Castle Forbes Consistency

[Cuttingboard]

Received a jar of castle forbes lime the other day and shaved with it this morning and noticed that it not really a cream. I was expecting my brush to sink into the cream and just cover the tips of my brush but I actually had to swirl my brush around the jar like a soap. I've only used a small sample before so I wanted to be sure that my jar was fine? It looks more gooey in the pictures. Had a DFS BTW!

 

[Confilo]

that 's the way it is

 

[Rudy Vey]

that's the way it is , and it is good....

 

[Jim]

Before they were all reformulated most creams were like that.

 

[kingfisher]

Yep. It's pretty firm.

 

[HoratioCaine]

Before they were all reformulated most creams were like that.

Really? Back when Trumpers was made in the basement, it was like CF? Fascinating.

 

[scottish steve]

It is wonderfully concentrated stuff and lasts forever, but it might strain your brush if its a supersoft one made primarily for creams.

 

[Cuttingboard]

Yes, made a few swirls and face lathered and had more than enough lather for a 3 pass shave. It seemed as though every time I would reapply, the lather would get more dense/creamy and produce the slickest lather. I don't need to tell you guys how awesome this cream is? Is it ok for it to have a small amount of water covering the top or do I need to leave the top off so that it dries or is it ok to close the lid when its a little damp?

 

[HoratioCaine]

Is it ok for it to have a small amount of water covering the top or do I need to leave the top off so that it dries or is it ok to close the lid when its a little damp?

Cuttingboard, I would imagine different people might approach this differently. I don't want to advise you to leave the cream open, because I know that's kind of a pain in the butt, but I have noticed some of my CF creams softening up a bit over time using the same direct swirl method you're using. Depending on your point of view, that might not be a bad thing, as you can then use it like a regular cream, rather than a soft soap. But if you want to keep the cream in as close to original condition as possible, I would recommend inverting the tub (i.e., upside down) when you swirl your brush in it, to help prevent any excess water from the brush getting into the cream. I've never left a tub open to let it air dry before, so I can't say whether or not that would impact the softening problem. But if you're game to try, I don't see that it would hurt, as long as you don't leave it out too long.

Before they were all reformulated most creams were like that.

Jim, just to clarify, are you referring to the time when the English creams were made by the individual cream companies (like at the "celebrated" Trumper establishment), before they went to Creightons, or are you talking about the supposed reformulation that happened about three years ago?

 

[Maduro]

I bought a new boar brush to use when I shave with their lime SC. The stiffer bristles work great at scraping up the amount of cream I need.

 

[Cuttingboard]

Cuttingboard, I would imagine different people might approach this differently. I don't want to advise you to leave the cream open, because I know that's kind of a pain in the butt, but I have noticed some of my CF creams softening up a bit over time using the same direct swirl method you're using. Depending on your point of view, that might not be a bad thing, as you can then use it like a regular cream, rather than a soft soap. But if you want to keep the cream in as close to original condition as possible, I would recommend inverting the tub (i.e., upside down) when you swirl your brush in it, to help prevent any excess water from the brush getting into the cream. I've never left a tub open to let it air dry before, so I can't say whether or not that would impact the softening problem. But if you're game to try, I don't see that it would hurt, as long as you don't leave it out too long.

I don't mind the cream softening-up a little so long as it doesn't cause it to loose its miracleness.

 

[HoratioCaine]

I don't mind the cream softening-up a little so long as it doesn't cause it to loose its miracleness.

I think you'll be alright. I first tried the method on a tub of lavender that was maybe 1/2 - 2/3 empty, and near the end it actually got pretty soupy, because I wasn't being careful about minimizing the amount of water that got in there. It still lathered great, though.