Why are soaps more popular than creams here?

[FireDragon76]

I prefer soaps for many reasons. First and foremost skin irritation issues. Soaps give me less or none at all. I do enjoy a good cream every now and then though but can't use one for more than a few shaves. It's a glycerin allergy for me combined with scent sensitivity.

I used to be an avid cream fan before my skin irritation issues showed up. Since then though having had to spend more time on soaps and I find the traditional hard soaps do indeed make a better lather for me.

I've deduced this from my shaves firstly and from when a pinch my brush for some lather to clean my straight after a shave. I have thought on many or most occasions that the lather can be slicker yet more protective from a soap, even if only slightly more than traditional creams. As I rub the lather between my thumb and forefinger I can feel this more succinctly. And I have hard water so that may be a factor, but I always thought creams were engineered to be better in any kind of water but that may not be true.

I am not sure that creams go bad per se. Most of my creams are over ten years old now, if not all of them. I even have some Coates in tubs and they are seemingly as supple and moist as the day I got them.

I find my Truefitt and Hill creams to be hardening though. Why I don't know. They're stored in the same place and manner as the others. It is of no consequence though as I lather them just like the others by dipping my wet brush in them and swirling. They work quite well this way.

I think in the end it's a preference. You've got to find what works for you and just enjoy it.

Chris

What kind of shave soap works for you? Most have at least some glycerin.

I've tried triple-milled soaps and was underwhelmed. I've tried a few older stick brands, like Palmolive, and I thought they were decent, and not hard to lather (unlike triple milled soap). I might be tempted to try an artisan soap brand if it were in a sample size.

 

[EL Alamein]

I use the triple milled traditional English soaps. Yes, they have glycerin in the ingredients but it's usually way down the list of ingredients. Whatever of it is in there doesn't bother my skin.

And to be forthright my soaps are old. My mainstay is Taylor's Lavender in the old formula (potassium stearate). I use it 90% of the time and I have a lifetime supply.

Chris

 

[dfoulk]

That's never happened to me. Most shave creams have a best by date of 3-4 years, and can last substantially longer stored in a cool place. The scent may fade some, but if it has a good preservative system, sufficiently high pH, or a low level of moisture (not all creams are runny), it will be safe to use. Some preservatives, such as formaldehyde-releasers or parabens, can last indefinitely, and are acceptable in a wash-off product like shave cream. Even old-fashioned boric acid is an adequate preservative for many shave creams.

The artisan shave soap thing is still new, and I wouldn't be surprised if spoilage isn't an issue, given the number of artisan shave soaps that have no preservatives. Given the right conditions (like humidity or oxygen), soaps will spoil without preservatives. For instance, I had a bar of soap that developed blue veins in it from mold, just sitting around on a kitchen sink.

How broad of a sample base are we talking about here?

If you're asking how many soaps and creams I've tried I've tried probably over 800 soaps and probably 50 or more creams. I oversee a soap sample passaround here on the forum where vendors will send me full tubs of soap that I'll refill sample containers with. There are over 600 soaps in the passaround and most I have tubs to refill them from. So I have literally several hundred soaps here in storage, probably more than anyone on the planet and this doesn't include my own personal soaps as I probably have about 120 of my own. I do have some creams from time to time and I've seen several of them go bad. Not saying that soaps can't go bad as I have had some do so on me, but in terms of the stability of a soap vs the stability of a cream I'll take a soap every time.

Think about it. I can purchase a tub of Yardley soap that's fifty years old and in most cases it's completely usable. I can't think of many shaving creams that I can use that are several decades old.

 

[Billy T.]

Cheaper with a wider variety and longevity. I suspect that people who prefer creams to soaps have a bad lathering technique.

 

[FireDragon76]

If you're asking how many soaps and creams I've tried I've tried probably over 800 soaps and probably 50 or more creams. I oversee a soap sample passaround here on the forum where vendors will send me full tubs of soap that I'll refill sample containers with. There are over 600 soaps in the passaround and most I have tubs to refill them from. So I have literally several hundred soaps here in storage, probably more than anyone on the planet and this doesn't include my own personal soaps as I probably have about 120 of my own. I do have some creams from time to time and I've seen several of them go bad. Not saying that soaps can't go bad as I have had some do so on me, but in terms of the stability of a soap vs the stability of a cream I'll take a soap every time.

Think about it. I can purchase a tub of Yardley soap that's fifty years old and in most cases it's completely usable. I can't think of many shaving creams that I can use that are several decades old.

What is your favorite soap in terms of shaving performance and post-shave feeling?

 

[ks6c]

Going on 20 years, I have been using Creams exclusively, but switched to soaps recently to see if they had gotten any better. Nope.

 

[FireDragon76]

Cheaper with a wider variety and longevity. I suspect that people who prefer creams to soaps have a bad lathering technique.

I'm actually the rare shaver on this forum in that most of my time with a brush and lather has been spent just using one or two shave soaps or creams consistently. No rotation.

I do tend to prefer synthetic brushes and I'm used to lathering with them moreso. I started using them back in the day when synthetic brushes were strictly relegated to vegetarians/vegans or poor people, and weren't the least bit trendy. Most traditional shavers turned their noses up at them. But I quickly discovered they worked better for lathering cream than any other kind of brush, once you learned the unique technique required of them, and they were more sparing with the use of soap or cream as well, so less was needed. I eventually, out of relative poverty and thrift, just used a Syntex and Williams, and that worked for years until I killed the brush and tossed it. Then I started using a Turkish boar brush.

But never, ever was I convinced I was having a remotely luxurious shave experience. Even though the soap was somewhat slick, it was harsh like cheap foam in a can. So I only shaved a few times a week.

 

[riverstyxxx]

I never said they were, Proraso creams are easier to lather and take less time.

 

[FireDragon76]

Going on 20 years, I have been using Creams exclusively, but switched to soaps recently to see if they had gotten any better. Nope.

What kind of shaving cream do you prefer?

 

[Tallships]

I've tried both, but I prefer a to puck lather, weather its hard, soft or a croap soap. Soap is already in bowl or mug, just soak the brush, grab the bowl and whip up a lather.

 

[Strayhair]

I haven't found a cream that's as slick as soap other than Proraso. I remember Castle Forbes being pretty good, but It's almost a soap in density.

 

[pbrmhl]

I'm a scuttle latherer, and generally prefer soft soaps (DG Milksteak, M&M) or creams over hard soaps. MdC and DG bison are the magic harder soap outliers. I enjoy the patient process of lathering a hard soap like i Coloniali or Tabac, but recently I've been leaning more toward softer bases, be they "soaps" or "creams."

 

[Vespasian]

As the years have gone by, I have found myself relying more on the soaps than the creams in my too-big collection. (That's why I am on a sabbatical.) One except: I really like Speick cream, and I'll always keep that in rotation. Unusual aroma, great performance.

 

[Timeclo]

Creams usually have more water content so it tends to lather up quickly but build less dense lather for me. Soaps work better because they're more thirsty and can build a denser lather due to the lack of water. At the same time, I like Croaps the best as they have a good balance between water/soap.

 

[FireDragon76]

Creams usually have more water content so it tends to lather up quickly but build less dense lather for me. Soaps work better because they're more thirsty and can build a denser lather due to the lack of water. At the same time, I like Croaps the best as they have a good balance between water/soap.

And then there are products like Cremo that explodes the whole idea you need dense lather in the first place.

I think all dense lather could do is soften hairs better (perhaps!) if you leave it on your face longer. I'm unconvinced whipping air into lather is going to make the shave more slick. But I'm not a chemist. And what cushion that a dense lather provides also means the shave won't be as close.

 

[santamariasteve]

I always thought Cremo was a misnomer and the name was misleading. It's ok, but definitely not "creamy."

 

[lak611]

I like soaps better since they last longer, and there are more fragrance varieties available in soaps.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Timeclo]

And then there are products like Cremo that explodes the whole idea you need dense lather in the first place.

I think all dense lather could do is soften hairs better (perhaps!) if you leave it on your face longer. I'm unconvinced whipping air into lather is going to make the shave more slick. But I'm not a chemist. And what cushion that a dense lather provides also means the shave won't be as close.

Cremo is more like a gel/glue. I don't really see it as a cream although it is considered one.

For me, a dense lather gives a better shave because it is more slick and protective than a thin/airy lather. That said, Cremo gives a thin but very slick lather so that's an exception.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Think about it. I can purchase a tub of Yardley soap that's fifty years old and in most cases it's completely usable. I can't think of many shaving creams that I can use that are several decades old.

I have a tube of vintage Shulton Old Spice shaving cream that must be 40 years old. It does not smell much like Old Spice any more and is very difficult if not impossible to lather - aside from that it is great I persist with it though as I like the idea of using vintage kit. Finding things that don't work for you, is part of the fun that is shaving as a hobby, as opposed to merely a utilitarian function I think.

 

[ks6c]

What kind of shaving cream do you prefer?

Castle Forbes, XPEC, TAOS, 3 T's, ect..