Lather snobs unite!

WARNING: The following post contains statements which many wet-shavers may find blasphemous.

I have a confession. I am a lather snob. I demand lather that is exceptionally slick, rich, and creamy. In my quest for Utopian lather, I reject products that other people adore. Proraso cream isn't good enough. Neither is Musgo Real. Other dismal failures include Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes, and KMF, and Col. Conk...

I do, indeed, know how to build lather. I have hard water, and I can build respectable lather with most products. Respectable by other people's standards, that is.

Snobbery is ugly, I know. But, I am what I am.

I have only four products in my rotation. They are: Institut Karite soap, Acca Kappa 1869 cream in the tub, Dovo mint cream, and I Coloniali mango oil soap. These are some of the highest-rated soaps and creams on Earth. I'm thinking of dropping some of them because the lather isn't measuring up to my sky-high standards.

Obviously, I need help...

...lots of help...

...finding other soaps and creams that will produce the lather I like.

If you are a lather snob, and ONLY if you are a lather snob, please join me in sharing the soaps and creams that meet your standards. Many thanks.

A few that work well for me are:

TOBS Jermyn Street soap.


Vitos Red Extra Super with coconut oil.


TFS (Tcheon Fung Sing) Bergamotto Neroli.

I highly recommend Mixing Cremo with some soap or cream. Cremo is the slickest thing on Earth! But has no cushion. So When you mix it with another cream or soap, you get both slickness and cushion. Best combination in over 20 years of my shaving experience.

Cella.

AdP über lather every time

OkieStubble said:

Cella.

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never tried cella. is it pretty slick?

Products like MWF, Cella, AOS soaps, C&S soaps, Palmolive and Valobra sticks comes to mind.

If a lather snob is one who has a high personal standard for the lather he's able to achieve with a given product and only the best performers make it into his den then I'm a lather snob. So far for me it's Tabac soap and Speick cream. These are the only products that have not been sold off. I've had plenty of decent performers but Tabac and Speick are at the top of the heap.

I'm hoping Christmas will expand my den but for now that's where it stands.

Foyle said:

If a lather snob is one who has a high personal standard for the lather he's able to achieve with a given product and only the best performers make it into his den then I'm a lather snob. So far for me it's Tabac soap and Speick cream. These are the only products that have not been sold off. I've had plenty of decent performers but Tabac and Speick are at the top of the heap.

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+1 on the Tabac soap and Speick cream. Awesome stuff!

I have two small spots (one on my lower neck and one under the nose) that are prone to drag or weeper if the soap or cream isn't slick enough, so the slickness of any soap or cream is measured by any drag (or lack thereof) in these two spots. While I still use others, the only soaps/creams that always pass my spot test are Tabac, TOBS Rose cream and most of the Salter creams. Also, with my hard, well water I always get better lather and results face lathering.

one vote for Dr Selby

xillion, those are some great looking lathers.

I hear you Gash!

For me, the name of the game is slickness. You don't need 10 pounds of floppy "cushiony" lather between the blade and your face, totally useless. What you're after is something with excellent "body" that is very slippery to provide the best lubrication and glide.

That being said, I have a few soaps that work outstanding for me. Here they are, in order.

1. Palmolive Stick
2. Arko Stick
3. RazoRock XXX ( I have a tub of the Chianti Lavender on the way, we'll see how that formulation is )
4. MWF ( The only way I can get perfect lather out of this EVERY TIME is to pick up the puck and rub it on my face and then lather from there )
5. AoS / Valobra Stick ( I prefer the Valobra because it doesn't have that weird clay scent that the AoS pucks do )
I've tried countless products that get a lot of love on here, but haven't stuck with because they just aren't up to snuff. The latest of those products include Trumpers Coconut and DR Harris Arlington. Both smell fantastic, but the lather on the Trumpers is flat out sub standard and the Arlington is just good. I want great.

I'm interested to hear what you think about the Institut Karite. I've been wanting to try a French Shea soap for awhile now and I was looking at either that, or Pre de Provence.

I think most of us can agree on Williams, especially the new version...

CSG said:

I think most of us can agree on Williams, especially the new version...

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Ha!


I'm a lather snob, too, and currently my choices would be: 1) Mystic Waters shaving soap, tallow-first formula, and 2) QCS.

+1 on the QCS..

kingfisher said:

Ha!


I'm a lather snob, too, and currently my choices would be: 1) Mystic Waters shaving soap, tallow-first formula, and 2) QCS.

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xillion said:

TFS (Tcheon Fung Sing) Bergamotto Neroli.

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What kind of Kent brush is that, out of curiosity? I purchased the TFS Bergamotto Neroli soap and can't get a lather even close to what you've got in the pictures. Truth be told, I have issues lathering several should-be-easy-to-lather soaps (MdC, Cella, etc.) and now I'm thinking maybe it's my brush (an entry-level Muhle badger.) Maybe it's time to upgrade.

AdP and Acca Kappa 1869

Wow Chris (xillion) - that is some beautiful lather! Nice shots.

neverender2113 said:

What kind of Kent brush is that, out of curiosity? I purchased the TFS Bergamotto Neroli soap and can't get a lather even close to what you've got in the pictures. Truth be told, I have issues lathering several should-be-easy-to-lather soaps (MdC, Cella, etc.) and now I'm thinking maybe it's my brush (an entry-level Muhle badger.) Maybe it's time to upgrade.

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It's probably your water rather than your brush, if I had to guess. Or your lathering technique. But hard water versus soft water makes a HUGE difference in lathering soaps. Try lathering the Bergamotto Neroli with distilled water and see if you can replicate xillion's lather.