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Is it the challenge of the soap that appeals?

I'm relatively new to DE shaving - it's only been a couple of months since I converted from cartridges. I do have to say that I'm loving DE shaving though.

I've mostly been using creams - TOBS Avocado and Jermyn St, Omega/Proraso and some Indian Dettol cream. I've also recently started a tub of Omega soap and have to say that it's a very satisfying process to generate lather from a soap (albeit Omega is a soft soap and relatively easy to get a good lather if you follow the Wiki advice). After reading a lot about it, I'm now considering getting myself some MWF to try ...

So, I was wondering, for all you soap users out there, is a large part of the appeal of using a hard soap like MWF, Tabac, etc the fact that you enjoy the daily challenge of getting a great lather from a soap? Or is it something else?

Happy shaving ...
 
So, I was wondering, for all you soap users out there, is a large part of the appeal of using a hard soap like MWF, Tabac, etc the fact that you enjoy the daily challenge of getting a great lather from a soap? Or is it something else?...

For me, not at all. The soaps I love generate tons of great lather quite easily. Fo me, it's the process. I love taking the brush, loading it up and creating amazing lather. It's the best part of the shave.

I've used a few creams and, frankly, they just were not as much fun....

For me, traditional shaving is all about enjoying the process and the experience. I can get a great shave with bar soap and a Gillette fusion in like 15 seconds. But where is the fun in that?

Does that help?

Ken
 
It's all fun. Each soap and cream has its own characteristics to apreciate. Get some MWF! It is a classic and delivers a fine lather!
 
Fo me, it's the process. I love taking the brush, loading it up and creating amazing lather. It's the best part of the shave.

Thanks Ken.

That's exactly what I'm talking about ... the whole process of the shave - part of which is generating your own rich lather from a soap. Using a cream just doesn't give you the same level of involvement (that I seem to really enjoy at the moment).
 
For me it's all about using the vintage soaps I'm always on the lookout for. I use vintage Williams, Surrey, Barbershop or Old Spice probably 95% of the time. It's not often someone posts about getting great performance from a 50or 60 year old cream they found in an antique store or flea market.:w00t:
 
I actually just made this exact point to my Father the other day. Yes! I don't know if I describe it as a "challenge," but I do like the additional work that you have to put in to lather soap. I guess additional work could be described as a challenge.
 
For me it's all about using the vintage soaps I'm always on the lookout for. I use vintage Williams, Surrey, Barbershop or Old Spice probably 95% of the time. It's not often someone posts about getting great performance from a 50or 60 year old cream they found in an antique store or flea market.:w00t:

+1 here, brother!:thumbup1:

Soaps seem to have a little more personality than creams. The first time you use a cream, you'll likely get about as good of a lather as you can (yes, there are exceptions), but soap takes a little more time. You have to get to know it a bit. I wouldn't really call it a "challenge", but there can be a learning process with some soap.
Vintage soap dials it up a notch. Not only do you have to learn the soap, but you know it's days are limited. There's no, "Hey, now that I have perfected this soap, I really love it, and I'm going to order 3 more refills so I don't run out". Vintage not only satisfies during and after the shave, like modern soap, but before as well. You walk around an antique shop for a while, you spot a little square box on a shelf (the heart beats a bit faster) As you approach, the box has a very bold and contrasting blue and white motif (the heart beats faster still) You can now see a mug with foam spilling over the top printed on the box (ER nurses would now be concerned about your heart rate) As you pick up the box you pause for a moment... "What will I feel when I pick up this box? Will it feel like a bit of scrap cardboard, or will it feel like 1.75 oz of shave nirvana (minus the weight of a bit of scrap cardboard, and maybe an Aqua Velva add:wink2:)" The story has ended both way for me, but I don't think I have to tell you how I prefer it to end:tongue_sm
 
Prior to shaving and finding this forum I was a cream guy, as canned goo resulted in a rash. My Dad always used soap, but I thought it was to 'old' for me. Once I discovered DE and ditched the cartridges it remained that way.

I continued to be a cream guy, however it wasn't until I wanted to try shaving with a straight that I tried soaps. I noticed while doing my research into prep, razors etc that most straight users shaved using soaps. Since converting to soaps its evident there seems to be more slickness and protection than with cream.

I thoroughly enjoy the process of getting good lather, but the reason I use soaps is because of the superior performance.
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
A good cream is better than a bad soap.
A good soap is better than a bad cream.
 

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
For me it is the different scents and textures. Difference in lathering is minimal to me. There are few variables in my opinion . . . once you know what good lather looks like it is not that difficult to get there with just about any soap or cream I've tried.
 
I was thinking about this recently. Make a lather is another useful skill to add to your resume for life. Like driving a manual, riding a bike, using power tools, cooking a steak, etc.

I find the act istelf is satisfying on a number of levels. I wouldn't call it a challenge, after all the manufacturers put a lot of effort into developing products that are easy to lather. Rather it's the act of using something that requires a little commitment and skill, that not everyone does and not simply throwing money at a problem. I aslo never tire of contemplating just how many shaves I get to the bottom of the pot or tube.

I tried to make lather from bath soap the other day just to see if I could do it. The answer is yes and it felt quite good enough to shave with, but the smell was off putting :mellow:

...however it wasn't until I wanted to try shaving with a straight that I tried soaps. I noticed while doing my research into prep, razors etc that most straight users shaved using soaps. Since converting to soaps its evident there seems to be more slickness and protection than with cream.

I use both with a straight and I can't say I find a great difference. I suspect straight shavers mostly use soap because it's part of the retro experience.

A good cream is better than a bad soap.
A good soap is better than a bad cream.

Bingo!

An idustrial chemist recently explained to me the difference between a foam (what you get in an aerosol can) and an emulsion (what you get by lathering) and exactly why you want the latter when dragging a piece of sharpened steel over your face. The only fly in that discussion was he uses an electric :w00t:
 
If you have a good soap brush and a good soap, its no harder than using creams. I just like the feel of soap and face lathering. The soaps I have (especially the French Shea Butter soaps and MWF) are more moisturizing than the creams I tried so the win out. I enjoy a new challange of new things, but at the end of the day I just prefer soaps. I have tried both, and can use both, but when I thinned down my shave den, the soaps were what I kept. Its all preference thing, and YMMV.
 
So, I was wondering, for all you soap users out there, is a large part of the appeal of using a hard soap like MWF, Tabac, etc the fact that you enjoy the daily challenge of getting a great lather from a soap? Or is it something else?
At first perhaps, but nowadays certainly not; lathering is a process which takes a little care and attention but a challenge it is no longer. I simply like soaps better than creams: although I get mighty fine lathers from both with equal ease, my skin seems to prefer the slightly different formula of a soap to that of a cream. And who am I to dispute what my skin likes? :001_tongu
 
An idustrial chemist recently explained to me the difference between a foam (what you get in an aerosol can) and an emulsion (what you get by lathering) ...
I would have loved to hear that chemist's explanation what he thinks happens in the traditional lathering process, for this statement made my eyebrows rise a few inches.
 
So, I was wondering, for all you soap users out there, is a large part of the appeal of using a hard soap like MWF, Tabac, etc the fact that you enjoy the daily challenge of getting a great lather from a soap? Or is it something else?

No. I don't like to wrestle with my lather first thing in the morning. I prefer products that work excellent for me, and that includes ease of lather.
 
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