Getting more bang for my buck out of soaps?

**icedoverfire** · 05-23-2011, 07:36 PM

Hello everyone,

I shaved using a cream today and I was amazed at how much better my shave came out than when I use a soap.... Any idea of what accounts for this huge difference in performance (making my whiskers easier to cut + slickness)? More to the point, how can I get the soap to match, or at least come closer to, the performance of the cream? More time spent building the lather? Additives (glycerin?)? I feel like I've gotten much rougher shaves with the soap to this point.

Help appreciated. Thanks in advance!

- ice

**Eric V** · 05-23-2011, 07:41 PM

Practice more with soaps. Some people even mix soaps and creams to create super lather!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2125082

**ackvil** · 05-23-2011, 08:07 PM

The wiki at http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers is a great guide for lather and I would it.

You may also want to try uberlather.

**Topgumby** · 05-23-2011, 08:42 PM

For me, the turning point with using soaps was

Using more product. I wasn't loading the brush enough when I started.
Using more water. In an effort to get photogenic, mousse type lather, I wasn't getting enough water in it.
Using more time. I would spend a considerable amount of time and effort making lather, then I'd paint it on and immediately start shaving. I found that letting the lather sit for two minutes would soften my beard as much as a very involved hot towel prep.

It's odd, I started with soaps, got a little frustrated, tried creams, got good results but was annoyed that I couldn't make the soaps work like I wanted, studied the forum stickies and worked on perfecting my soap lathering, and then got "the knack" for lathering soaps and haven't looked back until just the other day, when I got great shave from some Dettol Cool cream I picked up on a whim.

**JCinPA** · 05-24-2011, 06:41 AM

^^^^^^ This!

Topgumby nailed it, in my experience. I have used Kiss My Face, a very highly-rated cream here in the reviews, and I have some Mama Bear glycerin soap, also very highly rated.

It took me a while to get enough product loaded and get the technique down, but the soap has much more lubricity for me. It's a personal thing, but a recent poll here shows guys prefer soaps to creams in about a roughly 2-1 ratio.

Uberlather is the bomb, though!

To improve your soap technique, follow Topgumby's advice and watch the video on the home page for Mama Bear's soaps.

Link for that vid:

http://mamabearssoaps.com/index.php?...=index&cPath=1

**stevodevo** · 05-24-2011, 12:45 PM

Dang... I have the same problem... I really want to be able to use soaps because there's so much variety. That video from mama bears was what I *wish* I was getting! I'll have to keep practicing no doubt...

**djh** · 05-24-2011, 12:47 PM

"Load your brush like you stole the puck" hehehe

**JCinPA** · 05-24-2011, 12:48 PM

Practice is not a bad idea at all. I've done it. It may feel kind of silly, but good lather contributes so much to a comfortable shave, it is worthwhile and doesn't really waste much product. No matter how much your soap costs, you are paying pennies on a per shave basis. There is no reason not to practice.

Watch that video on Mama Bear's site and check out a couple Mantic59 and other have put on YouTube.

**pal** · 05-24-2011, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by icedoverfire

Hello everyone,

I shaved using a cream today and I was amazed at how much better my shave came out than when I use a soap.... Any idea of what accounts for this huge difference in performance (making my whiskers easier to cut + slickness)? More to the point, how can I get the soap to match, or at least come closer to, the performance of the cream? More time spent building the lather? Additives (glycerin?)? I feel like I've gotten much rougher shaves with the soap to this point.

Help appreciated. Thanks in advance!

- ice

Get one of the soft type Italian Soaps like P.160, Cella, or Valobra and you will find out what luxury shaving is all about. It won't take much for you to get them to lather better than any shaving cream.

**awolff** · 05-24-2011, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by JCinPA

Practice is not a bad idea at all. I've done it. It may feel kind of silly, but good lather contributes so much to a comfortable shave, it is worthwhile and doesn't really waste much product. No matter how much your soap costs, you are paying pennies on a per shave basis. There is no reason not to practice.

Watch that video on Mama Bear's site and check out a couple Mantic59 and other have put on YouTube.

+1 on that.

Creams are easy. So is driving a car with an automatic transmission.