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Time to face reality. I'm not a soap guy.

Of course everyone should use whatever they feel works best for them and makes them happy. Like a few others here I just load my somewhat wet brush on the puck for about twenty seconds or so and then transfer some of that wet glop to my face and face lather for about twice that long. Quick, easy and enough lather for three passes plus touch ups.
 
Love my creams. However, when using TOBS for example I tend to use way too much product even when trying to gently skim my brush over the top of the tub. Also, creams never feel quite as slick as soaps for me..
 
OK.

I, on the other hand, am not a cream guy. I don't like creams much. Soaps are much better, for me.

When I first started lathering soaps I remember thinking that the actual lathering piece was a necessary evil, but over the years I have actually come to quite enjoy lathering as a part of the process.
 
That's fine. I seem to use creams more than soaps lately. They also take less space when traveling, which one might see as a plus.
 
Perfect example of YMMV.

You have found what works best for you, that is great.
I have a few creams I enjoy (GFT Spanish Leather and TOBS Avocado, & Eton College,Proraso Blue), but mostly I use puck as I prefer them.
 
I didn’t care for hard soaps my first 6 months or so... though I stuck with it... until I read something on this site and started putting them in lidded containers and squeezing the excess lather out of my brush back into the container (mostly to not waste it). Before I did this, I was just leaving the pucks in a coffee cup, and they’d be bone dry the next morning. My morning shave routine is pretty rushed and I hated having to take the extra minute to try and bring the lather to life... and was making too-thin lathers. I didn’t want to buy creams because, well, I’m cheap and had the impression (mistaken) it was kind of cheating.

The damp soap in a lidded container requires little work/time to make a good lather.

My wife still won’t touch a hard soap. Either creams or mixes I make from my soaps with tons of glycerin added, then dried back out... but she won’t use something she can’t immediately load on the brush tips to then skin lather. If she has to do more than a couple swirls, she’s done.

It’s whatever works for you. If you’re happy... then you’re doing right by yourself. If you haven’t tried it and still haven’t given up, I’d recommend trying soaps in covered containers. It shocked me how much of a difference it made.
 
I'm just not a "puck in the cup" swirled with a brush shaving soap guy. I can no longer deny this reality. Lathering up a puck of soap in a mug is just...tedious.

Yes. Tedious.

I've got soaps in three mugs right now. I use them so seldom. They'll turn into fungus before I use them up.

Creams are just...better. They are. You may protest, but truly there is not a doubt in your military mind. You know.

My only concession would be shaving sticks like Arko or Palmolive. Brushes are just too time-consuming.
If it works for you , then drive on!
Try grating those soaps and making sticks out of them, works great for me!
 
If shaving cream works better for you, more power to you.

I'm 95% a soap guy, yet I've enjoyed wonderful shave cream lathers over the years. Two of the three T's (haven't tried Geo. F. Trumpers), Cyril R. Salter, Kapo, Barbon &
Figaro, Palmolive, Nivea are just some of the great performing creams that I've enjoyed.

Face it, with all the wonderful soaps, creams and aftershaves available, the real problem with wet shaving is that there isn't enough time to enjoy of them.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
If shaving cream works better for you, more power to you.

I'm 95% a soap guy, yet I've enjoyed wonderful shave cream lathers over the years. Two of the three T's (haven't tried Geo. F. Trumpers), Cyril R. Salter, Kapo, Barbon &
Figaro, Palmolive, Nivea are just some of the great performing creams that I've enjoyed.

Face it, with all the wonderful soaps, creams and aftershaves available, the real problem with wet shaving is that there isn't enough time to enjoy of them.
Amen to that my friend.
 
I'll be even more heretical and say that my closest, quickest, most irritation-free shaves are when I use just Shave Secret oil (4 drops massaged in damp face, then a light dash of water as I shave).

That said, I mainly use soaps and creams because I enjoy the process.
 
I'm just not a "puck in the cup" swirled with a brush shaving soap guy. I can no longer deny this reality. Lathering up a puck of soap in a mug is just...tedious.
Yes. Tedious.

I've got soaps in three mugs right now. I use them so seldom. They'll turn into fungus before I use them up.
Creams are just...better. They are. You may protest, but truly there is not a doubt in your military mind. You know.

My only concession would be shaving sticks like Arko or Palmolive. Brushes are just too time-consuming.

Sticks are the way to go. I use a stick about 80% of the time.
 
I went from creams to soaps, the soaps on average doing a better job of it. Now I’m into sticks! But I’ll use em all. I like how a brush can work up a killer lather and exfoliate at the same time. A mix of em all floats my boat.
 
I use one soap at a time so that stays pretty soft much of the time. Even the hard british soap almost turn into croap at some stage for me. So mostly a soap guy here but have bought some of that macaroot a couple of times and have enjoyed that when I have had it. Eyening the Proraso Single Blade line creams but I am in the 2020 sabbatical so it will be next year.
 
Using what makes you happy sounds like a great plan.

For me soaps at home and creams for travel. In the dopp kit is a Kent menthol cream that should finish up on the next trip. And then on to Palmolive.
 
That's the great thing about our wonderful hobby. There is no "right" or "wrong" when it comes
to soaps vs. creams. It's simply a matter of what works best for you and your face. For me .....
I'm lucky because I enjoy both. My favorite creams are Proraso, TOBS, and Body Shop, ..... and
my favorite soaps are Ariana & Evans, Barrister & Mann, K Shave Worx, and Stirling.
And as JeffJ so aptly stated up above ..... "Using what makes you happy sounds like a great plan."
:a14::a14::a14::a14::a14:
 

Fred D

Member of The Illiterati
I pretty much like most soaps, croaps, and creams, both in a tub or tube. Today I used a triple milled hard soap and had an awesome shave, but it did require a little more effort than a cream. When I'm not in the mood or in a hurry i'll even grab a can of Barbasol. The one soap that I hate is Arko because it actually burns my face like acid, and I'm also one that hates the smell, it just lingers in the brushes for days. So I guess I just like to change the soap or cream depending on my mood, and also enjoy the variety, just like using different blades and razors. 😀
 
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