Soap vs Cream. Why one over the other? Your opinions please...

SailBob said:

When looking at forums , soaps seem to always have a lot more viewers at any given time than creams . Must mean something

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If your needs/preferences happen to jive with the majority, yes. If not, not so much. As with anything that is highly YMMV (not just wetshaving) popularity's not a bad starting point if you have nothing else to go on but it doesn't guarantee that you'll have the same preference.

Right now, my vote is with creams. I can massage a cream into my beard, and can't seem to get the same result with soaps -- it ends up feeling to light.

Both categories have products that won't work for you, and products that will work.

Don't give up on creams or soaps till you've tried everything!

I have always found soaps to give me less cushion than creams [this doesn't mean not enough] which is what I prefer because soaps always cut closer for me. Soaps also give me more glide which is always a good thing. I am partial to tallow based soaps, don't like veggie soaps much at all!

Also, there is nothing better than building a lather on top of a hard soap, it is just so traditional and lots-o-fun!!! It's my favourite part of the whole process.

I was always a cream guy, until I started shaving with a straight. I found soaps, particularly tallow & lanolin based, offered better shaves/protection than the majority of creams.

However, as previously mentioned, a good product is a good product. Having tried plenty of both, I now have a selection of creams and soaps in my rotation which I'm happy with.

Try them all, as its part of the process. Then let your personal preference win out.

Enjoy and have fun.

Creams in a tube are more convenient for travel. Other than that, they are about the same. I prefer soap.

I use both and decide whimsically each day. I face lather 99% of time and they all work if you do your job. One other factor is the brush I choose that day-some work better with one or the other-it may be a an illusion but I enjoy it! I also let choice of razor play a rminor role-I don't use brushless cream with my injectors-seem too hard to clean with just a hot swish and rinse I know, you can take them down but too much bother in am.

When i started, I tried soaps and creams as most of us do. But now I use soaps exclusively.
I have an oily skin and find that my skin is better after a shave with a soap than with a cream. Creams tend to make my skin re-oily faster than soaps and creams create an unpleasant "heavy" feeling on my face.

mretzloff said:

Neither is really better than the other. Those who choose to only use one are keeping themselves from trying other great products. A good cream will be just as slick as a soap and a good soap will have just as much cushion as a cream. A good product is a good product.

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+ Infinity.

I don't really get the soaps are slicker, creams cushionier thing. There's good products and average in both categories.

I'm sure some people experience this, but I think a larger part of it is the passing on and casual acceptance of it as an absolute, by newer users. Forums are like that, they can create myth, mystery and hype in equal proportions.