Thread: What makes a Cream or Soap your Favorite?

With all the great shaving soaps and creams out there and getting to try so many, I was wondering what the attributes were for making a soap or cream hit your favorite list? Is it big suds, cushion, fragrance, how long the suds last, ability to stay warm and not dissolve??

For me, the fragrance is not the big thing although there are some that purely are not my taste. I really like big, long lasting suds with a lot of cushion and I love being able to use the scuttle so that I have warm suds for a couple passes.

I am a big fan of Caraceni and Castle Forbes for these reasons, but have been enjoying Bluebeards Revenge and a few other new creams. I really like the old Trumpers soaps and the Truefitt for these reasons too.

There are just so many great creams and soaps out there now that I'm not sure I will ever get to test them all let alone use what I have.

So what makes them great for you guys?

Have fun,

Lynn

Well, I haven't tried many, Edwin Jagger Cream, Tabac cream and Williams. So far, I'm loving the Tabac, it's so slippery that when I get it on the handle of my brush it tries to slip out. I need a longer brush handle lol. But it's about time to re-stock and I want to get a soap, I'll probably get some Tabac soap. I love the smell cushion and glide, but need to try a few others as well to form a really good opinion.

for me it's the results of the shave and facial conditioning.. i love french soaps for this.. shea butter treats my face better than anything else out there.

+1 to the above post, it all comes down to how the face feels post-shave. That plus I like a lather that I don't need to re-whip halfway thru my shave, smell is not overly important important to me although there are some old timey smells that make me feel like I'm in a 1920's barber shop which make for a great experience.

Hello, Lynn:

What makes a soap or cream for me is how well it blankets my Hollywood face for a comfortable shave. I like luxurious lather that offers the ideal glide and cushion. The fragrance is not all that important to me, although lather that smells good is a plus.

Also important is how the soap or cream leaves my face after the shave. For this reason, as well as all the other qualities I have noted, I do prefer French soaps overall. That load of shae butter in most of them feels like a sweet smooch.

Yes, I do prefer shave soaps over shave creams, not because they are better, but because they carry a bigger taste of tradition.

Stay well.

Obie

It's all about the performance for me. The scent is second. Though there are many great soaps and creams out there I've found really a few with that really thick dense lather that does it all. There are many that come close but the English soaps are over all at the top of the heap for me.

Maybe when I get that tub of "Obie's Revenge" I'll feel that way about French Soaps too.