I have evaluated over 150 soaps and about 50 soap and cream formulations. I have tried everything from shave creams in a pump bottle, tube, of can to triple-milled hard pucks. The key is using the right brush, the right method of loading, and the right ratio of water to soap. With creams, croaps and soft soaps, rather than trying to load the brush by swirling the brush around the tub, you might be better off scooping out a little soap using a small scoop or your finger and adding it to your brush if you face lather or to your bowl if you bowl lather. When people try to load directly from the tub, it is easy to load far to much soap. That makes it difficult to add sufficient water to achieve a properly hydrated lather.
When properly hydrated, Murphy & McNeil soaps are the best performing soaps in my den. I have some others that as good, but I have not yet found a soap that out-peforms it for ease of lathering, primary and residual slickness, and post-shave feel.
