Combining Soaps & Creams

Wanted to see if anyone else combines soaps and creams and what combinations they use and why. All my soaps and creams I use separately except for two. I always combine TOBS Sandalwood with VDH Luxury soap. They both work very well by themselves, but together I find them to be fantastic. The scents seem to compliment each other without becoming overbearing. Each soap seems to add alittle more together than separate when it comes to cushion, slickness, thickness and ease of lathering. I am always looking to try something new so wanted to see what other combinations have been tried and worked well. Post your experiences.

Oh Yeah, This has been brought up before. Gssixgun has some good recipes, maybe he'll post them.
I use a few, One of his is "Lanolin Overload" This consists of Mitchell's wool fat soap, a bit of Musgo real shave cream, and 5 drops of glycerin.

I've added some Tabac shave cream to the Tabac soap.
SRD Sandalwood soap and Castle Forbes cedar and sandalwood.
Neither of these need help, it's just fun, and it adds something to it.

I haven't really mixed any opposites, I tend to keep them the same. If a soap is kind of flat, and it needs help, I'll use a shot of Kiss my face shave cream, and some glycerin to give it a boost....

I do it all the time, but no rhyme or reason to it.

I usually lather using MWF, Tabac, ProRaso, or Cella soap, 6 drops of glycerin, and a 3/4 inch dollop of Bigelow cream. I keep the soaps in mugs and dribble lather into my warm scuttle containing the 6 drops of glycerin and Bigelow cream, then mix. I presoak the soaps before making soap lather in the mugs. I find that a uberlather mixture is slower to dry on my face which I find important while straight razor shaving, and is creamy. I dip my brush in warm water and remix/rehydrate the mixture in the scuttle as needed to keep it moist and at the correct consistency. This is necessary because the heat of the scuttle speeds up the drying of the mixture in the scuttle. I also frequently reapply lather on my face to keep it moist, especially before shaving sensitive areas such as above my lips.

I have a mug with Cade soap in it and often mix in various random cremes just for the fun of it. It never seems to make a difference.

I use an Art of Shaving sandlewood + 3 drops of glycerin, and a small dollop of the Bigelow shave cream sold at bath and body works. I like it because its awesome lather, and makes my expensive sandlewood soap last forever. As I don't have to do much.

Just a few seconds of lathering in the wood bowl and I am done.

Why do I do this you ask? Because its what I started with and still going strong after a 1.5 years of wet shaving, still on the same inventory I purchase back then, also still use a cheapo brush from Walgreens, because it just plain works... Nothing fancy.

I will on a regular basis combine my CO Bigelow and my VDH Deluxe. They just compliment each other very well. Sometimes I will go for a Godrej and VDH Combo if I am fancying a lime scent:D

Good stuff. Keep it coming folks. After all this I might have a lifetime supply of creams and soaps.

I sometimes mix an inch of Bigelow cream into my bowl with a brush load of whatever soap strikes my fancy for the day. No rhyme or reason to the decision.

I haven't really done any type of study to determine ease of shave since I rotate razors according to how many days between shaves, and length of my beard.

Never thought about doing this. i guess i just enjoy my soaps too much as i don't use cream.

I have mixed my share of creams but don't have enough soaps to get too horribly creative.

My AoS soap mixes real nice with my coconut cream though!

Only time I do this is when I use the odd cream on MWF. I have a couple creams in particular that don't work well with my water, the MWF gives it the kick it needs without taking over the scent of the cream. Works well and there are only a couple that need help but have a nice scent.

castle forbes lavender and TOBS Rose cream = floral frenzy
TOBS Spanish Leather Cream and La Toja Soap(old one with the cork) = Spanish Fly!!

Honestly it is only limited by your imagination. They are all good and fun if you start with quality soaps and creams.

Paul

DR Harris almond soap + "Kiss My Face" grapefruit/pomegranate cream

The cream seems to cut some of the soap's heaviness and tendency to make the blade stutter when it starts to dry.
The soap seems to add more protection to the cream and the combo lasts longer.

I start bowl-lathering with the soap and very little water. When it starts "sticking", I add a squirt of the KMF, which explodes with the citrus scent and loosens up the lather. Add water a little at a time to "keep the bubbles small", or so goes my theory. :)

I do all the time, because I'm a rebel and all shaving lather must have Lavender.

I just tried mixing for the first time the other day. Col. Conk almond soap with AOS unscented, with 3 drops of glyserine. Great stuff.

I never mix soaps/creams anymore. I prefer my soaps as they are, and if they don't cut it, I don't need them. But each to his own, of course. And with adding glycerine I've noticed m lather tends to dry up faster, no matter the amount of water used, and I really dislike dry lather. So I stopped doing that, too. It is big, firm and creamy though.

Yea, most days I do an uber lather with Cella as a base to which I add anyone of a number of creams on hand, 6 drops of glycerin and 1 drop lanolin.

Pithor's comment on the glycerin hit home and will try cutting back on it or even eliminating it altogether.

Never did care for the stench/odor of Cella and using Palmolive cream seems to have tamed that the best so far.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Pithor

I never mix soaps/creams anymore. I prefer my soaps as they are, and if they don't cut it, I don't need them. But each to his own, of course. And with adding glycerine I've noticed m lather tends to dry up faster, no matter the amount of water used, and I really dislike dry lather. So I stopped doing that, too. It is big, firm and creamy though.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobH

Yea, most days I do an uber lather with Cella as a base to which I add anyone of a number of creams on hand, 6 drops of glycerin and 1 drop lanolin.

Pithor's comment on the glycerin hit home and will try cutting back on it or even eliminating it altogether.

Never did care for the stench/odor of Cella and using Palmolive cream seems to have tamed that the best so far.

Bob

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I'm not sure how adding glycerine could dry out your lather unless you are not putting in enough water to begin with. That said there is a point for me where it is too much of a good thing. usually about 3-4 gtts only of glycerin is plenty. If I put in too much it makes the lather too slipery/slimy or it will not lather as well. This may be the cause for your lather drying out. Too much glycerin and too little water. YMMV(thats for you glen:ziplip:)(at this point in time......)

Paul

Paul

Good points, Think I'll cut back on the glycerin and see what happens.

Bob

Dollop of speik ontop of my classic shaving citrus basil soap...seems to bring out subtleties of the speik I never noticed before...smells amazing!

Try just two gtts at first and see how it works but you have to get the water ratio right. Definately not a more is better thing!!

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Originally Posted by BobH

Paul

Good points, Think I'll cut back on the glycerin and see what happens.

Bob

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You might be right. I never try anymore, because pretty much all the stuff I have really doesn't need it, and "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it".

Paul

Used 3 drops this morning and got a better longer lasting lather, thanks.

Bob

Here is a combination that I used this morning and was blown away by the amount of thick rich creamy lather it produced. I combined Vitos Red with The Body Shop's Mecca Root cream, 3 drops glycerin and 1 drop lanolin. I am guessing it was the Mecca Root cream that made the difference. Used on it's own it tends to explode lather but combined it goes to a whole other level. You have to try it with your favourite soap next time you make an uber lather. I am going to try it with Cella next time.

Bob