Soap vs Cream

VerbaVolant said:
  • I use soaps, exclusively
  • I prefer soaps because they come in simple and biodegradable containers. Well, most of them, or at least the ones I have.
  • In my opinion it is not worth the extra time & effort of loading soap. Creams are much easier to work with and give more consistent results.
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Uh, your post is chock full of contradictions. :confused:
 
Bogeyman said:
Uh, your post is chock full of contradictions. :confused:
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Depends on how you read it.

Initial glance, contradictory.
Second glance... the responder (VerbaVolant) might use soaps exclusively on the proviso they're in biodegradable containers, but offers the advice that creams are easier to work with and give more consistent results. Ergo, prefers their soaps for themselves but advises creams for new starters.

My 2¢: I have always tended towards soaps over creams - I'm happy to have a rotation of only a few soaps and have them last a while. That being said there are definitely some good creams out there. I'm enjoying Body Shop Maca Root these days.
 
The advantages of hard soaps is shelf life and small footprint, not better lather. People who praise hard soaps have to soak or bloom them to get the best of them, that is to turn them into softer soaps. Their downfall is the difficulty to release product so you make good lather, which is why many have troubles with MWF and Williams.

Proraso manufacturer has stated many times that there is no difference between their creams and soaps, just the different curation period. If you leave the cream to air out and dry for a while it will become same as the tub. This has been tested by Proraso fans to be the case, yet many still quible which is better, cream or soap. If they can't get the same lather from either, it's matter of technique, not product.
 
Grabbed an old TOBS Sandalwood puck today just to try out a bowl I have. With the right warm approach and a decent brush with a bit of backbone I later wondered why the hell I had not used this one for a while either. Massive lather. I think people TOO often blame the product before examining their technique.
 
chris.hale said:
I have never, ever, soaked a soap prior to use. Not even DRH which is like a rock nor MWF which some people insist demands all sorts of rituals.
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Good on you. That's probably due to good technique and persistence in learning it. Still doesn't change the basic facts of how fast you load a cream vs a triple milled puck.
 
Never really found much difference betwixt them all to be honest, neither in time or lather. I face lather though if that makes a difference? I use whichever I'm enjoying at the time which has been two(three?) croaps and two hard soaps over the last 12 months. I'm not a very fussy type though.
 
I prefer hard soaps, my favourite being OSP's bay rum at the moment. But i do always keep a cream around for the mornings, it is for me at least quicker, and when there are 3 women trying to get in the bathroom behind you in the morning then every second counts :confused:
 
Sabre said:
I ordered two separate soaps from two different sellers, with different soap factory wrappers. Two arrived together, then two months later an individual one turned up. I am not sure what happened o_O. I haven't used them yet as I have been experimenting with another type of soap. I have ordered a Kesa, so will try them with that :).
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I received two of the Cross Keys soaps and one Camel soap :)...
 
naughtilus said:
Good on you. That's probably due to good technique and persistence in learning it. Still doesn't change the basic facts of how fast you load a cream vs a triple milled puck.
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Creams are definitely faster, but not by much. This reminds me of the "bowl or face lather debate", haha.

I think what Chris is trying to point out is that its not like soaps need half an hours bloom etc before use. I own two D R Harris soaps and they are as Chris described, but I don't bloom them either.
 
Dansco said:
Creams are definitely faster, but not by much. This reminds me of the "bowl or face lather debate", haha.

I think what Chris is trying to point out is that its not like soaps need half an hours bloom etc before use. I own two D R Harris soaps and they are as Chris described, but I don't bloom them either.
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Bare in mind there are people who struggle to get good lather even from soft italian soaps. I sometimes see on YT SOTD videos croaps being bloomed. :eek:
 
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