Does cream dry out if left open?

[Laslo]

Hi folks, does good shaving cream dry out if left open? (as opposed to soap which, I think is supposed to be dry, and can be rehydrated easily)

For context, I brush load in in the cream tub with a wet brush. TOBS cream to be specific. I like to let it air dry a bit before putting the top back on, but I'm a bit paranoid of leaving it out too long. Does this matter? If it dried out, could I just rehydrate it with my next brush load?

Thanks all!

 

[cvac]

I have some creams that are going on 15 years old. They naturally dry up even if they are closed and hardly used because most lids are not 100% airtight. It has not affected the performance of the creams, they just have to be used a little differently to lather up (more like a soft soap).

If you are not keeping your creams that long odds are your cream will not dry out enough to be any concern at all. I also load from the brush and let the creams dry for a bit before closing the lid. For creams in heavy rotation that I used up quickly, it didn't do anything to them.

 

[Laslo]

I have some creams that are going on 15 years old. They naturally dry up even if they are closed and hardly used because most lids are not 100% airtight. It has not affected the performance of the creams, they just have to be used a little differently to lather up (more like a soft soap).

If you are not keeping your creams that long odds are your cream will not dry out enough to be any concern at all. I also load from the brush and let the creams dry for a bit before closing the lid. For creams in heavy rotation that I used up quickly, it didn't do anything to them.

Cool, this is exactly what I was wondering. My TOBS is my daily driver for face shaving, so I'll use it up before 15 years I'm sure!

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I used TOBS creams at one time and much preferred them after they had dried and hardened. Eventually I left all my creams open all the time with the intention of drying them out as much as possible. The only vintage cream that dried and solidified so much that it was hard to lather was Shulton Old Spice in a tube, and that was about 40+ years old and had separated. I have even older Yardley creams which have dried out and they perform superbly if a little water is added. To answer the main question, in my opinion it is far better to let TOBS cream dry a bit too much, than to put the screw lid tightly on the tub without the cream properly dry, especially if you will leave it a long while until the next use.

 

[geneaut]

I used to intentionally dry out C.O. Bigelow cream to make a small puck.

 

[malocchio]

YES !.... Always keep them capped . If the cap breaks use Saran Wrap and a rubber band . As for longevity the tubes that are hermetically sealed and all metal have the longest shelf life . Foil sealed is next best but over time the glue seal can develop an air pocket . No seal is the worst, they can have their scent " turn " very rapidly .

 

[GR5233]

Hi folks, does good shaving cream dry out if left open? (as opposed to soap which, I think is supposed to be dry, and can be rehydrated easily)

For context, I brush load in in the cream tub with a wet brush. TOBS cream to be specific. I like to let it air dry a bit before putting the top back on, but I'm a bit paranoid of leaving it out too long. Does this matter? If it dried out, could I just rehydrate it with my next brush load?

Thanks all!

I have a tub of TOBS tobacco leaf that has lost about half its volume due to drying out. It still works fine and the scent is still there

 

[Lane101]

Yes they can dry out over time. Have noticed some thickening of my creams in tubs over the past year + since purchase. Adding and mixing in a small amount of distilled or purified water took them back to original consistency.

 

[Mojo88]

YES !.... Always keep them capped . If the cap breaks use Saran Wrap and a rubber band . As for longevity the tubes that are hermetically sealed and all metal have the longest shelf life . Foil sealed is next best but over time the glue seal can develop an air pocket . No seal is the worst, they can have their scent " turn " very rapidly .

I know this is an older post, but I had a couple creams that got moved and I just forgot about them. They set for a year and turned hard like a soap. One was 1805 and it had a strange sweet smell, I tossed it and bought new.

 

[rostern]

Yes. I had a jar of L'Occitane Cade cream that dried out. It sort of became a "croap", harder than cream, but softer than a shave soap. It still worked well with a brush, and I used it up that way.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Yes, drying out a little bit is usually harmless. I have actually had to add extra water and mix it in on a couple of creams because they were too thick. I would not worry about leaving the lid off a container for a few hours at a time.