Dr. Harris - Marlborough

[XuDan]

I think I'm going to order some Dr. Harris shaving soap, however, all I ever see recommended on here is the Arlington line when it comes to Dr harris. Is there a difference other than smell? Does anyone have any experience with this product?

Thank you in advance.

 

[djh]

In my experience, the performance of Harris' Arlington, Marlborough and Lavender soaps are all equal- and very, very good. I will be able to tell you more about Almond and Windsor in a few months' time.

 

[fivespdcat]

I like the Marlborough better than the Arlington. Performance is top notch and the scent is less "floral" than the Arlington.

 

[mistercitizen]

Performance is the same, the scents are very different. You can lose with any of the DRH soaps.

Ben

 

[XuDan]

I was hoping that it was simply a "flavor" difference - I like the deeper earthier smells, so I was hoping to not sacrifice performance for scent. Glad I won't have too! Thanks guys!

 

[5thou]

I love my D.H Sahving creams. I am going to have to get some of the soap though.

 

[GregDR]

As with most shave soaps YMMV. I've never had luck with D.R. Harris soaps. I can get a great looking lather but I get no protection whatsoever. I've used both Marlborough and Arlington which both have great scents but every time I would use them by the end of my shave my face would feel like hell fire. The lather seemed to dry up very quickly also. Never had a problem with the creams though.

 

[oc_in_fw]

As with most shave soaps YMMV. I've never had luck with D.R. Harris soaps. I can get a great looking lather but I get no protection whatsoever. I've used both Marlborough and Arlington which both have great scents but every time I would use them by the end of my shave my face would feel like hell fire. The lather seemed to dry up very quickly also. Never had a problem with the creams though.

Have you experimented with the amount of water used? One day I made a lather and just kept adding water to it- Harris can handle a lot. Once I got a good feel for it, I never have it dry out on me, and it is super-slick. Just my two cents. Of course, we have different water sources, and you have the whole YMMV thing going on. Some say Cella is better than Harris, and for me it isn't.

 

[MoJoe]

I have both Arlington and Marlboro. They work equally well and only differ by scent. I will add that while I like the Marlboro I simply love Arlington. Just pick a Harris soap according to your preference.

 

[edgerunner]

D.R. Harris are my favorite soaps and creams in general, Marlborough and Almond in particular. All scents perform the same.

 

[brothers]

I like the Marlborough better than the Arlington. Performance is top notch and the scent is less "floral" than the Arlington.

This is my opinion also. I've already done what you should do, and it is expensive and takes some time. I've bought all 5, used all 5 soaps. It took only one or two latherings with Lavender to realize it isn't my cup of tea. I thought I'd like the Almond, and didn't fall in love with it after using it for a few weeks. Same for Arlington. It took me a while to keep going back to the Marlborough, and now I really like it well. The Windsor is similar in some ways to Marlborough, and I have a puck of it. I'm not ready to say I like it as well as I do the Marlborough. The Harris soap family is not bad in fragrance, it all lathers great, and the bottom line is not to take anybody's word for it, you are the only one who knows what you like. I hope that helps.

 

[Fresh shave]

I love my D.H Sahving creams. I am going to have to get some of the soap though.

In case my story of last week of shaves will help. I got Arlington a week ago and have shaved with it for seven days straight. On my first shave I used too much water but got a great shave anyway which made me very excited that once I get ratio right I will get epic shaves. I then paid closer attention to the water ratio and got five consecutive not so good shaves. This morning I had an idea, I intentionally used too much water and just worked it a little more, and guess what - an outstanding shave. Gives me a new perspective YMMV thing for soaps. Instead we may just all be making different user errors based on what products we are used to using.

 

[oc_in_fw]

In case my story of last week of shaves will help. I got Arlington a week ago and have shaved with it for seven days straight. On my first shave I used too much water but got a great shave anyway which made me very excited that once I get ratio right I will get epic shaves. I then paid closer attention to the water ratio and got five consecutive not so good shaves. This morning I had an idea, I intentionally used too much water and just worked it a little more, and guess what - an outstanding shave. Gives me a new perspective YMMV thing for soaps. Instead we may just all be making different user errors based on what products we are used to using.

What you think is too much water sometimes isn't. Maybe it is a triple-milled thing, but Harris and Speick take much more water than I initially thought they would (in comparison to melt and pours and Cella)

 

[jazzguy]

I have three Harris soaps and I don't notice any difference in performance between them. Marlborough is my favorite scent.

 

[NCJack]

What you think is too much water sometimes isn't. Maybe it is a triple-milled thing, but Harris and Speick take much more water than I initially thought they would (in comparison to melt and pours and Cella)

My experience too, mainly with Trumper's and my old supersoft Ever Ready 500PBT, when I first started years ago. I was lathering "incorrectly", based on a number of reccomendations here, but it worked: wet brush, load it letting the excess water run off, then onto the face for extensive lathering

 

[syzygy]

Marlboro is by far my favourite scent and I use the soap, aftershave, and cologne! Nice woodsy cedar scent! The soap is excellent but does need a bit more water and then it's up there with the great soaps.

 

[XuDan]

This is my opinion also. I've already done what you should do, and it is expensive and takes some time. I've bought all 5, used all 5 soaps. It took only one or two latherings with Lavender to realize it isn't my cup of tea. I thought I'd like the Almond, and didn't fall in love with it after using it for a few weeks. Same for Arlington. It took me a while to keep going back to the Marlborough, and now I really like it well. The Windsor is similar in some ways to Marlborough, and I have a puck of it. I'm not ready to say I like it as well as I do the Marlborough. The Harris soap family is not bad in fragrance, it all lathers great, and the bottom line is not to take anybody's word for it, you are the only one who knows what you like. I hope that helps.

My work has me blending and creating scents with essential oils and herbs regularly - so I already know I won't enjoy almond, lavender, or Arlington blends as much as a sandalwood, cedar, or bay rum blend. So I can save my money trying scents I know I won't love. What I will do (and planned on doing) is getting the cream and the soap. To see which I like better.

I think I'll take Fresh Shave's advice too and add more water than I do with my current soap (definitely not triple milled) and than I did with the glycerin that I donated to the bin after a week of shaving with it. We have hard water here - I know people already mentioned that might affect things - but has anyone actually experimented with this using a predefined amount of hard water for one shave and the same amount of soft water for another?

 

[XuDan]

Marlboro is by far my favourite scent and I use the soap, aftershave, and cologne! Nice woodsy cedar scent! The soap is excellent but does need a bit more water and then it's up there with the great soaps.

How would you classify their aftershave? I have several some more astringent than others, and some I don't even use a post shave balm or lotion (unscented of course) afterwards because it doesn't dry me out at all.

 

[Teddyboy]

I have the Marlborough in a stick and it is a real treat. Easily generates teriffic lather and the scent is nice. The stick costs about $20, but the container is very nice and convenient, not like the sticks that come wrapped in foil. Highly recommended.

 

[Batman]

I have both Arlington and Marlboro. They work equally well and only differ by scent. I will add that while I like the Marlboro I simply love Arlington. Just pick a Harris soap according to your preference.

+1. Windsor has a nice warm scent. Arlington smells like Pez, in a good way.