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British Shaving Creams

I recently went on holiday to Spain, and decided to buy three Spanish shaving creams. I posted about it.

Now we're thinking about going to Great Britain on our fall vacation next year, so yesterday I ordered four British shaving creams: Trumper's Rose, Trufitt & Hill's Trafalger, St. James of London's Tonka & Tobacco Flower, and Castle Forbes 1445. I already have Trumper's Coconut Oil and Castle Forbes in both Lime and Lavender. I enjoy them all very much.

I'm surprised how little airplay these shaving creams get on the forum. Have these classics been surpassed by artisan creams, or is everyone using soaps these days?
Scott, these creams you have mentioned may not get the attention that some other products get but they are the standard by which all of these products are compared and judged. As I have often said, the ingredients lists of any of these types of product tell it all! The actual ingredients and the ratios of each is the determining factor whether a shaving cream will perform properly and produced the desired results. Using this information in formulating a shaving cream is of the utmost importance and those who follow the pathway that these products have created will be more apt to find success.

David
 
Scott, these creams you have mentioned may not get the attention that some other products get but they are the standard by which all of these products are compared and judged. As I have often said, the ingredients lists of any of these types of product tell it all! The actual ingredients and the ratios of each is the determining factor whether a shaving cream will perform properly and produced the desired results. Using this information in formulating a shaving cream is of the utmost importance and those who follow the pathway that these products have created will be more apt to find success.

David

I've used my new Castle Forbes the last couple of days, David. Like the Lime and Lavender, it's amazing stuff. I'm still waiting for the T&H, Trumper and St. James, and am very anxious to try them. There are a lot of great artisans creating great products, but I'm not sure they're better than Castle Forbes or Trumper.
 
I've used my new Castle Forbes the last couple of days, David. Like the Lime and Lavender, it's amazing stuff. I'm still waiting for the T&H, Trumper and St. James, and am very anxious to try them. There are a lot of great artisans creating great products, but I'm not sure they're better than Castle Forbes or Trumper.
Scott, You may be right but in so many instances an artisan will use "soapmaking" techniques and "soapmaking" ingredients such a Castor Oil which contains Ricinoleic acid which creates a very water soluble soap that bubbles but the bubbles it makes are large bubbles and not the "foam" that is needed for a good shaving cream which is why the combination of fatty acids such as Stearic, Myristic and Coconut fatty acids works the best and more often than not they are not found in artisan "soapmaking" products. If an artisan uses these brands as an example of what a good shaving cream contains and tries to emulate what these brands offer then there is the potential of them equaling or exceeding the characteristics that these brands offer! Also, there are some artisans that "think outside the box" and could possibly head in a direction which a cosmetic chemist might not go which may actually help create something new and different. Anything is possible!
 
Scott, You may be right but in so many instances an artisan will use "soapmaking" techniques and "soapmaking" ingredients such a Castor Oil which contains Ricinoleic acid which creates a very water soluble soap that bubbles but the bubbles it makes are large bubbles and not the "foam" that is needed for a good shaving cream which is why the combination of fatty acids such as Stearic, Myristic and Coconut fatty acids works the best and more often than not they are not found in artisan "soapmaking" products. If an artisan uses these brands as an example of what a good shaving cream contains and tries to emulate what these brands offer then there is the potential of them equaling or exceeding the characteristics that these brands offer! Also, there are some artisans that "think outside the box" and could possibly head in a direction which a cosmetic chemist might not go which may actually help create something new and different. Anything is possible!

Agreed! There seems to be a focus among artisans to focus on soaps, not creams (though I may be wrong). If so, it's likely because the market is soap-oriented, not cream-oriented. If so, I find myself an outlier (again).

One noticeable difference between the British creams in my den and my best artisan creams is scent strength. I can barely sense the scent of Trumper's Coconut Oil, for example. My better-performing artisan creams have strong fragrances, which I much appreciate, such as Taconic, Wm Neumann (sadly, no longer made) and especially Stone Cottage. ;)
 
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