Tabac!

[SilentTuba]

I must be doing something wrong. I have been a regular user of Wool Fat shaving soap for a couple of years now and have been very happy with it, no matter what razor/blade combination I am using it gives me a clean, close and well cushioned shave. After reading several rave reviews of Tabac Shaving Soap here and elsewhere I purchased a puck a couple of weeks ago and began using it. It lathers well (though not any better than my Wool Fat) but shaving with it has been a disaster. It is as reliably awful as my Wool Fat is reliably good. Again, no matter what the razor/blade combination, if feels as if my blade is grabbing each whisker and pulling it out of my face by its root. It turns even my normally efficient ATT Aluminum SE1 into an unimaginably inefficient shaver requiring multiple passes in all directions. Has anyone else experienced this with Tabac and if so were you able to fix it and how? Clearly a YMMV experience.

Do you bowl lather or face lather? I only ask because when I used to bowl lather, there were plenty of times where I experienced what you did, with various soaps. I learned, after switching to face lathering, that I was under-hydrating my lather on a consistent basis. Face lathering helped, because rather than making a lather that *looked* right, I aimed for a lather that *felt* right. My shaves improved dramatically after that.

All this to say, if your lather looks great, but you feel like it’s not slick enough, try adding more water. Tabac gets very dense and pillow looking with minimal effort, but it takes a little more water to get really slick. Good luck!

 

[Rudy Vey]

Kinda funny that this post comes up just now. When I grew up in the late 50/early sixties, my dad and grand dad both used Tabac shaving soap. My dad eventually went to an electric razor, but granddad stayed with it till he died in 1967.
When starting here some 10+ years ago, I got me some Tabac soap, but somehow I went on a cream trip and sold all soaps, including the Tabac tub I had. Ten years later, end of December I got again a tub and aftershave balm. My god, this is still the best soap ever!! It blows many of the artisan soaps out of the water. Lathers easy, has a great shave (glide, protection etc.) and a superb feel there after. Combine it with the balm, wow!!
It is definitely in the same class as the old tallow based English soaps from Trumper's and Penhaligon's and Yardley.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I used my Tabac stick again this morning. On another thread about the stuff I commented that I found it hard to build up a good lather with it, and that I had to keep re-moistening the stick to apply more soap. This morning I did 3 things differently, however:

1) Dipped the entire top of the stick into the water my brush was soaking in, so that the soap was not simply moist, but wet;

2) Wetted my face more thoroughly than usual, so the wet soap from Step 1 spread more easily; and

3) Left a little more water in the boar brush when I squeezed it out before beginning to lather.

Result: much better lather and plenty of coverage. I didn't have to apply more soap from the stick. And the shave itself was quick and smooth.

 

[Froloff]

I've been using Tabac, for the first time, exclusively since the beginning of December.

Exactly my situation. I use it for cold season.

 

[jmturley]

Just received my first puck of Tabac yesterday and used it for the first time this morning. Definitely gave me a nice slick lather and a smooth shave. I can however see why so many people don't like it. The scent is kinda strong and a little odd to my nose, but nothing that I wont get use to after a while of use.

 

[FloorPizza]

After going through a serious SCAD in 2008, my wife gave me an ultimatum: One shaving cream or soap. I decided on Tabac soap, even though I *hate* the smell. I can't even call it a scent, it's a smell.

I have used it as my only soap/cream for over ten years now. I can now finally stand the smell, but only just. The performance, OTOH, is still just as top notch as ever.

For you guys having trouble getting it to work, Tabac is a thirsty soap, requiring much more water than you're used to. And it dries fast. The problem is that when it gets even just slightly dehydrated, the slick turns to stick. If you feel your razor sticking rather than gliding, get more water in there quick. It'll also start clinging to your blade, making rinsing more of a chore. Again, more water is called for.

I figure ten years is enough time... I can now finally shop for a few more creams/soaps to try without invoking the wife's ire.

 

[BigD]

View attachment 941166

Okay, is that guy wearing underwear on his head as a hat?

 

[Tony D]

Okay, is that guy wearing underwear on his head as a hat?

Yeah, but they're not his!!

 

[BigD]

Yeah, but they're not his!!

That hurts my head. Why would someone do that? Also, why would they film themselves doing it?

 

[Tony D]

Because the world is a beautiful, albeit, confusing place!

 

[1Vader]

Good stuff. If I can add another one on that list, Irisch Moss. Grab one if you come across it.

 

[les24preludes]

After going through a serious SCAD in 2008, my wife gave me an ultimatum: One shaving cream or soap. I decided on Tabac soap, even though I *hate* the smell. I can't even call it a scent, it's a smell.

You should have let your wife decide which soap or cream. She sounds like the whip hand here!

 

[AJG45]

Do you bowl lather or face lather? I only ask because when I used to bowl lather, there were plenty of times where I experienced what you did, with various soaps. I learned, after switching to face lathering, that I was under-hydrating my lather on a consistent basis. Face lathering helped, because rather than making a lather that *looked* right, I aimed for a lather that *felt* right. My shaves improved dramatically after that.

All this to say, if your lather looks great, but you feel like it’s not slick enough, try adding more water. Tabac gets very dense and pillow looking with minimal effort, but it takes a little more water to get really slick. Good luck!

Bowl lather. I have taken the advice given here and used more water. It does help considerably. Still not as fond of it as my Mitchell's Wool Fat, but you can see it from there.

 

[Wtd1911]

Do you bowl lather or face lather? I only ask because when I used to bowl lather, there were plenty of times where I experienced what you did, with various soaps. I learned, after switching to face lathering, that I was under-hydrating my lather on a consistent basis. Face lathering helped, because rather than making a lather that *looked* right, I aimed for a lather that *felt* right. My shaves improved dramatically after that.

All this to say, if your lather looks great, but you feel like it’s not slick enough, try adding more water. Tabac gets very dense and pillow looking with minimal effort, but it takes a little more water to get really slick. Good luck!

I do a combo of both. I do prefer the MWF because of the slickness and scent. Tabac burned me the first time I used it. B&B came to the rescue and started to let it air out and try again. Glad I did, Tabac I love. Treat oth the MWF and Tabac the same and great results will happen.