I begin to understand the appeal of soaps

[Benzadmiral]

I've been DE shaving for about 4 years and used mostly creams, TOBS Sandalwood and their Peppermint plus Barbasol, until recently. I've tried Phoenix Shaving's Atmotic, CF Ghost Town Barber and Sherlock, and now Erasmic and TFS Pinup Collection Sera.

Creams do a fine job for me. No question. But I suspect there is something extra in the soaps I've tried that lends itself to a fine shave experience. Slickness, the glide, the scent, the ability of the soap to soften the bristles before you lay on the blade . . . and the feeling of your face afterward, too.

I don't plan to dump my creams; the TOBS stuff and Barbasol are too nice and too useful. But it's getting so I look forward to a shave just a bit more when it's time to use one of the soaps.

Anybody else "graduate" from creams to soaps? What made you do it?

 

[Highspeedlane]

I also prefer soaps to creams these days. I've been using a tub of Stirling Coconut Lime every day for the past month and I can barely tell any product is missing from the tub. The economic value alone is amazing, but shave quality and experience are also top shelf

 

[ajkel64]

I like both creams and soaps but I do mainly use soaps. I am not sure why. It may be performance. I have used some creams that took an awful lot of product to make a decent lather. I can usually get around a month out of a tube of cream but a lot longer out of a tub of soap.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I like both creams and soaps but I do mainly use soaps. I am not sure why. It may be performance. I have used some creams that took an awful lot of product to make a decent lather. I can usually get around a month out of a tube of cream but a lot longer out of a tub of soap.

That's another item for my list. The soaps and creams I've bought cost and weigh about the same, but the soaps are not vanishing as fast as the creams.

Darn it. Now I want to pick up a tub of the Atmotic.

 

[shave/brush]

I kind of did just the opposite. I decided early on that I preferred soap to creams. So for the last 7 years I used just soap. Then on a whim I decided to try the new Proraso Single Blade cream. Now I've taken a liking to creams. I've been using creams and soaps about equal now.

 

[Mick]

My main soap choices are MWF, Arko, and Tabac.

These are the gold standard for soap (in my opinion).

Creams are easier to build lather with which accounts for their popularity.

 

[honeycutt]

Nope. I have used several soaps, but always gravitate back to my cremes. To me a creme can do anything a soap can. Just depends on what you like.

 

[Raissermesser]

Other than canned foam and then Edge gel, we didn't have creams locally. It was a Colgate puck in a mug if you wanted a brush shave. Didn't consider anything different until Gillette introduced the Brush Plus. I still haven't tried creams other than Cremo, and I don't think that really counts.

 

[xxvaleria]

I think most gents start off using creams because they are generally easier to lather. However, I've found that creams do not offer the scent selection that soaps do, so soaps creep in for variety. Once you have learned how to lather soaps, they tend to take over because a puck usually lasts much longer than a tube, making them less expensive.

 

[honeycutt]

I think most gents start off using creams because they are generally easier to lather. However, I've found that creams do not offer the scent selection that soaps do, so soaps creep in for variety. Once you have learned how to lather soaps, they tend to take over because a puck usually lasts much longer than a tube, making them less expensive.

My favorite creme is Macca Root. At $3.99 a tube I think you would be hard pressed to find better valve. But hey, it all boils to to variety is the spice of life.

 

[Bbb34]

Anybody else "graduate" from creams to soaps? What made you do it?

I like and use both, and it was mostly curiosity that made me try different things.
I don't feel that there's any graduating to be honest, it's not like by default one is better than other.

The only real test would be picking cream and soap from the same brand and compare their performance, but that's difficult as very few companies make both in the same exact line.

 

[BigJ]

I also prefer soaps. For me the top-notch soaps provide more slickness and glide. YMMV is the rule of course!

 

[kluber]

I prefer soaps to creams. They generally last longer although I do agree that maca root cream is a great value for the amount. But generally soaps last longer for me and can be cheaper on a per shave basis.

 

[facetime]

I spent years thinking the only thing available for wet shaving was Geo. F. Trumper Creams. About 7+ years ago discovered how wrong I was and it has been quite a journey - almost exclusively soaps now - though I did grab some Antica Barbieria Colla

Of course discovering Saponificio Varesino kinda cemented the soap ascendence over creams. And , of course, I now think I am addicted to the Declaration Grooming - Chatillon Lux collaborations; great shaves, great post-shaves.
Enjoy the journey

 

[cw62803]

I love both soaps and creams, but find myself using soap 90% of the time. Every product is a little different, but in general I find that soaps provide a better glide - which contributes to great shaves.

 

[pbrmhl]

I started with creams, moved to soaps, and now use both. Some creams are just as good as the best soaps, on my face, although many aren't. Lisa's Premium (which is called a soap but works like a cream), Stone Cottage, XPEC, SMN, Baume.be are but a few creams I find stellar.

 

[Canadian Mountain Man]

Started with creams then soaps as I improved my lathering technique (shocking you can't get a decent lather by 10 seconds of swirling on a puck of Williams); now its probably 40/40/20 between creams, soaps & croaps (hmmm...one more thing for me to track).

 

[bluewing]

Hi,

The only cream that's managed wedge itself into my tiny collection is C.O. Bigelow. I do like the menthol feel during warm weather. But soaps are my favorites.

 

[jdp93]

I used creams exclusively for the first couple of years, and then decided to see what all the hubbub was with soaps. Never really went back to creams. For me, soaps provided almost endless variety, great value, and better slickness than creams.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

When I first moved away from canned foam and gels, I bought a small pump dispenser of Men-U cream, which came with a bristle brush. It was OK, but I wasn't overly pleased with it. I think I got my first puck of Mitchell's within a few weeks of that, and once I'd figured out how to use it, I stuck with it. I'm still using that brush (and only that brush) to this day, but the cream got thrown out eventually. I've never bought another cream since.