Study on Lather Preferences, based on Shaving Experience

No results yet… that's where YOU come in. I'm very curious to learn more about the preference between soaps and creams, and am particularly interested to learn more about any trends that might exist in preferences for these products. If you are interested too, please consider taking part in this survey. I can't do a poll for this, so please follow these instructions carefully. JUST TRY TO ANSWER HONESTLY, without thinking too much about your response. Just go with your initial reaction… don't think too much about it. After we get a BUNCH of responses… (yes tell your friends… we want as many participants as possible), I will compile the results and share them with everyone here.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Reply to this thread with the following 3 mandatory pieces of information:

#1: Product preference - You MUST choose only 1 of the following options - your choices are as follows: "I often prefer creams", "I often prefer soaps", or "I generally like soaps and creams equally".

#2: Tell us the number of years that you have been shaving in the traditional, wet shaving way (with brush and cream or soap).

#3: Method preference - You MUST choose only 1 of the following options - your choices are as follows: "I often prefer to face lather", "I often prefer to bowl lather", or "I generally like to bowl lather and face lather equally".

That's it! Let me know and I hope to see a bunch of responses, after which I will compile and publish the results in an easy to read way! Should be interesting.

- Badger Bill

1. I often prefer soaps.

2. Two years.

3. I often prefer to bowl lather.

1. I often prefer soaps (like 90% of the time)

2. Almost 3 years into DE wet shaving. But I used soaps even longer when I used carts and disposables.

3. I often prefer face lathering. But recently enjoying bowl lathering with my new Captain's Choice lather bowl.

1. I generally like soaps and creams equally.

2. Two years.

3. I often prefer to bowl lather.

1. I prefer soaps.

2. 55 years

3. I nearly always mug lather

1. I often prefer soaps
2. Under a year
3. I often face lather

I often prefer creams

45 years total 25 traditional

I often prefer to bowl lather

I like soaps and creams equally.

54 years of wet shaving, always with a brush and hard soap. Back with DE these past eight months, learning about creams and different soaps.

I always bowl lather.

The creams should be divided into two categories: Lathering creams and non-lathering creams.

Some background for the interested

Soap is made like this:
Dissolved lye is mixed with fat. Two reactions will happen: First the lye is breaking down the fat into glycerin and fatty acids (where stearic acid, lauric acid and myristic acid are the most important to a lathering shaving soap). Then the lye will react with the fatty acids forming the soap.
Soap containing a lot of Lauric and Myristic acid will lather a lot, but they will also be drying on the skin. Stearic acid makes the lather more creamy (important for shaving), but does not produce much lather on its own. Together they form a nice shaving soap. Stearic acid alone makes a very mild soap with almost no lather.

There are two different kind of lyes used in soap making: NaOH and KOH. KOH makes soft soap and by adding slightly water you get everything from a cream to liquid soap. NaOH makes hard bars. Many soaps are using both for getting the wished hardness.

Most non-lathering creams are actually soaps too. They are soaps made with almost just stearic acid, lye and glycerin and will thus produce just a minimal amount of lather. They will be milder on the face than the lathering counter part. They are still the same slippery as all other soaps and definitely not a bad option.

Basically, everything is soap, regardless if you take a bar of shaving soap, lathering cream or a non-lathering cream.

Prefer Creams, Over a year, Bowl lather.

1. I prefer non-lathering creams because of my extra sensitive skin.
2. 1.5 years since I first took a brush into use, been wet-shaving prior to that with both DE and cartridges.
3. Those time I use a lathering product I am bowl lathering because already the brush is too painful for my face.

1. I often prefer creams
2. 2.5 months
3. I often prefer to face lather

Prefer creams.

10 months wetshaving.

Prefer bowl lathering.

I often prefer soaps

34 years of DE shaving, 8 years full time

I often prefer to face lather

I prefer croaps, soft soaps or hard creams. Think QCS creams, castle Forbes.

2 years wet shaving.

I primarily bowl lather but face lather 1 or twice a week. I'm a daily shaver.

1: I often prefer soaps

2: 2 years

3: I often prefer to face lather

1. I only use soaps.

2. 10 years

3. I only face lather.

1. I prefer soaps.

2. Three years.

3. I always face lather.

1. I often prefer soaps
2. About 1 year
3. I often (always) face lather

1. I generally like soaps and creams equally
2. 20+ years with brush and soap using carts, DE, SE and SE injectors, added cream in the last year.
3. I often prefer to bowl lather.