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Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Lime Shave Soap

Look in the shave wiki on how to lather soaps. It made all the difference in the world for me. If you are getting a lather that dries out fast; you are not:
A) using enough soap
B) using enough water
C) whipping it enough
D) a combination of 2 or more of the above
The above suggestion isn't meant to offend anyone's skills or abilities. I recently read the wiki and gave it a try and it produced a mountain of nice quality lather. You have to whip this soap for longer than you think you should. I found that the key is to work it on your face for at least 1 minute after you have whipped it in the bowl. I don't know what happens but the lather transforms on your face. I'm sure there are better soaps out there but this one isn't bad in my book. I do like the scent of the cream better than the soap though....
 
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Haven't tried the Lime or Sandalwood, not my favourite scents.

However Sienna and Nomad are in my regular rotation, Not quite Tabac, MWF but very good nevertheless.
My water is soft but C&E was the first soap puck that I used that was fussy about the brush. Usually use an Omega Prof big boar and I get a abundant slick lather.
 
I have 2 C&E soaps, sandalwood and west lime... they were my first soaps and i shaved with the giant foamy lather they made for almost a year before getting my hands on the creamy goodness of the soft soap style, and i haven't touched them since.
 
I want to like the Lime but I don't. It isn't very slick to me. I really like the Nomad. I used the sandalwood cream from C&E and wasn't impressed. I wonder if the pucks lather better. Thoughts?
 
I'm wondering if the newly packaged sandalwood and moroccan myrrh (formerly, Nomad, I think) perform any better.
 
A local soap shop had the nomad pucks on closeout, so I picked one up to try it. Great stuff! Nice spicy scent, and great easy to produce lather. Went back and picked up two more. Still don't miss the lime.. ;-)
 
Despite the reviews, I went ahead and bought some. I really wanted to make it work because C&E is really the only brick and mortar around that carries shaving soap. Their myrrh and sandalwood don't really do much for me.

Well, it may not be working out. The first lather was OK, but the subsequent ones were thin and dried out quickly. I will try to modify the lather routine to see if I can improve it,
 
I would suggest to grind the puck that will greatly improve brush soap loading.
And yes, the initial soap formulation of WIL was a disaster. Don't know about the current one.
 
OK, I am 0 for 2 with this soap. Tried soaking it before, reloading the brush adding various amounts of water and still the same thing. First lather is OK, 2nd, third and 4th are poor. I don't think my face can take a third go around with it.
 
I have C & E Nomad, Sienna and Sandalwood shaving soaps in my regular rotation. Strangely they all give me super sleek cushiony lather. Have never tried the C & E West Indian Lime shaving soap, because I don't like the scent.
 
I've been using the WIL cream exclusively for a few weeks now. No issues with the lather - delicious whipped egg whites in about 30 good swirls. My only complaint is the glide; I find I have to reapply some PS before the final pass, lest I shred my face. I love the smell! I'm thinking of picking up the cologne with a 20% off coupon. I just wish there was a convenient location nearby.
 
I have been fortunate in successfully lathering the Nomad, Sienna and Sandalwood. The WIL is the only soap I haven't tried and am pretty reluctant to do so. I didn't care for the Nomad scent, but the Sienna and Sandalwood have both earned their spot in my rotation.
 
I have both the soap and cream version of C&E Lime. The performance is ok, but nothing exceptional.

All my hard soaps are stored in tin containers. The C&E Lime's container is the only one that's corroding. This is a soap that eats metal. I'll use it until the rust becomes a problem, but it's a tad unnerving.
 
I purchased it too, i was in a retail store and I fell in love with the smell. When i got home I was very disappointed at the lather, its very foamy rather than thick, its also very airy with very bad cusion. Would never buy it again. the only thing im keeping is the bowl. If you haven't purchased it then stay away! The new formula (in the limes) is pathetic.
 
I also love the scent! I haven't tried the cream, but I keep trying to get results with the soap. It's frustrating, to say the least. My best results are when I use more water and add a couple drops of glycerin. Even then, it's no better than lots of others. I'd say play with your ratios and maybe add some glycerin (even try a neutrogena bath bar if you don't have liquid glycerin).
 
The C&E Nomad was my first soap. I really like the scent, and the performance is decent. Ordered a puck of West Indian Lime and LOVED the scent. Probably my favourite, but I was really bummed out by the performance. Frothy/airy lather with no protection/slickness. The only soap I actually can't shave with.
 
If you can lather williams you can get a good lather with the lime. I bought in the wood bowl at a local drugstore. When I first lathered it I tried to use it like the proraso soap I have and had the same results as mentioned in this thread. I got the idea to try like I do with williams by putting water in the bowl on top of the soap and just let it set for a few minutes. I guess it softens it up or something then start loading my brush with tons of water and periodically squeezing some water out of my brush until i get a nice lather going in the bowl right on top of the soap. Then move to the face to lather and I can get a really good lather. I think in my opinion it is allot like williams with a scent I really like. I don't really think it was worth the $22 I paid for it but it definitely will not end up as bath soap.
 
I just tried my Lime. I love CAE soaps. If you do the steps, you will get lots of thick lather. Ive been using Nomad for about a year. I dont understand why there are so many haters of CAE.
 
I've had an interesting experience with this enigma of a soap. I load it with a wet Omega boar brush like crazy and face lather. The first lather application results in the light airy foam that most people experience, however, the second and subsequent lather applications are creamy and rich - just like how a good soap should be! Anyone have the same experience?
 
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