I'm basically a cream user but I was trolling the boards looking for a soap recommendation similar to MDC, that was locally available in the USA, and didn't cost an arm and a leg. I came across a few mentions of Dr Selby favorably in comparison to MDC so I thought I'd give it a try. Scent of Lavender was strong out of the box but dissipated, and the soap which does have a strong scent, is not too strong if you like lavender. The soap is called a cream by the manufacturer but it's a soap. It loads and lather's up really fast, (I floated a little water in the jar while I was in the shower and soap softened up nicely) has a very slick feel (which I liked ) when you have enough water in the mix, had good glide, and I got a couple of the closest, most comfortable shaves shaves I've ever had with a DE!
Downside is it dried out my face pretty good so I've had to really, REALLY, moisturize afterwards with plenty of Cetaphil which does the trick to bring back the natural feel and texture of my skin. The reserved lather seems to dry out too fast between passes so to get a good creamy hydrated texture in stead of foam on passes after the first, I've had to reload. I didn't mind so much as this soap really lathers up very quickly and a few extra swirls on the puck, and a few drops of water put me right back into business. Biggest downside for me is it doesn't have a tremendous amount of cushion when using a straight razor, although if you add a little extra water to the mix, it does get very slippery which is a big plus. I'll keep using it to see if I can get more cushion out of it for use with straights. At the end of the day, it's a very reasonably priced lavender soap that gives a very close comfortable shave. Did I mention close?
Downside is it dried out my face pretty good so I've had to really, REALLY, moisturize afterwards with plenty of Cetaphil which does the trick to bring back the natural feel and texture of my skin. The reserved lather seems to dry out too fast between passes so to get a good creamy hydrated texture in stead of foam on passes after the first, I've had to reload. I didn't mind so much as this soap really lathers up very quickly and a few extra swirls on the puck, and a few drops of water put me right back into business. Biggest downside for me is it doesn't have a tremendous amount of cushion when using a straight razor, although if you add a little extra water to the mix, it does get very slippery which is a big plus. I'll keep using it to see if I can get more cushion out of it for use with straights. At the end of the day, it's a very reasonably priced lavender soap that gives a very close comfortable shave. Did I mention close?
