How many types of soaps/creams do you really need?

[h2oyeah]

Razorock Don Marco sound like it would really suit me. Will have to pick that up for sure. I also like what b_market said. Try the big names then stick to artisan soaps. Chicago offers a lot of variety for that kind of thing so I could find some great options if I look.

 

[kingfisher]

How many do I need?

Creams: Zero. Zilch. Nada. Bupkus.

Soaps: Three is a bare minimum, seven would be a maximum for me. I don't like having a boatload of items to choose from, and I don't like to not get to use the items in my den very often. So I try to keep it to 4 or 5, so all of them get used frequently. I buy a new soap when one of them is used up, so the inventory stays the same. (Every once in a while I see something I just gotta have, so there's occasionally one or two more. But I don't have tens or hundreds like some guys here.)

 

[dfoulk]

We all started with one. It just depends on how much variety you'd like. I personally have a lot of soaps since soaps don't really go bad (at least I haven't experienced it yet). If you're going to stick with just creams for a while then keep number low as they will dry up over time.

For a suggestion on another cream to add try a tube of Speick cream. It's inexpensive and excellent stuff. If you do a search here you'll see. Nancy Boy makes an excellent cream as well if you're in the States. They have a small store in San Francisco, CA. Their Signature scent has a good amount of peppermint in it as well as a touch of lavender and some other notes. Really excellent stuff too.

Some use one soap or cream until it's gone but I'm too impatient for that and use randomly whatever strikes me on that day.

 

[Polarbeard]

I only need one as long as it is one of the following:
Tabac
MWF
Il Coloniali Mango.
I really do find my large stock to be quite disturbing.

 

[BSAGuy]

Get 2-3 to have some variety. Unlike our forebears who had to use whatever was available locally, the internet allows us to shop the world, literally, for shaving stuff.

Proraso green is good and cheap as is Arko and La Toja.

The English creams are good, like Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truefitt & Hill, Geo. F. Trumpers.

There are many great USA soaps and creams: Stirling, Queen Charlotte, Caties Bubbles, Mike's Natural, Art of Shaving, etc.


Have fun!

 

[Pepin]

I am trying out soaps and creams, so far I have tried:

2 shave sticks (Arko and TOBS Sandalwood)
15 soaps: GFT, TOBS, Dr. Harris, Proraso, Tabac, Williams, Edwin Jaegger, Queen Charlotte, and 6 sample pucks of Stirling.
13 creams TOBS, GFT, Derby, Arko, Proraso, Truefitt & Hill, Spiek (this includes some samples from Gary's)

My goal is to select 2 sticks, 2-3 creams and 6-8 soap pucks for my rotation.
On my replenish list so far is TOBS, GFT, Dr. Harris, QCS, Tabac, Proraso, Arko, Truefitt & Hill

 

[Fenris]

How many do I need?

Just one more

Just like guitars.

 

[ElectroMike]

As they say, needs are cheap, it's the wants which will cost you!

My suggestion is to order a sample pack, from somewhere like Garry's http://sampleshop.blogspot.com/ get a good amount or soaps, creams, after shaves, then rotate them until all are done, by then you'll know what you want to get a large container of and which ones are just not for you!

 

[takeshi]

How many types of soaps/creams do you really need?

Just one.

You can't poll on this. You have to determine this for yourself.

But it seems like there are so many other options out there I would not know where to began to try something new.

You can randomly pick one and start there. You can try starting with what seems most popular. You can read up and see if the description of one sounds best suited to you (whether based on performance, ingredients, scent, price or whatever other aspects that might matter to you). There are a number of possible approaches but in the end you just have to try the options. There's no way to assess something that you haven't experienced.

 

[Eeyore]

I have, and use, the following products:

Tabac stick
ARKO stick
De Vergulde Hand stick
Palmolive stick
Wilkinson Sword stick
TFS Barba Gialla soap
TFS Zagara e Gelsomino soap
TFS Tobacco Verde soap

Palmolive Classic cream

I don't really rotate ... I choose what I want to use just before shaving.

 

[KLF]

I'm down to two creams: MEM OLIVE and Proraso Sandalwood and two soaps : MdC and Tabac. This is everything I need and more than enough

 

[Gig103]

Need? One, maybe two for variety. A third if you want something in a TSA approved size.

How I got to 16 (and another 16 samples), I'm not sure! I guess because individually they are affordable for me and the reviews on here make it all sound awesome.

 

[tukyou]

You only need one but you should try many before you settle on one.

 

[tromboneliness]

Get 2-3 to have some variety. Unlike our forebears who had to use whatever was available locally, the internet allows us to shop the world, literally, for shaving stuff . . . Have fun!

+1. I'm making up for 30 years in the shaving wilderness, where all you could get was what was in the local drug store.

I love the variety, and the challenge of making a good lather from a wide range of products.

 

[Musikmann]

I have far too many right now. My goal is to work my way down to 7 for a day-by-day weekly rotation.

 

[Pebcak]

I'll let you know when I'm there. Currently it's a kiloish block each of P-160, Cella, two different Vitos soaps as well as a bunch of soaps and creams. And I'm twitching as I can see bare shelf that needs something on it.

 

[Jarick]

Need? One.

Practically? I like to try at least one of every highly rated soap. The ones I enjoy I will buy again. The ones I don't...well for some reason I still plan on buying most of them. Even the worst soaps and creams are still pretty enjoyable.

 

[jackgoldman123]

1 wife.
Many soaps.
Consider the alternative(s).

 

[Skinny Rogers]

Get one for every day of the week. I rotate my soaps weekly most of the time. I don't want things to get stagnant. I personally need variety. Here lately I have been doing a Monday to Sunday razor/soap. AS I change depending on my mood. Also have a weekend scent. My weekly shaves I use good soaps that I don't mind using up. Weekends it tend to use nicer soaps. Now this is just what I do. But seeing as ur a member on B&B I'm pretty sure u will end up with several soaps. This site is the devil for a bank account.

 

[musicman1951]

The ugly truth is that most of us have way too many. One is enough.

Of course, you've only been shaving for 11 days and you're already shopping - so there's no real hope for sticking to just one.

I suggest you keep reading reviews here and resist as long as possible between purchases. When you keep reading multiple posts raving about a product you'll know that's probably a goo buy.

But one is enough. Really.

Good luck.