Castle forbes cedar and sandlewood

[Roy]

I love Castle Forbes creams and have have tried them all except this one.

The scent is my favourite of any brand of soaps! Like trimming a pine tree after rain! Performance is like all CF, really excellent. What I do is scoop a piece with the end of my finger, add a few drops if water and bowl lather for a minute, then another minute face lathering. Result is something wonderful!
I'd love to see the company make a rose scent and the company told me they have tried to make one, but are having trouble finding a quality rose oil which works with their formulas. Can anyone help them!!!?

 

[Schnitzel52]

This is intriguing to me.
1445 is fantastic and it sounds like this is too.

 

[Roy]

This is intriguing to me.
1445 is fantastic and it sounds like this is too.

It's entirely different! As i suggest, a bit like conifer after rain.

 

[Schnitzel52]

Hmmm
There’s room in the cupboard

 

[Norman Gunston]

Yes - CF Cedar and Sandalwood is an absolutely realistic dry woods scent. I get a lot more cedar than sandalwood.
As the CF website says, it is not for the feint hearted. I like it more and more with each use.

 

[Dualist]

I have a sample of this and mine has the least scent of anything I have. Almost sour sandalwood, but I know it's there and they use quality ingredients so I'm a bit baffled.

I got a sample of every CF and found the lime nice, the lavender while to my nose pure quality lavender oil I think it's a little strong, harsh and almost burning. The 1445 is actually a quality scent, even sophisticated, especially for a shaving cream, but it's too much like cologne and personally I'm not a fan of cologne scents in shave soap or cream. Lime is my favorite, seems to be a quality genuine lime oil and it's subtle enough.

CF lathers magnificently, it's a copious amount of snow white lather instantly. Extremely rewarding in that department. But for me it completely lacks in performance. There doesn't seems to be anything there but lathering agents and scent. Doesn't nourish the face nor soften the whiskers. The first few times I used it I actually tossed the blades afterwards, new blades, because they felt dull and I thought they were bad. For ordinary passes it's fine but buffing for bbs it really doesn't help like many others do. It's my only soap or cream that I get mediocre shaves with. Every time I use CF it feels like the blade suddenly dulled.

Honestly, it's a bit like some aristocrats. Excellent pedigree with the castle and whatnot, superbly crafted by a hired expert and with authentic, quality scents but too sure of itself and frankly completely useless.

I really wanted to love it. I have family not far from there and adore the area. And the price doesn't bother me for what you (should) get. I'll finish the samples and enjoy the suds and the scents, but only on days I don't care about a quality shave, and then I'm out. YMMV!

 

[HiPowerRon]

I have a sample of this and mine has the least scent of anything I have. Almost sour sandalwood, but I know it's there and they use quality ingredients so I'm a bit baffled.

I got a sample of every CF and found the lime nice, the lavender while to my nose pure quality lavender oil I think it's a little strong, harsh and almost burning. The 1445 is actually a quality scent, even sophisticated, especially for a shaving cream, but it's too much like cologne and personally I'm not a fan of cologne scents in shave soap or cream. Lime is my favorite, seems to be a quality genuine lime oil and it's subtle enough.

CF lathers magnificently, it's a copious amount of snow white lather instantly. Extremely rewarding in that department. But for me it completely lacks in performance. There doesn't seems to be anything there but lathering agents and scent. Doesn't nourish the face nor soften the whiskers. The first few times I used it I actually tossed the blades afterwards, new blades, because they felt dull and I thought they were bad. For ordinary passes it's fine but buffing for bbs it really doesn't help like many others do. It's my only soap or cream that I get mediocre shaves with. Every time I use CF it feels like the blade suddenly dulled.

Honestly, it's a bit like some aristocrats. Excellent pedigree with the castle and whatnot, superbly crafted by a hired expert and with authentic, quality scents but too sure of itself and frankly completely useless.

I really wanted to love it. I have family not far from there and adore the area. And the price doesn't bother me for what you (should) get. I'll finish the samples and enjoy the suds and the scents, but only on days I don't care about a quality shave, and then I'm out. YMMV!

So Dualist, which brand of creams do you think are superior to CF? T&H or St. James of London? Thanks

 

[Dualist]

I've never tried either. I'm really pretty minimalist so I haven't tried much. But I was sure enough about CF that I ordered a sample in every scent, sure that I'd turn around and order a full size of my favorite. Which I would if I felt like it delivers, but I just don't think it does.

But it's sure a joy to lather and smell!

Sorry I don't have any insights regarding the others. I may try them some day but at the rate I sample soaps it'll be a decade! Unless I'm in a shop somewhere, can smell them in person, and feel sure they're going to be great.

Honestly, I generally hand lather with whatever is handy. The only two full size soaps I've ever bought are still nearly full! They've been sitting around for almost 10 years! And this year I've used a third of a dozen samples, none being those you asked about...

 

[skibik]

I had this cream and the scent trigger a memory from childhood of riding the school bus on the rural gravel roads. The smell of the dust in the air is what it smelled like to me. I never got too much sandalwood scent from it but had to stop, close my eyes, and smell again then it reminds of inside an old cedar chest. I don't have it anymore since my friend liked it more I gave it to him. I picked up 1445 shortly after that and really like the scent of it.

 

[HiPowerRon]

The 1445 is one of my favorite creams. I’m curious about their Cedarwood.

 

[Xirafakis]

The Cedarwood smells like a moist log cabin in the woods. Very natural.

 

[KneeChee]

I would definitely buy a rose scented CF.

 

[KneeChee]

The cedar/sandalwood always struck me as a very natural “walking down the wood aisle at the hardware store” smell. And I don’t mean that in a bad way.

 

[GMM]

Late to the show..
I quite like CF's performance. When it comes to scents, Lime and Lavender are my favorites, 1445 not far behind.
Their Cedar and Sandalwood scent is VERY weak to me. I'd give it a 1/5 or 0.5/5 on scent strength. If it was only stronger, say 2/5 or 3/5, I'd be all over it. When I want a cedar forward scent I reach for Chiseled Face Cedar and Spice.
CF's Lime or Lavender however are among my favorites for those scents.

 

[LoveThatBurn]

Late to the show..
I quite like CF's performance. When it comes to scents, Lime and Lavender are my favorites, 1445 not far behind.
Their Cedar and Sandalwood scent is VERY weak to me. I'd give it a 1/5 or 0.5/5 on scent strength. If it was only stronger, say 2/5 or 3/5, I'd be all over it. When I want a cedar forward scent I reach for Chiseled Face Cedar and Spice.
CF's Lime or Lavender however are among my favorites for those scents.

I noticed the same with my sample.
Lavender was strong but just right.
But 1445 was entirely overwhelming.
Sandalwood was pleasant but I have to bring the tub of cream to my nose to smell anything at all.

 

[Marco]

Castle Forbes Lavender and Lime are respectively the purest and most faithful Lavender and Lime scents I've ever found in any cream or soap. For Sandalwood that spot goes to Proraso Red IMHO.