Just discovered soaps!

texaspete

texaspete

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Since discovering the proper way of shaving in May of last year I automatically assumed creams were the best choice, never gave soaps a second thought - just assumed they were more hassle, or less good in some way.

Realized last week this was a bit daft bought some TOBS sandalwood soap last week and have had a succession of amazing shaves, the soap lather seems to cushion a little better, my face feels softer and the whole experience just seems a little better. I guess half of this is placebo effect of trying something new.

I quite fancy acquiring a few more soaps to add a little variety to things. Anyone care to offer any suggestions? From what I've read the consensus is DR Harris are good, and GFT are crap?

Also this might seem a little stupid but am I ok to put the lid back on my soap and back in my drawer with an amount of watery lather on top of the cake or should I be 'cleaning' the puck prior to putting it away?

Tom
 
Hi Tom. I've always preferred soaps to creams as I think it lathers better and you get a greater sense of achievement when you get a decent lather from it.
Mitchell's wool fat, Tabac, and TOBS Jermyn St are my weapons of choice at the moment. They are all excellent in my opinion. As far as drying goes I just dry the container it's in and put it back in the cupboard.

Forgot to mention Prof Blightys soaps. They are superb.
 
I prefer the lather I get from soaps, but also like the convenience of creams.
For soaps I just rinse off the excess lather under the tap and put them away. I don't bother leaving them to dry.
 
I tend to use the creams for convenience now... having said that, my T&H 1805 is something else!!!

Where to start on soaps? I love all of mine, but I do seem to be blessed with very good lathering water here... it compensates for the fact it rains all the time.
In no particular order:
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Speick
Tabac
Nanny's (soft and hard soaps... try both)
Cella... currently my favourite

I tend to let sticks dry out before I put the top back on (Tabac and Speick), the others I tend not to worry about and just put the top back on, but I clean the outside of the container.
 
I couldn't be bothered with soaps for quite a while - probably over a year after getting into this stuff - and when I tried I couldn't get a lather. But these days I use soaps ninety percent of the time - love making a thick, lubricating lather with the brush.
I haven't tried many very high end makes but I have tried a lot of others and most have been great quality. I would recommend, in no particular order:

Great high street soaps:
Palmolive stick
Bootsh Freshwood bowl
Tabac stick (and probably bowl)

Other great soaps:
Speick stick
Irisch Moos (sadly discontinued but still some out there and performance is as good as Tabac as it was by the same people)
Wilkinson Sword stick
Vitos (any of the three)
Cella
Scent from Heaven
Mama Bears
...
Actually the list is going to run into the hundreds. Try them all!
I tend to favour the soft-ish tallow soaps for that quick thick slick lather but hard glycerin soaps are good too
 
If you just whack the lid back on after use you will hopefully shut some moisture in there too - sprinkle some on the surface of the soap, why not? The soap will soften just a little and be easier to load at next use. Any lather remaining will all but disappear but never mind, anyway - the lid is on!
 
Couldn't be arsed with soaps untill I joined up with TSR, I discovered that I had to unlock the skills to make them work, fabulous time learning how too :angel:
 
I was much the same - fortunately, the first soap I tried, thanks to a member here, was a good one, and I now have more soaps than creams. I find that, as a rule, soaps tend to produce a slightly smaller volume of lather than creams, but the lather tends to be denser.
 
chrisbell said:
I was much the same - fortunately, the first soap I tried, thanks to a member here, was a good one, and I now have more soaps than creams. I find that, as a rule, soaps tend to produce a slightly smaller volume of lather than creams, but the lather tends to be denser.
Click to expand...

I concur with you :)
 
I have to say I like the GFT coconut soaps I got from ebay. After a few ordinary results in the early days which I now realise were down to me, these soaps now provide an excellent cushioning and rather slick lather. But then so does my Ingrams cream.....;)

I got my Trumpers soap from this guy.

3 for £9.50 delivered ain't bad in my book.
 
i also prefer the lather i get from soaps, i went through about 15 or so soaps to find my favourites, then sold the rest on.

The best ones that i kept and will buy again:-

(these three all produce excellent lathers, smell nice and leave my skin feeling excellent after the shave)

- MWF (Lanolin, Soapy Scent)
- VITOS Super Extra Coconut (Almond scent)
- Lea Shave Stick (Lanolin, Soapy Scent)

Other good soaps i'll use up but probably wont replace as i prefer the 3 above:-

- TOBS Jermyn St.
- Proraso Menthol
- Valobra Shave Stick
- Palmolive Shave Stick
 
I also prefer soaps. I have very cooperative water, and for me GFT soaps are fine, but not outstanding. Cella, Nanny's hard, Prof Blighty, and, yes, D R Harris would be high on my recommend lists. I love l'Occitane Cade too, but opinions on that vary a bit more.
 
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