Thread: Need help, DR Harris cream problem

Okay guys, I need all of you who use DR Harris to help me out.
My girlfriend just got me a tube of their Lavender shave cream for my birthday, and I was really excited...only to be extremely let down.

It seems to lather almost not at all and when I went to add some water to it, bit by bit to get the right cream to water ratio...the cream literally disappeared. I had to squeeze out purple cream almost four times, using WAY more product than I normally have to. On top of this, it dries out almost immediately....which I don't understand. I try to add water, it disappears, I add less water, it dries out horribly. I NEVER have this issue with any other cream that I have.
I don't understand this because it's supposed to be one of the best shaving products out there, and not one of the cheapest creams.
Am I doing something detrimentally wrong?
Or,
Did she get ripped off?
She got it from an eBay seller called "Shavetools" (on the box it says "Shavetools LLC") for $17.95 CAD plus another $10 for shipping.
The label seems to be a sticker on the tube, which seems fishy to me, but for all I know, that's how they come.

What should I do? Are there people out there who make fakes of these products to sell?

I need help!

edit: it also seems kind of hard? and it contributed to possibly the worst shave that I've ever had. Horrible glide and cushion.

I use DR Harris soaps all the time, not the cream. But I can't think that they would be THAT much different. I get some of the best lather of any product out there. I can't imagine what may be the issue you're experiencing. Are you having any similar issues with other creams?

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

I use DR Harris soaps all the time, not the cream. But I can't think that they would be THAT much different. I get some of the best lather of any product out there. I can't imagine what may be the issue you're experiencing. Are you having any similar issues with other creams?

Nope, and that's what I don't get. My Proraso cream (both tube and tub) lather amazingly, as does my Real Shave Co cream. DRH is supposed to give a great lather so I don't understand how I'm not getting it...

Don't know about their creams but no problems so far with a puck of their Arlington. Creams should be easier to lather to boot. Do you face or bowl lather and what kind of brush do you use? That may help with suggestions. I really don't think anyone is going to the effort to counterfeit shave soaps.

For face lathering I just wet my face, dip the brush in water and give it a couple of shakes to get the excess water out, put a bit of cream on the brush tips and start working up a lather on my face. To add water I just dip the tips of the brush in the water, give it a little flick and continue building lather adding more water as needed. Seems to work.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Don't know about their creams but no problems so far with a puck of their Arlington. Creams should be easier to lather to boot. Do you face or bowl lather and what kind of brush do you use? That may help with suggestions. I really don't think anyone is going to the effort to counterfeit shave soaps.

For face lathering I just wet my face, dip the brush in water and give it a couple of shakes to get the excess water out, put a bit of cream on the brush tips and start working up a lather on my face. To add water I just dip the tips of the brush in the water, give it a little flick and continue building lather adding more water as needed. Seems to work.

Bob

I bowl lathered, with no success, and then face lathered. Face lathering worked to get a bit of lather, but, considering how much I had used so far...there was not nearly enough lather as there should have been. Then there was the issue of it drying out almost right away. ANY water that I added made what little lather that I had VANISH.

Here's the description from SRD with a suggestion on use. Might try it their way and see.

Howard

Mauve colored with a lavender fragrance. A top quality concentrated cream with a high proportion of glycerin for an extra soothing and moisturizing shave. Supplied in screw top plastic jars and in tubes which are ideal for traveling. The cream should be applied to the face and lathered up with a good quality shaving brush that has been dipped in warm water. This produces a profuse lather which will soften the beard for a more comfortable shave. (75g)

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

Here's the description from SRD with a suggestion on use. Might try it their way and see.

Howard

Mauve colored with a lavender fragrance. A top quality concentrated cream with a high proportion of glycerin for an extra soothing and moisturizing shave. Supplied in screw top plastic jars and in tubes which are ideal for traveling. The cream should be applied to the face and lathered up with a good quality shaving brush that has been dipped in warm water. This produces a profuse lather which will soften the beard for a more comfortable shave. (75g)

This is part of what's making me believe that something is wrong. I face lathered just like that and the lather dried almost right away but then adding even the slightest amount of water makes the lather literally go away.
I'm really bummed out because it's supposed to be a top performer!

I'm messaging the seller right now to try to get a solution. Fingers crossed!

Originally Posted by kwlfca

I bowl lathered, with no success, and then face lathered. Face lathering worked to get a bit of lather, but, considering how much I had used so far...there was not nearly enough lather as there should have been. Then there was the issue of it drying out almost right away. ANY water that I added made what little lather that I had VANISH.

OK, you did face lather but did you use a brush that was too wet to start with by not shaking the brush out first? The brush should not be dripping water at the start but just be really damp. That should allow you to spread the cream on your face and get a bit of lather going. Then you add just a tiny amount of water and keep building. Repeating till you get the lather you want. There are many ways to face lather but this works for me. Some soaps and creams are just a bit different and you may need to adjust your technique for some reason. After varying your technique many different ways and it still does not lather well you might just have a bum tube. Really strange since it is the only cream you are having trouble with. Dunno what else to tell ya.

Bob

I have DR Harris, both in soap and cream form, and it's an outstanding product both in latherability and performance. As well, IINM Shavetools is a vendor here, so I'm sure you didn't get ripped off.

As Bob suggested try using a damp brush as opposed to a wet one. I find this is more important for creams. Add water slowly so you get the right ratio. And if you have more than one brush try to use the same one every time until you get the technique down pat.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

I have DR Harris, both in soap and cream form, and it's an outstanding product both in latherability and performance. As well, IINM Shavetools is a vendor here, so I'm sure you didn't get ripped off.

As Bob suggested try using a damp brush as opposed to a wet one. I find this is more important for creams. Add water slowly so you get the right ratio. And if you have more than one brush try to use the same one every time until you get the technique down pat.

I thought it unlikely that there were fakes of the creams, but I thought I'd ask just to cover all my bases. What's IINM stand for?

Since I tried to lather it a few different ways (face, bowl, more water, less water), and still find that the performance and lather to be disappointing, do you think that I just got a bad tube of it?