The difference between soaps and creams are better experienced than described.

Welcome aboard, Chris! I have to agree with wmac, if your soap is drying too quickly, then you're not using enough water when blending your lather. Ideally, the consistency should be like a soft whipped cream, stiff enough to form small peaks in your mug or bowl. I have one soap and two creams in my rotation. The soap is Proraso. If you're a fan of mentholated soaps/ creams, give this one a whirl. It's by far my favorite. My creams are Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes and Art of Shaving Unscented.

Welcome to your new obsession!

Have you tried a triple milled tallow soap? I find that the Tallow soaps provide a much creamier lather and offer superior cushion. For me, the tallow soaps provide a better shave than creams and a much better shave than glycerin based soaps.

Hi folks,
Thanks for all the information. After reading a lot of information about soaps and creams I purchased myself a tub of Castle Forbes Lime shave cream. I will give that a try.

Tomorrow morning I will try using more water with the Colonel, but I think the glycerin based soap is too hard on my skin.

Chris in Red Deer, Alberta

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Originally Posted by shikano53

Hi folks,
Thanks for all the information. After reading a lot of information about soaps and creams I purchased myself a tub of Castle Forbes Lime shave cream. I will give that a try.

Tomorrow morning I will try using more water with the Colonel, but I think the glycerin based soap is too hard on my skin.

Chris in Red Deer, Alberta

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After you get the CF you're gonna want to fire the Colonel.

I'm in Vancouver BC. The local Safeway has a shave cream branded "Kaloderma". It works nicely -- good lather, smooth shave. And really, really inexpensive.

I haven't noticed it drying my skin. I've also been experimenting with moisturizers and aftershave balms (that is, almond oil), so you might have different views.

I've also been using Proraso shaving soap, available at Shopper's Drug Mart. It works nicely, but I prefer the Kaloderma cream.

Charles

CF makes a great cream, and that lime scent is exquisite. I would say that the Taylor of Old Bond Street creams perform at the same level as Castle Forbes for about half the price.

I find creams or uberlather to be much more forgiving for slow shaving than soap.

+1 on not enough water.
For what its worth, my 'go to' soap is either Van Der Hagen (normally about $1.50 per puck) or Mama Bear's (about $9). Word is that VDH is easier to lather than Williams, especially with harder water. I've never tried Williams, so I won't comment any further on that one.
Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF) is very nice, but its pretty hard to lather if you don't know what you're doing, so I'd maybe recommend holding off on it for now :shrug:.
This video should really help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXVxXvv_8yk

and this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd7Aj...feature=relmfu