Soap performance

[RobT.O.]

In general, do shaving soaps provide the same or similar amount of "cushion" (density of lather) to shaving creams?

Also, I'm finding that shaving creams cloud the finish on my rinsed blades, where soaps rinse cleaner. Is this a typical characteristic difference between soaps and creams?

I'd guess that these characteristics would vary in degree from brand to brand, so please give examples of the brands you use to support your experience.

I'm expecting to compile an interesting shopping list from your responses.

 

[Leche]

Tallow soaps definitely give plenty of cushion.

 

[mdunn]

Generally speaking, I find soaps to be slicker, and creams to have more cushion.

 

[mretzloff]

Tallow soaps have loads of cushion, while glycerin soaps tend to have more scent.

 

[cymric]

In general, do shaving soaps provide the same or similar amount of "cushion" (density of lather) to shaving creams?

That question cannot be answered. There are cushiony soaps and there are non-cushiony soaps, same with creams. It also depends on how you prepare your lather. One case in point: my Pré de Provence soap 'wants' to be thick and creamy (much to my surprise, really). If I mix up Musgo Real to the same consistency, I come just short of flaying my skin. Were I to create a lather from Body Shop cream to the standard of Musgo measured in the amount of water I should add, I end up with a useless runny mess. I'm sure it would be possible to just count the number of cushiony soaps and creams and compare the totals, but I doubt whether you'd be able to derive anything meaningful from it.

Also, I'm finding that shaving creams cloud the finish on my rinsed blades, where soaps rinse cleaner. Is this a typical characteristic difference between soaps and creams?

No, it depends on the additives which are somewhat easier to put in a cream. With a 'clean' cream and a 'clean' soap there should be very little difference.

 

[SRock]

Generally speaking, I find soaps to be slicker, and creams to have more cushion.

Generally speaking, I'd have to agree with Dunny!

 

[andrewinman]

Generally speaking, I find soaps to be slicker, and creams to have more cushion.

+1 In most cases...

 

[mparker762]

In general, do shaving soaps provide the same or similar amount of "cushion" (density of lather) to shaving creams?

In general no, but there is a lot of overlap. However soaps generally tend to be "slicker" than creams, which is a useful characteristic all of its own. Personally I find shaving with a cream or a cream-like soap to be akin to shaving through mud; I strongly prefer a slippery lather to a heavy cushioning lather.

AOS soap and the Valobra stick produce a very rich thick cream-like lather. Even though they don't match my preferences, they are unequivocally great soaps.

Also, I'm finding that shaving creams cloud the finish on my rinsed blades, where soaps rinse cleaner. Is this a typical characteristic difference between soaps and creams?

Generally speaking, yes. That cloudy finish is from soap scum, and the substances in creams tend to produce a lot more of this than most soaps do, though again there is a lot of overlap. I find the Valobra soft soap produces a lot of soap scum, as does MWF - in MWF's case I think the culprit is the lanolin, and the valobra soft soap is kind of a hybrid soap/cream so it's probably got the same stuff as a tubbed cream. Besides temporarily dulling the finish on your razor, it can also cause dragging on your skin, makes your brush shed water, and gunks up your sink. When I used creams I had to clean my DE once a week and my brush once a month. Since I switched to soaps I have to clean my brush about once a year.

The Trumper's soaps produce very little soap scum, as do the Penhaligons soaps and Harris soaps. Gold Dachs produces a bit more but is still an outstanding soap. MWF is terrible, as bad as any cream.

 

[Suzuki]

Generally speaking, I find soaps to be slicker, and creams to have more cushion.

I think this is a good rule of thumb.

In terms of rinsing, I generally find that creams leave more residue that soaps - not that it makes a difference.

As with anything, there is a fair bit of variation between products based on the specific ingredients. For example by adding some stuff like shea butter and clay to a "glycerine" soap, you get a product with more cushion and glide.

Similarly, with hard soaps, you see quite a bit of variation between all veggie soaps, as well as between all veggie soaps and those with tallow. For example, the Floris tallow soaps were generally viewed as quite good, but the veggie reformulation not so great. On the other hand, the TOBS veggie soap is quite good, as is the Trumpers. That being said, I typically prefer soaps with tallow in them (not that the presence of tallow alone is determinative), as my experience is that, in a quality product, tallow seems to provide very good slickness/glide, in combination with a good degree of cushion.

If someone were asking me for some recommendations for a good cross spectrum of soaps to play with, that didn't break the bank, I would suggest the following:

1) A basic glycerine soap such as Conk of VDH - these are very inexpensive products that are quite good ($3 to $4) for a small puck.

2) What I call a "glycerine plus" soap, which is a glycerine soap to which a soapmaker has added stuff such as clays, butters (mango, shea, etc.) oils (avocado, jojoba, etc.) or other ingredients to improve the qualities of the soap (like goat's milk). Some good examples include TGQ soaps (my personal favourite in this category) and HBS - expect to pay between $7 and $10 for a puck.

3) A soap with tallow as one of its primary ingredients - there are increasingly few of these, if you want to do this on the cheap, the Palmolive, Speick and Valobra sticks (which can be milled into bowls if you don't want to use them in stick format) are excellent products - the Palmolive and Speick sticks are particularly good value at between $4 and $6 for a small stick. If you want a puck, then your choices are quite limited - and the key choices that come to mind are Tabac (which costs about $10 for a large puck or $15 in a great glass container - spend the extra $5, you won't regret it!) or one of the Harris products (which come in several flavours and cost about $15 for a puck and about $30 in a nice wood bowl). Truth be told, I think that he Palmolive, Speick and Tabac perform just as well as the Harris, but they are all good products. The Harris is a milled product (which means it is very dense/hard) and lasts quite a long time, as does the huge puck of Tabac - which does have a very distinctive scent that you may/may not like.

4) A hard veggie soap - TOBS makes a very good one, but the same or very similar product is also sold under Culmak and Vulfix names (among others) - expect to pay about $15 for a puck of the TOBS or about $30 for a the soap in a wood bowl). Other good options are Trumper soaps (similar pricing) or the French soaps with shea butter (which I think is a fantastic ingredient) - examples include Institute Karite, Pre de Provence and Provence Sante - they are all quite similar and there are lots of reviews - expect to pay between $10 and $20 depending on the product and whether you're buying a puck or a soap in a container.

So basically, for as low as $35 - $40 dollars, you can buy a bunch of quality products that will give you a sense of how the different types of soaps perform and what your preference is. I'm sure others will chime in with other recommendations, but this is what I came up with off of the top of my head.

Hope this helps.

 

[npinn001]

Having just switched from creams to soaps after a year of creams, i can give a fairly objective answer.

Creams are good imho for a 30 second lather and go. No fuss, just lots of lather.

However, soaps are much more satisfying to lather, and the razor definately glides much better. Good soaps have cushion, and last longer, plus are more forgiving for sensitive skin.

 

[bythbook]

re tallow soaps - there are a number of boutique soapers (seems that soapers are disproportionally named Sue) who are making shaving soaps, some with tallow (the soap, not the soapmakers)!

I recently encountered My Time Bath & Beauty who makes tallow creams/soaps (I'm not sure whether they are creams OR soap!) that are wonderfully cushioning and slick. Different from the tallow soaps I've used; different from any creams I've used. I think the price is $8 or $9 for her shaving soap. (Her name is not Sue, incidentally.)

Worth a try.

 

[The National Razor]

I think this is a good rule of thumb.

In terms of rinsing, I generally find that creams leave more residue that soaps - not that it makes a difference.

As with anything, there is a fair bit of variation between products based on the specific ingredients. For example by adding some stuff like shea butter and clay to a "glycerine" soap, you get a product with more cushion and glide.

Similarly, with hard soaps, you see quite a bit of variation between all veggie soaps, as well as between all veggie soaps and those with tallow. For example, the Floris tallow soaps were generally viewed as quite good, but the veggie reformulation not so great. On the other hand, the TOBS veggie soap is quite good, as is the Trumpers. That being said, I typically prefer soaps with tallow in them (not that the presence of tallow alone is determinative), as my experience is that, in a quality product, tallow seems to provide very good slickness/glide, in combination with a good degree of cushion.

If someone were asking me for some recommendations for a good cross spectrum of soaps to play with, that didn't break the bank, I would suggest the following:

1) A basic glycerine soap such as Conk of VDH - these are very inexpensive products that are quite good ($3 to $4) for a small puck.

2) What I call a "glycerine plus" soap, which is a glycerine soap to which a soapmaker has added stuff such as clays, butters (mango, shea, etc.) oils (avocado, jojoba, etc.) or other ingredients to improve the qualities of the soap (like goat's milk). Some good examples include TGQ soaps (my personal favourite in this category) and HBS - expect to pay between $7 and $10 for a puck.

3) A soap with tallow as one of its primary ingredients - there are increasingly few of these, if you want to do this on the cheap, the Palmolive, Speick and Valobra sticks (which can be milled into bowls if you don't want to use them in stick format) are excellent products - the Palmolive and Speick sticks are particularly good value at between $4 and $6 for a small stick. If you want a puck, then your choices are quite limited - and the key choices that come to mind are Tabac (which costs about $10 for a large puck or $15 in a great glass container - spend the extra $5, you won't regret it!) or one of the Harris products (which come in several flavours and cost about $15 for a puck and about $30 in a nice wood bowl). Truth be told, I think that he Palmolive, Speick and Tabac perform just as well as the Harris, but they are all good products. The Harris is a milled product (which means it is very dense/hard) and lasts quite a long time, as does the huge puck of Tabac - which does have a very distinctive scent that you may/may not like.

4) A hard veggie soap - TOBS makes a very good one, but the same or very similar product is also sold under Culmak and Vulfix names (among others) - expect to pay about $15 for a puck of the TOBS or about $30 for a the soap in a wood bowl). Other good options are Trumper soaps (similar pricing) or the French soaps with shea butter (which I think is a fantastic ingredient) - examples include Institute Karite, Pre de Provence and Provence Sante - they are all quite similar and there are lots of reviews - expect to pay between $10 and $20 depending on the product and whether you're buying a puck or a soap in a container.

So basically, for as low as $35 - $40 dollars, you can buy a bunch of quality products that will give you a sense of how the different types of soaps perform and what your preference is. I'm sure others will chime in with other recommendations, but this is what I came up with off of the top of my head.

Hope this helps.

Great post

 

[kingfisher]

re tallow soaps - there are a number of boutique soapers (seems that soapers are disproportionally named Sue) who are making shaving soaps, some with tallow (the soap, not the soapmakers)!

I recently encountered My Time Bath & Beauty who makes tallow creams/soaps (I'm not sure whether they are creams OR soap!) that are wonderfully cushioning and slick. Different from the tallow soaps I've used; different from any creams I've used. I think the price is $8 or $9 for her shaving soap. (Her name is not Sue, incidentally.)

Worth a try.

Sorry, but if her name is not Sue, she can't be trusted.

 

[RobT.O.]

Outstanding responses so far, thanks!

 

[ScottVTS]

My shave's are always closest with soaps! Providing good technique soaps will provide plenty of protection

 

[ctakim]

re tallow soaps - there are a number of boutique soapers (seems that soapers are disproportionally named Sue) who are making shaving soaps, some with tallow (the soap, not the soapmakers)!

True!!!

 

[RobT.O.]

Also, I'm finding that shaving creams cloud the finish on my rinsed blades, where soaps rinse cleaner. Is this a typical characteristic difference between soaps and creams?

Are there any small soap/cream makers with natural ingredients that don't produce as much soap scum as others?

 

[Jwolf24601]

Also, I'm finding that shaving creams cloud the finish on my rinsed blades, where soaps rinse cleaner. Is this a typical characteristic difference between soaps and creams?

My Anthony Logistics Shaving Cream does this a lot. I have not noticed it from my AOS creams though.