Shave Soap vs Shave Creams

[3fa]

i've read a little on one of our members ytsejammer but still have some questions about soaps.
i'm a shave cream guy and have never used soaps, so i have no idea how it lathers up but i can imagine that it would lather just as nicely as creams.
is there a lathering advantage between the 2 or is it just down to personal preferences again.

[Kratos]

I find creams a bit easier to lather, at least with a badger brush. Soaps, particularly triple-milled, seem to last longer than creams. They seem to work better with stiffer brushes as well. There are a lot of variables to consider here.

[arghblech]

Seems to me that, on average, the lather from soaps makes my skin feel better after the shave. Could be more cushion and/or more moisture.

[Leche]

Soaps lather very well depending on what you get. Just like creams, there are bad, ok, and great soaps. I find them to be slicker and my face always feels very good. Speick and Col Conk are two good soaps that are inexpensive. Give them a try. Conk is glycerin based while Speick is a tallow.

[MrFusion]

I find creams a bit easier to lather, at least with a badger brush. Soaps, particularly triple-milled, seem to last longer than creams. They seem to work better with stiffer brushes as well. There are a lot of variables to consider here.

+1
triple-milled should last longer than the creams. Personally, I prefer the shave I get from soaps but if I am in a bit of a hurry, I pick the creams.

[GMen]

I find creams a bit easier to lather, at least with a badger brush. Soaps, particularly triple-milled, seem to last longer than creams. They seem to work better with stiffer brushes as well. There are a lot of variables to consider here.

+1 I agree, it up to your personal preference.

[Handy]

I personally find soaps/creams to lather pretty much the same. I'm a face lather if that matters.

[3fa]

Mr fusion, so does that mean that creams lather up quicker than soaps?

seems the consensus is soaps lasts longer but i really only use very very little cream each time, a fraction smaller than almond size dab and the Proraso tube is huge, so it really lasts for a very long time and at $10 it's hard to beat.

[rbaloha]

When starting de shaving there seemed to be a consensus that soaps provided closer and more comfortable shaves.

After using higher end creams this may not be necessarily true. The Italian Noxzema cream provides a shave and skincare on par with soaps. Shall soon be using the ARKO lavender and Italian Palmolive which probably produces similar results.

IMO the only major advantage soaps may possess is price/usage especially the tallow based soaps. Cella in the small round tub may be able to last one year.

At the end of day, if your budget allows sample the $10 - $20 creams with a badger (brush does make a difference) along with a decent blade.

[drumana]

It's a personal preference... I prefer soaps. For now...:tongue_sm

[3fa]

i'll gve soaps a try, might as well go for a high end one to see what the fuss is about.
what's a real nice high end soap, there were a couple that was suggested in this thread but are there anymore?
thanks

[HiFiGuy]

Lotsa guys here love TABAC.

[bones59]

I'll Attempt to steal this thread. What’s better, chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
As for the ageless question, soap verses creams. I use both. I get great results with both. To me, soap seems sort of utilitarian, while creams, on the other hand strike me as more luxurious.
I’ll go on to say if your not happy with the results your getting, try to adjust your technique.
A lot depends on your beard, your water. How much water to cream/soap you use. Straight, or safety razor etc. etc. In the end use what pleases you.

[3fa]

Tabac, hmmm i'll have to do a little review research on this product :biggrin:
more studying..

[waterbear]

Creams are soaps, just soft ones that are saponified with potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide. Hard soaps last longer, soft soaps can have other ingredients blended in after saponification (and often do). So the question you really want to ask is "shave soap vs. shave soap"

[3fa]

yea that makes sense, just the form in which they come in differs.

[3fa]

going to go out and buy some Nomad C&E soap and see what the fuss is about.. that's all there is to around my area so i'm stuck with C&E products :frown:

[Drubbing]

Creams are soaps, just soft ones that are saponified with potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide. Hard soaps last longer, soft soaps can have other ingredients blended in after saponification (and often do). So the question you really want to ask is "shave soap vs. shave soap"

That may be so, but I get better results from soap, even if the lathers look and feel the same, which they mostly do.

Others may find the opposite.

[The National Razor]

At the end of the day I think soaps are more fun. For me, that's the real difference. I do use a couple of creams but I really look forward to soap-days.

[Futur]

I find that soaps are easier to make good lather with. My creams are much more sensitive to me getting the watercontent just right. When I do get the watercontent right, I get very good lather from my creams also, but in general, my soaps gets the most use.

The best soap I have is no doubt the L'Occitane Cade. It gives me the slickest most wonderful lather and it smells really REALLY great :-) You can't go wrong with Cade.

[Saltchuck]

going to go out and buy some Nomad C&E soap and see what the fuss is about.. that's all there is to around my area so i'm stuck with C&E products :frown:

That's not such a bad fate! C&E Sienna is one of my favorite soaps. :001_tt2:

[coolbluewater]

After reading too may posts of milled soap guys covering their pucks with hot water before heading into the shower, the whole idea of soaps lasting longer becomes suspect to me, since that hot water is eating away at the outer soap layer each time. I've even tried doing that myself. You can get soaps that are soft, and conversely you can also get creams that are a stiff paste, like those softer soaps.
I don't know which lasts longer, but for something that takes months to disappear, cost goes out the window. What really matters if the stuff works for you and you enjoy the experience IMO.

+1 on the Sienna BTW.

[drandall]

i think a lot of this argument hinges on whether you think volume/cushion or slickness/glide is the most important lather characteristic.

my experience is that creams tend to provide a greater volume of lather and the sheer loft can provide more protection and perhaps more comfort...especially for new shavers

soaps, on the other hand, are slicker and offer better glide and i've found a generally closer shave.

there is no denying the fun factor when using soaps and if triple milled, they do generally last longer than creams...but that being said, there are some fantastic creams that are a joy to use.

as many have stated previously, i think it comes down to preference.

right now, i'm enjoying both. :thumbup:

[MrFusion]

Mr fusion, so does that mean that creams lather up quicker than soaps?

seems the consensus is soaps lasts longer but i really only use very very little cream each time, a fraction smaller than almond size dab and the Proraso tube is huge, so it really lasts for a very long time and at $10 it's hard to beat.

I find that I can get from cream to lather a bit faster with most creams. So, if I need to shave (pun intended! :sneaky2:) a little time off my morning shave, I grab the creams.

[jgjoneslaw]

I prefer soaps just because I find them cleaner. Whenever I use a cream I end up with more hair and lather getting stuck in my slim and I need to take extra time to rinse it out and even then I can't get it all without opening it up.

[gsurko]

Your just going to have to try them all.:thumbup:

[LordTyranus]

since I started i've been using mostly soap and a few creams.
but most of the time when I use creams, I feel some kind of burning or stinging, I never experience it with soap.
there must be something in creams that my skin does not like.
moreover, I usually find my skin less soft and the shave is less close with a cream.

anyway it seems that you don't have any problems with creams. the advantage with creams over is that for some brands a lot more scents exist in creams and not in soaps.