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Trumper Shaving Soaps

Hi All,

I'm new to wet shaving with shaving soap and a brush and wondered what experiences people here have had with the Trumper products. Are they good for sensitive skin? The last shaving soap I used left me quite spotty. The prices seem very reasonable if the shaving soaps are of the same high standard as the fragrances, I love the EDT, EDP and even the deodorant of Eucris, although it took me years to truly appreciate it. Unfortunately the other fragrance I love from them (Spanish Leather Cologne) isn't available as a shaving soap, but I like the thought of using Sandalwood and Almond in that form. I've heard good things about the Almond but have never actually tried it and Sandalwood is a bit too intense and vanillic for me as a regular fragrance, but I wouldn't mind shaving with it.

Also wondered what their brushes were like and shaving brushes in general, as they don't have boar available. I only have a synthetic one from Razorock which seems pretty damn good but would like to try a natural one. Should I go for badger or boar and is there any animal suffering involved?

Shaving Products - Geo. F. Trumper - https://www.trumpers.com/shaving-products/

Thanks very much in advance,

Nick
 
I would steer you away from their soaps personally. Their creams aren't bad if you really want to get one of their scents. In my opinion there are a lot of better options out there though.

On your brush question, synthetics are really great these days so I don't think you're missing much if you decide to stick with it. I guess you could say there's animal suffering involved with badger and boar brushes. In both cases, the animal is dead when the hair is harvested. If that bothers you and you still want a natural hair brush, horse hair is probably your option. If you look for the Vie-Long brand, they're probably the best known maker of them.
 
GFT soaps are notorious for being pretty terrible but their creams get quite positive reviews, especially for their scents. Do you mean spotty as in with lots of cuts or spotty as in breaking out with acne?
 
I can't help about the brushes, but I do echo what's been said about the soaps..."meh" on the shaving soaps but thumbs up on the shaving creams.
Good luck on your journey.
Keep us posted
 
I’m a big fan of Trumper’s…. Fragrances that is

The other products in the line, particularly shaving soaps, body washes, and skin foods are nothing special in my opinion. The shaving creams are good.
 
I bought their rose hard soap and wonder why Trumpers sell this. Poorest soap , nice scent but no lather which lasted more than a few seconds . Made expensive hand soap.
I'm puzzled why they are not trying to improve it. Their creams are fab though.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Getting good lather from GFT soaps requires a different approach. From a previous thread:

Post in thread 'Tobs and g trumper shave soaps' Tobs and g trumper shave soaps - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/tobs-and-g-trumper-shave-soaps.603283/post-11263314

Trumper's soap is more difficult to lather than my regular rotation soaps, but it is still capable of decent results:
*Spoon/grate a quarter to half a TSP (or so) into the bottom/center of the Captain's Choice Copper bowl
*Add a bit of hot water to soften the Trumper's
*Soak your brush in warm water - shake and squeeze most of the water out
*Load a LOT of soap onto the brush
*As soon as the Trumper's in the bowl has softened, start building lather - saturate the brush with lather
* Reload the brush from the puck before each pass, including the first pass
* Apply the lather to your face, dipping the tips lightly as needed.

The process is kind of a combination of bowl and face lathering and works really well with GFT. :)

The scent from the soap blends beautifully with the scent from the Gabel's AS. Lime Heaven. :)

The Trumper's soap takes more time to build a good lather, but it is not bad soap. If you are getting thin, disappearing lather, keep re-loading the brush.

I end up with enough lather for a very nice 3-pass shave with touch-ups - no irritation, cuts, nicks or weepers and with very nice post-shave face feel. :cool:

YMMV
 
For the British soaps, you might like the DR Harris line more since they perform better than the GFT. They have some mild scents like Almond that won't clash with anything. There is also the Cyril R Salter Solid soap that comes in a mild lavender scent. It is supposed to be the same formula as the Harris soap, but it is less expensive.
 
The only time I had good results from Trumper soaps was when I grated it in an attempt to move to a different container. Difficult to generate a lather and it dries up quickly. As an earlier post stated, it’s not impossible to get a good lather out of Trumpers, but it definitely takes more time and effort than most other soaps that I have tried. Many better options at the same or lower price points.
 
Trumpers GFT cream is one of my favorite shave products. I fell in love with a cologne sample of it years ago and splurged on the tub years ago. I have a tube of their Spanish Leather shave cream that is a great scent as well. That said I've stayed away from their soaps due to the feedback I've seen on them.
 
I use two Geo F. Trumper scents purchased a few years ago (Eucris and Violet). Both of these soaps provide great lather, and will be replaced when used up, which was the case with the Eucris.

When starting a new puck I always hydrate the puck the first dozen or times I use it, afterwards I have found that I do not need to.
  • Dribble some warm water on the puck to hydrate for a few minutes.
  • Put the brush to soak in warm water.
  • Shake out the brush and pour off any water on the puck.
  • Load a lot of product.
  • Begin building the lather in the bowl/scuttle.
  • Finish building the lather on your face. You can feel when the lather turns thick and yogurt-like. I find that using the brush like a paint brush works well for me.
  • I find that it is a very good soap, but it will take some effort to dial in. I like to use a soap for at least a week straight (or a month), this gives plenty of time to dial in the soap with regards to amount of water, temperatures loading etc.
 
Thank you all so much for the informative and useful replies, I think you've saved me a fair bit of money! I was just going to buy a few Trumper shave soaps, on the assumption that being such an old barbershop brand, the soaps would be good and easy to use. It just highlights the importance of asking seasoned shavers before buying anything to me! I would still like to try one of their creams as they sound great and may even give a shaving soap a go when I have much more experience, but the latter doesn't sound like a good idea for a novice like me. Appreciate the instructions, @never-stop-learning (I love the Trout Mask Replica avatar!) and @Pepin, they will be a great reference when I eventually get round to it!

On your brush question, synthetics are really great these days so I don't think you're missing much if you decide to stick with it. I guess you could say there's animal suffering involved with badger and boar brushes. In both cases, the animal is dead when the hair is harvested. If that bothers you and you still want a natural hair brush, horse hair is probably your option. If you look for the Vie-Long brand, they're probably the best known maker of them.

Thanks very much for clearing that up! It depends if I stick with brush and soap shaving, I suppose. My Razorock synthetic seemed to do an excellent job, but I just wanted a more traditional/historical experience, really. It's probably best to leave that until I see if I really get into this! Which is best out out of boar or badger, just for future reference, All? I'm a bit of a history buff/enthusiast so would like to go as traditional as I can with shaving, just for the experience. On the subject of historical shaving, has anyone tried Trumper's alum, or any alum? Wouldn't mind giving it a go!

Alum - Geo. F. Trumper - https://www.trumpers.com/product/alum/

Do you mean spotty as in with lots of cuts or spotty as in breaking out with acne?

By "spotty" I meant acne. Oddly enough, I haven't had a cut for around the last 4 months! I think the spots were caused by friction and the 'shock' to my skin of not having shaved for a while. I usually get it when it has been a while to be fair so it's probably not entirely due to the soap, it just seemed a little worse this time, but it tends to lessen as I shave more often, it's like my skin gets used to it. That's why I'd like to explore some good soaps and creams, I think I could quite easily go from 3 passes to 2 and reduce the current friction which would help my skin.

For the British soaps, you might like the DR Harris line more since they perform better than the GFT. They have some mild scents like Almond that won't clash with anything. There is also the Cyril R Salter Solid soap that comes in a mild lavender scent. It is supposed to be the same formula as the Harris soap, but it is less expensive.

Oh good suggestion, thanks! I never even realised Harris did shaving soaps, but I was a huge fan of their Arlington cologne and used it for about half a decade! It's a great fragrance and I'm definitely ordering the shaving soap!

Thanks again Guys, hugely appreciated, can't wait to try the Trumper creams and Harris shaving soap now! Never thought I'd ever get this excited about shaving! 😆

Nick
 
Badger, boar, and horse are all very traditional so any of them meet that criteria. As for which is best, you really have to define what best means to you. They each have qualities that some people prefer. If you want to try the least expensive first, that's probably boar. Inexpensive boar brushes can be really good. For badger, the inexpensive ones tend to be scratchy and you really need to go to the mid or high price range to get good badger brushes. Horse is one I have very little experience with but the one I have seems like a scratchy boar brush so it's not really a favorite but there may be better options out there.

As for alum, I use it and the brand doesn't matter much since it's a commodity item. I just go to the drugstore and pick up a Crystal deodorant. It's the same thing in a nice twist up container that makes it easy to hold on to.
 
...On the subject of historical shaving, has anyone tried Trumper's alum, or any alum? Wouldn't mind giving it a go!...
Alum is very traditional. To use, just after shaving, rinse with lukewarm water, leave face damp, run alum block briefly under the tap, apply to the shaved area. Leave for a minute or so while you clean up and put things away. Then, rinse off with cool water and pat dry. If your skin is dry, you may want to apply some moisturizer afterwards.

Though alum blocks are all made from potassium alum, some of them seem to last longer than others. The French Bloc Osma is one of the best. Just don't put it away wet. That can cause the stone to erode after awhile. You can use a soap box, etc. to store it in.

1639060658815.png


The alum sticks are made in a very convenient, more modern form with handle and build-in case.

1639061016401.png
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Thank you all so much for the informative and useful replies, I think you've saved me a fair bit of money! I was just going to buy a few Trumper shave soaps, on the assumption that being such an old barbershop brand, the soaps would be good and easy to use.
A post of mine from an older thread:
 
GFT shaving creams and skin foods are outstanding products.

The skin foods are especially good for winter, although it’s important not to overuse them-a little goes a long way and even a little too much leads to a tacky result, which is rather unpleasant. Best to start with literally a small drop on a dried-off face and only use more if actually needed. Work into skin until fully absorbed.

I somehow find GFT to be the best among the British creams, although they’re all quite good.
 
I have small amounts of GFT Coconut, Lime and Rose tallow-based shaving soaps in their original bowls from twenty years ago. I never bothered to try any of the newer versions based on the reviews.
 
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