Thread: Pros and cons of Soaps vs. Creams

Hmmmm I actually find soap easier and faster to lather up than cream, maybe it's because I use soap most of the time. I do like them both just find soap easier.

-dan-

Personnally, I don't find soaps to be harder to lather with badger than with boar. Nor is the lather from a soap thinner. Finally, creams can be face lathered as well as soaps. The differences do not lie between the product types (i.e. soap or cream), but rather between every existing product. They all have their particularities, regardless of their unlathered consistencies.

So what are the advantages? Variety. The opportunity to explore and develop your lathering technique.
The disadvantages? Some we don't like. There's always another one to try, so it's hard on the wallet.

Hard to generalise, I guess. I would like to add that IMHO it depends VERY MUCH on which soap and cream. Depending on soaps and creams, you'll probably find that some 'cream A' VS. 'cream B' or 'soap A' VS 'soap B' pairs differ much more than let's say 'soap X' VS 'cream X' pairs. If you get my drift here, since my monday morning phrasing (as usual) still suffers a bit from my weekend of debauchery.

I started with Williams (which is a great smelling $1.50 traditional soap available at most Rite Aids), but liked $2.00 VDH Deluxe (which is a glycerin & cocoa butter soap available at most Walmarts) and $7.00 Bigelow cream (which is rebranded Proraso available at Bath & Body works in most Malls) a whole lot better. I find I get less irritation with the VDH than with the cream, even though the cream lather is slightly thicker looking. My skin also feels more moisturized during the day with the soap. I think both the reduced irritation and moisturizing are due to the cocoa butter in the VDH, since I didn't get the same effect from Williams. I also liked the $8 SRD soap a lot. It made thicker lather than the VDH (about like the Bigelow cream), and resulted in less irritation (more glide ???) than the Bigelow cream - but not quite as much glide as the VDH, and not nearly as moisturizing (ie: I couldn't skip the lotion step after the shave (ie: I use Corn Huskers hand lotion (found at Walmart), which I hear has similar ingredients to Trumpers Skin Food). On the other hand, the SRD soap resists drying out at least 3-4 times better during the shave than VDH, which is a big advantage for a beginner.

ps: The secret to making easy lather with soap is to let a milimeter of water sit on top of it for a minute or two in order to soften it up. (Pour off the water before loading the brush). Softened soap lathers easily - even with a Silvertip badger brush.

pps: I think the reason I thought creams were easier when I was just starting, was because I wasn't getting enough soap onto the brush. By softening the soap, and swirling the brush 30 revolutions in the VDH, I get the same amount of lather as a 5/16" long string of the Bigelow cream. ie: Enough for 2 passes + touch-ups. Swirling the brush for 50 revolutions in the VDH gives me the same amount of lather as a 9/16" long string of cream. ie: Enough for 3 passes + touch-ups. With 50 swirls of VDH, the lather is also as thick as the lather I get from cream. For the SRD soap, you can reduce the number of swirls by 1/3 since it creates more volume of lather with less loading.

Originally Posted by JohnG10

I started with Williams (which is a great smelling $1.50 traditional soap available at most Rite Aids), but liked $2.00 VDH Deluxe (which is a glycerin & cocoa butter soap available at most Walmarts) and $7.00 Bigelow cream (which is rebranded Proraso available at Bath & Body works in most Malls) a whole lot better. I find I get less irritation with the VDH than with the cream, even though the cream lather is slightly thicker looking. My skin also feels more moisturized during the day with the soap. I think both the reduced irritation and moisturizing are due to the cocoa butter in the VDH, since I didn't get the same effect from Williams. I also liked the $8 SRD soap a lot. It made thicker lather than the VDH (about like the Bigelow cream), and resulted in less irritation (more glide ???) than the Bigelow cream - but not quite as much glide as the VDH, and not nearly as moisturizing (ie: I couldn't skip the lotion step after the shave (ie: I use Corn Huskers hand lotion (found at Walmart), which I hear has similar ingredients to Trumpers Skin Food). On the other hand, the SRD soap resists drying out at least 3-4 times better during the shave than VDH, which is a big advantage for a beginner.

ps: The secret to making easy lather with soap is to let a milimeter of water sit on top of it for a minute or two in order to soften it up. (Pour off the water before loading the brush). Softened soap lathers easily - even with a Silvertip badger brush.

pps: I think the reason I thought creams were easier when I was just starting, was because I wasn't getting enough soap onto the brush. By softening the soap, and swirling the brush 30 revolutions in the VDH, I get the same amount of lather as a 5/16" long string of the Bigelow cream. ie: Enough for 2 passes + touch-ups. Swirling the brush for 50 revolutions in the VDH gives me the same amount of lather as a 9/16" long string of cream. ie: Enough for 3 passes + touch-ups. With 50 swirls of VDH, the lather is also as thick as the lather I get from cream. For the SRD soap, you can reduce the number of swirls by 1/3 since it creates more volume of lather with less loading.

JonhG I just took your advice and purchased the brush you recommended along with some not overly expensive soap. Thanks for the exacting advice, I'll let you know how I like them both when they get here friday. Can't wait for the weekend shave with new gear.

I believe that the reason creams are regarded as convenient is because the amount of time it take to get the initial product on the brush. While with cream you just dip or scoop, with soap you must swirl or smoosh, which take a little longer. The amount of water is also a factor for bowls and scuttles in comparison for the two. Cream requires more while soap less.

In terms of lather time, that factor is up to your skill and the brush you own, as both take the same amount of time.

Personally I prefer cream as it holds the scent more than it's soap counterpart.

I tried my first shave cream lastnight, C.O. Bigelow made by Proraso. I used about an 1 inch amount with a teaspoon of water and a wet badger brush in my scuttle and I had a nice lather in no time. I had an excellent shave from it being my first cream. I plan to rotate between soap and cream as well as the brands. That's just me.
Fun thing about this hobby is trying different brands and types! That's what it's all about, having a little fun with shaving. When I Mach 3 and canned foam shave, it was nothing but a boring mundane chore. Since I switched to straight razor and wet shaving, I enjoy straight razor/wet shaving and appreciate the results.

I also want to thank one of our Mentors, Obie for introducing me to Bigelow. It's great that I can get a great product locally! Thanks Obie!!

Originally Posted by Slur

Soaps are considered more difficult because most people use badger brushes.
For those who use boar brushes like me, soaps are as easy as creams or even easier sometimes.

Interesting. I gather boar brushes are stiffer? I've read somewhere that for almost all other purposes boar brushes are considered king. I've recently upgraded from a cheap supermarket brush (no idea what the bristles are made of) to a Badger (Pure). I've not yet used soap, only Proraso cream. And before my awakening Palmolive. Why do you like boar and soap over badger and cream, if I may ask?

Originally Posted by Ryan82

I've heard the argument before that creams are so much faster to lather than soaps. IMO the lathering speed difference between soaps and creams is negligible; with experience it's very easy to get a fast lather from a soap. The difference would seem to be in the ease of lathering with a cream, as they have a more forgiving water ratio. Soaps take a more experienced eye because the water-to-soap ratio is harder to nail down.

Couldn't agree more with everything said by Ryan - as well as many others in this thread , not just the snippet quoted above: At the end of the day it's not so much soap versus cream that results in different lather, rather the more personal variables that go into the way you use each - water hardness, how you load your brush, type of bowl or mug (e.g. does it have a smooth or rough surface), your facial properties, is it tallow based or glycerin based, etc.

Once you nail down your technique for specific products and your personal set of variables I think you'll find very little difference between the lather from soap and cream and the most efficient way for you to achieve great lather from either.

For example, most people find bowl lathering to work better and quicker for creams. Perhaps it's because I have very thick, course facial hair (e.g. a personal variable (more agitation of the soap/cream?)), but for me face lathering always builds the lather much quicker than bowl lathering regardless of whether I use soap or cream - and I definitely see a tighter water-to-product ratio with soap regardless of how/where I build the lather. I also find it easier to load a silver tip off of a dry soap puck if it's tallow based and a wet puck if it's glycerin based. And, if built well, I find little different between a soap lather and a cream lather.

Like everything else in straight shaving - either will work great. But which one(s) you end up preferring more than others will depend upon how your personal techniques and gear (including your water) react with a given product's specific characteristics.

Originally Posted by Malacoda

...but for me face lathering always builds the lather much quicker than bowl lathering...

Good point; normally I mix it in the bowl and sort of paint it on. I'm going to try initially mixing the cream in the bowl and then lathering on the face more tomorrow...