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- #21
I found out that I can get Cella cream in a tube and TOBS cream in a tube, over here. I'm going to order both. Any input on these two?
My Search to Replace La Toja
- Thread starter Doc Dan
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Just get truefitt and hill, TOBS and never look back.
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- #23
Yes, very good stuff, but over here they cost the equivalent of $100 USD. I'm trying to find something inexpensive like La Toja that performs well. There is a T&H shop nearby and i buy stuff there, occasionally. I have some TOBS shaving cream in a tube coming. I have always gotten the soap pucks. I'll see how it goes.
Where is "over here"? Just curious since that is really expensive. Can you get Cella Extra Extra Bio in the green bowl? The bowl is better than the tube since the stuff is very thick it doesn't work well in a tube.
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- #25
Today I shaved with Ach Brito Lavanda and here are my thoughts. I used the same Thiers Issard singing hollow straight razor as I have on all of these tests.
First, this stuff is impossible to get out of the tube! I finally had to set it on the edge of the sink and press down with my hand using body weight to get enough out to lather. Second, it took a little more, not a lot more, but a little more cream to get the same amount of lather as LT.
Now, for the good parts. First, this stuff really lathers! I had forgotten how well it lathers. I started out using the bowl because the cream was so thick. I used the bowl to spread it out over the knot. Once that was done I moved to my face to build the lather and it did so very quickly and there was a good bit of it. Second, this does have good cushion, good slickness, and most important, it had decent residual slickness. It was slightly less good than LT for me, but I can live with the difference. Third, I like the smell. It is clean and fresh and not strong. I don't like over perfumed soaps, to tell the truth. I like the salty soapy clean smell of LT better, but I do like this quite a lot.
The last time I used a tube of this I was still using a DE safety razor and it always gave a good shave. I abandoned it once I discovered LT, but it was not forgotten.
If I can figure out how to get this stuff out of the tube it is a keeper.
First, this stuff is impossible to get out of the tube! I finally had to set it on the edge of the sink and press down with my hand using body weight to get enough out to lather. Second, it took a little more, not a lot more, but a little more cream to get the same amount of lather as LT.
Now, for the good parts. First, this stuff really lathers! I had forgotten how well it lathers. I started out using the bowl because the cream was so thick. I used the bowl to spread it out over the knot. Once that was done I moved to my face to build the lather and it did so very quickly and there was a good bit of it. Second, this does have good cushion, good slickness, and most important, it had decent residual slickness. It was slightly less good than LT for me, but I can live with the difference. Third, I like the smell. It is clean and fresh and not strong. I don't like over perfumed soaps, to tell the truth. I like the salty soapy clean smell of LT better, but I do like this quite a lot.
The last time I used a tube of this I was still using a DE safety razor and it always gave a good shave. I abandoned it once I discovered LT, but it was not forgotten.
If I can figure out how to get this stuff out of the tube it is a keeper.
You can snip off the crimped end with scissors and decant the contents into a separate container.
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- #27
Yes, I can get Cella. It is only $44 equivalent. I'm in SE Asia.
Things in the USA have gone up because of, well...any way, things are higher. Walmart wants 15.95 for Cella red. That's crazy. That is like $64 here, plus shipping. I can get it locally, but it is more than I want to spend if possible.
I have A&E, Zingari Man, Barrister and Mann, TOBS, and others in my cabinet, but I am specifically trying to replace La Toja, which was a top performer for me and not expensive.
Maybe try Connaught in the UK. They have worldwide shipping. I got two 150g bowls of Cella Bio for under $5 each (on sale) along with some other things. Shipping to the USA was around $10, IIRC.
Sir, any experience with Palmolive? It's been many years now since using it myself, but I do remember that the slickness was one of its strenghts. I must test it again soon.
Ah, the “old stock syndrome”, where the cream is hard to coax out of the tube.
As odd as it sounds, put the tube in the fridge overnight and the next morning everything should be well.
The cream has regained its normal consistency and will keep it for the foreseeable future, so no need to do this every week.
Hope this helps…
B.
For stuff made in EU Europe, I would look at a seller based in EU Europe.
I have used Gifts & Care in Spain for years, even before moving to Europe and found their prices always reasonable and their service always fast.
They ship worldwide and even ship some “Gold Prime” items (a gold star on item image) worldwide free of charge.
Unless I am mistaken, the 1 kg Cella block (€33.95) is one of them.
B.
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- #32
Thanks. I just went and put the tube in the fridge. I hope this works.
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- #33
Tomorrow I'm going to give LEA a workout.
You probably already know this, but you can throw a *lot* of water at the Stirling sheep base and it will still hold together.
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- #35
Yeah. I am going to give this one another go. It should have performed better for me than it did. I've used other Stirling soaps.
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- #36
Today, I gave LEA a workout. This is my experience, but other people may have a different experience. I stropped up my Thiers Issard straight razor and shaved and this is what I found: The good thing about LEA is that it smells good. The smell isn't too strong, either. It had good cushion and good enough slickness. It had residual slickness, but not as much as La Toja or Ach Brito Lavanda. It was good enough to shave across the grain, though. However, I did get one snag where the razor split the skin without drawing blood. It just stung a bit.
As for not as good, this cream doesn't like water. I rewet my face when doing ATG passes on the second pass. I like to add a bit extra for an XTG third pass. LEA gets very runny very easily. I could still shave, but with soap running down my razor and face. I could deal with it, but it is what it is. It didn't quite have the performance for me that the Ach Brito Lavanda did, but it was way better than the others I've tried.
I think tomorrow will be TOBS Sandalwood cream. I am in no hurry as I have lots of higher end soaps and I have plenty of La Toja for the time being.
As for not as good, this cream doesn't like water. I rewet my face when doing ATG passes on the second pass. I like to add a bit extra for an XTG third pass. LEA gets very runny very easily. I could still shave, but with soap running down my razor and face. I could deal with it, but it is what it is. It didn't quite have the performance for me that the Ach Brito Lavanda did, but it was way better than the others I've tried.
I think tomorrow will be TOBS Sandalwood cream. I am in no hurry as I have lots of higher end soaps and I have plenty of La Toja for the time being.
The thing I noticed about the Professional cream (250g) is that I had to use more product or it would be runny. I only got 43 shaves from it (5.8g/shave) for a two pass shave with non hard water.
Lavanda often seems quite hard to get and there are long periods when nobody has stock. At least for the online stores I frequent. So if that’s a preferred choice it may make sense to order a few when you can.
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- #39
Yes, runny is a good word for it, especially with a bit of water that every other soap can handle.
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- #40
Thanks for the tip. I haven't yet decided. I do like it, though. I keep hoping for a miracle and La Toja will be produced again.
