Castle Forbes Lime Oil

I love lime and this is probably my favourite lime cream and my favourite cream overall.

Lovely thick and beautiful lather using only a small amount of cream. I could stand there and smell it all day.

A top shave every time.

This cream gives probably the best shave I have ever had, and I've used several high end creams. My complaint is that it is very difficult to work with. It is very stiff. I prefer face lathering, but it simply will not adhere to my face. In a mug, there is always a lump left that has to be dealt with. If a put a dab on my brush, it either falls off or I'm left with a small lump after lathering. I must say, though, once you get this cream lathered up it is thick and rich and provides a wonderful shave. UPDATE: I have solved the stiffness issue by treating this as a soap and swirling my brush in the tub. A little cream on the tips of the brush and I get a great face lather.

I had been putting off buying this product for a while because of the price. I finally gave in and purchased it from QED. After trying it this morning I don't know why I waited. This has definitely moved into the number one spot. After seeing how you get and how small of an amount is needed for my typical three pass shave, it's well worth the price I paid for it. The lather explodes on your face and has the most cushioning of all the creams I have (IMO). I love the scent. To me it's not too overpowering. I will definitely purchase one of the other scents in the Castle Forbes line-up. I am definitely a Castle Forbes fan now. My top creams now are: Castle Forbes Lime, Truefitt-Hill 1805, Taylor's Avacado, Trumper's Coconut, and Acca Cappa.

I will be short, very short.

After trying almost everything within the soap/creams available the last two years, I got blown away trying the Castle Forbes Lime for the first time.

The smell and quality of the lather is superb to anything I have tried before. I mean in another league. From now on CF creams will be the only cream I will spend my money on. Periond, finito, slutt, The End.

Limes, limes, limes...
My pleasure, my delight, my obsession.
I have never loved any other fragrance more than the Lime and several of my favourite shaving creams are Lime scented.
Among these, over the years, I have selected three Lime creams I like best:
Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes, Trumpers Extract of Limes and Castle Forbes Lime Essential Oil.
And in this top three, the number 1 is certainly Castle Forbes.
CF Lime Oil is also my absolute favourite shaving cream, of them all.
It is produced, as the entire CF collection, in the perfumery at Castle Forbes.
This perfumery is considered one of the smallest in the World and was created in 1996, converting the former diary beside the Castle.
So, although Castle Forbes was built almost 200 years ago (exactly in 1815), its little perfumery has been created only fourteen years ago.
It's a family business, in fact all their products are elegantly packaged in the Forbes clan tartan and carry the Castle Forbes family crest and logo.
Using high quality essential oils and no synthetic fragrances, they manufacture their own shaving creams to an exclusive formula, which guarantees that their products are truly unique, like no other on the market.
Now some observations on the subject of my post: Castle Forbes Lime Essential Oil shaving cream.
This fantastic cream comes in a nice, 200 ml plastic bowl and is priced around £ 20 per bowl.
It's essentialy the same price I pay for most top-shelf creams I keep in my rotation, like SMN, GFT or T&H.
Its scent is something that I’ve loved from the very first time I crack opened the bowl: it’s a strong, straight and pure lime scent.
This amazing fragrance is, again, unique and I suppose its robust “limey” scent is due to the presence of real lime essential oil in its formulation, as you can see in the ingredients list (Citrus aurantifolia = lime essential oil).
The latherability of this gem is excellent and the cream produces tons of rich, slick and creamy lather.
Anyhow, for someone new to this product, making lather with CF can also be a tricky point, so a proper lathering technique is requested.
Here is the method that I use and that works great for me.
I take a peanut amount of cream with my finger and smash it in my shaving bowl for about 30 seconds.
I do that because Castle’s creams are VERY dense and concentrated and this is necassary if you want to lather in a bowl.
After that, I run my badger brush under hot water, turn it upside down (bristles downwards) until the excess of water drops by itself and, WITHOUT shaking the brush, I start making a slow, circular motion on the cream.
I have to proceed slowly and carefully, since the brush is full of water.
After a few swirls a beautiful, thick and perfumed lather starts to appear.
Just give a look at the attached pics…
Regarding moisturizing properties, they are simply outstanding.
After each shave my face feels very smooth, clean, fresh and conditioned.
The overall quality and performance of CF Lime are truly terrific.
In other words, if I should have just one cream, this would certainly be it.
For me Castle Forbes Lime Essential Oil shaving cream is, in fact, not only a top-notch product, but also the very best cream available anywhere. Time. Period.

I love my Castle Forbes Lime! I used it two times and this is my new favourite! The scent and and the lather is awesome. The price is very high, but every euro worth

i wont repeat the things that have been said above. But i will simply add that i was a little let down by my experience with it. Sure its a good quality cream, and once you get the idea of how you are gonna lather this thing that has a consistency that resembles wax (took me all of 30 secs to figure out how to do it, so not really a big deal), you get a really good amount of luxurious lather. The shave was good, and it left my skin feeling very well conditioned.

However, based on the many positive reviews, I was expecting more. I didnt really 'connect' with this cream. The scent is EXACTLY like the green lime 'opal furits' or 'starburst' as I believe they are now called. That was the first thing i noticed as I opened the packaging. And then my wife said the same thing unprompted. While Im very happy to know that this scent is from the real lime EO in the castle forbes formulation, I couldnt help but think that I never really ever liked the green starburst, and they were always the last ones left in the packet. Hey maybe I was just a strange kid?

Anyway, its been good for a try, but I cannot help but wonder if I should have gone with the lavender or just not have bothered at all. Time will tell if this thing grows on me. Either way, I have a good quality cream, that I can use for good quality shaves regardless of whether i connect with the scent or not.

I tried the entire Castle Forbes " Experience" and Loved it!

I have the pre shave so I started with that .
Opened the container of the limes shave cream and was blown away with the scent. Just awesome. the container comes with an inner plastic cover that sits on top of the cream. When I removed it there was a small ( Pea sized) blob of cream on it so I scooped with my finger and realized this stuff is thick. Let me tell you it was more than enough to shave my face with three passes.
I shaved with my British #22 and an Perma sharp blade and had no problems. It glided comfortably.
After splashing cold water on my face to close the pores and toweling off I applied a small amount of the Limes aftershave balm. It made me sell my GFT limes skin food I loved it so much..

My skin felt great all day from the experience. Yeah it might be pricey but I think the container will last a long time.

Worth the price.
As has been pointed out, on a price-per-shave basis, this is as reasonable as any other cream. It's super dense and comes in a big tub so it compares favourably to anything else out there.
Lather is easy to make and stays thick and slick longer than most.
Smell is strong and fresh, you have to like lime if you're going to get this.
Leaves my face very happy for hours after the shave.
The box is very nice but the plastic tub is a bit plain.

Scotto;67151 said:

Interestingly, the consistency of my tub looks nothing like yours - mine is super duper thick and cohesive.

Yes the scent is great, but it is a PIA to lather and the shave is mediocre. Who cares what I say anyway, you are going to try this cream to see what the hoopla and price is all about.

BTW, I much prefer this to the Lavender version.

Click to expand...

I second the Lavender > Lime recommends...It's not the scent, as I like both, but the Lavender feels much better on the skin during and after the shave. I think it works as they say, the lavender is better for sensitive skin and the Lime is for skin prone to nicks and cuts, so it must have a slight astringent effect, and to me that's how it shaves...not as close and smooth. The Lavender is worth every penny and it lasts a long time as the cream is very dense, like a very soft shaving soap.

The packaging...I like it. I like the lower profile and wider mouth. All the better to swirl the brush around in. Does come in a really nice box which seems wasteful, hard to throw it out it's that nice.

I used this cream off and on since I picked it up in December, and have generally been very pleased with it. It took a little experimentation to get the snurdle/water ratios right, but as others have said, a little of this quasi-soap goes a long way. I spent the past week using this cream exclusively and have a much better handle on what it can do.

Price: Nice cream, but overpriced for a tub. It compares favorably to the more commonly used English creams, but by no means blows them out of the water....so to speak. A $20-30 price point would be more realistic.

Quality: Very high quality cream, dense and filled with lathery goodness. The scent, if you like lime or citrus is fantastic.

Scent: There is no other lime cream I have tried that is like it. It is very intense and clearly loaded with essential oil, filling the bathroom with a nice, clean lime scent. It bests the GFT Limes cream, and MB Lime soap. I hear that the QED Lime is incredibly intense as well, but haven't tried it for comparison (maybe once I use up some things).

Latherability: With such a dense cream, that really borders on a soft soap, it takes some trial and error to get it right, but it lathered very well with large knot Rooney Heritage and Shavemac brushes, as well as the compact Rooney size 2.

Efficacy: Very effective cream. I got very nice cushion from the lather, which was also quite slick (this is where the water ratio testing helped. It handled shaves with both the HD and Mergress with ease. Fresh blades were DFS/BBS, and blades on 3rd or 4th shave still gave nice close shaves with a minimum of nicks or weepers.

Moisturizing properties: It did a good job, but I felt it wasn't up to the level of moisturizing that I get from Salter's Sublime Citrus or GFT Rose. It wasn't close to the GFT Coconut Oil, which is my gold standard moisturizing cream.

Packaging: Meh. It's been said before and I'll say it again, I expect more from a cream that costs north of $30.

First CF experience. Used my Vulfix super badger travel brush (always shave at the gym). Futur set on 3 with Merkur blade (second shave).

Did a minimal prep - washed with hot water

Soaked the brush for a minute in hot water, couple of shakes, then swirl for a few seconds on top of the cream. As others have pointed out this is a very stiff cream, sort of half way between a soft cream and a soap. Face lather - I went with two passes - WTG and AGT with a bit of blade buffing which is a good test for staying power. The lather is thick, heavy and very creamy, which is what I like, I don't like really puffed up lather and prefer it more dense. The lather is nice and slick with good cushion. All in all this was one of the best shaves I've had for sure - comparing to Nancy Boy, Classic Soap, L'Occitane Soap, Cremo, Lucky Tiger, Proraso. I don't think you can find a cream that will perform any better than this.

Packaging was good, not great - the box is very nice, the jar is plastic which doesn't bother me but the labeling and lid are a little cheap looking. There is a good very tight fitting plastic inner lid which is a good touch compared to a paper or foil seal

Scent - It's good but not great. I was a little disappointed based on othe reviews. At first, I thought it smelled like Pine Sol cleaner but actually thought it was better after a bit. Certainly not a real burst of lime scent as I expected .

Moisturizing - very nice but I did follow up with the CF Lime Balm.

Price - yes it's expensive but because of it's firm consistency, it hardly takes any to get a good lather, As others have pointed out, this plus the larger container mean that you're getting a lot for your money, I'm sure this will outlast four or five tubes of Proraso so I'm happy with this purchase.

Next time I'll try it with a Feather.

I guess I really don't get what all the hype is about. This stuff may smell like lime EO but it doesn't smell like a real lime to me. (Peppermint EO doesn't smell the same as what we normally associate with "peppermint," either, so I guess it's not too surprising.) I hesitate to say this, because once I get this image in your brain you may never smell it the same way again, but to me this stuff smells a lot like shoe polish. (If you've never actually polished a shoe with old-school shoe polish, you won't understand.) I really think the scent of Trumper's Limes is far superior to this, but as with all scents, YMMV.

As others have said, it is difficult to lather because it doesn't want to dissolve. Even after going after it for a minute and a half there are chunks of it in the bottom of the bowl. (I'm going to have to try putting a little hot water over it while I shower, as somebody else mentioned.)

To be fair, the cream did provide a smooth, comfortable shave. It was both slick and protective. No nicks, cuts, or weepers, and no irritation. My face felt smooth and well hydrated after the shave.

Overall, I think it is a good soap/cream hybrid, but the latherability, scent, and price take it off my radar for now. I would recommend Trumper's Limes for people who want a lime-scented cream that is easier to use, smells better (IMO), and provides a similarly good shave.

My favourite cream out of nearly 25 shaving creams and soaps.

The Castle Forbes Lime cream gives me the best shaves,
produces the slickest, thickest and smoothest Lather of all creams
and smells just like heaven for me.

The scent is a little hard to describe,
very different from what I´ve tried.
It does not smell like the lime sherbet you get from T&H or Taylor.
Its just well rounded, refreshing lemon that is not dry but in fact juicy

I love the packing, instead of taking the (let´s face it) somewhat boring jar out of it´s beautiful box, I kept it in there and am very pleased with that.
In fact this is the nicest box I ever owned for a cream,
along with the CF Lime ASB

The price is hefty but you will need little cream only
and it gives me the best shaves. That´s why I gave the price a 7

If I had to pick one cream or soap I am sure it would be this one.
If your like lemon and are thinking of getting one of these fellas,
go get one!

First, let me say that this is my first review (comment).

Next disclaimer, I wouldn't have tried this new due to the price and got it from another member at a fraction of the cost.

Price:
At $38 for 6.8 oz. ($5.59/oz), its not cheap. But then I realized that TOBS is $13.50 for 5.3 oz. ($2.55/oz.). So, instead of three times as expensive, it is "only" twice as expensive. Still a bit much for me. Then I used it. This is so dense that I used a fraction of the cream that I would have used from my TOBS. Suddenly, cost was no longer an issue. From what I've heard others say, this is a common experience. So, I gave it a pretty high rating for price.

Quality:
I concur with what everybody says. Its really a great product.

Scent:
Again, a nice, strong lime scent that is not overpowering.

Latherability:
This was a little hard. The CF was hard to get started. I dipped, actually rubbed, my brush in the jar and then to my scuttle. At first, it just smeared. As I added water, it began to dissolve. It took far more effort than what I'm used to for creams; but, when it got going, there was no stopping it. Tons of lather for three passes with plenty to spare. Others here have commented on this, but this feels like a cream-soap hybrid. Be prepared.

Efficacy:
Great shave, moist skin, what more is there to say?

Moisturizing properties:
It left my skin feeling great.

Packaging:
Again, I concur with the majority here. Its a hockey puck with a sticker. Its saving grace for me is that I like the black gloss lid, and its kept well below eye level. I happen to like simple black, so this means that all I see is the lid, which I like. But still, c'mon people. How much could it cost for a nicer jar?

The one thing I'd like to mention again is its consistency. Be prepared. Check out the threads where people talk about this. Even after reading the threads, I was still surprised at how thick and dense this was.

If you're looking for a quality lime cream, don't let the price scare you. Give it a go!

Very Very Nice, but a little steep on the price.

I have had the Castle Forbes Limes shave cream for just under a year and shave with it regularly. Only now is the tub at a level where I am thinking about a replacement.

After shipping, the cost of this cream can sting at first. The saving grace is that a little product does go a long way.

The quality of this cream I feel is top notch. There are paraben’s in this cream so if you have an allergy to them you may want to steer clear (ingredients listed below).

Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera), Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Acid, Glycerin, Citrus Aurantifola (Lime Essential Oil), Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben

The scent of fresh limes just blows me away, I love it.

What really jumps out is the way this cream lathers, but to get it to cooperate takes a learning curve so I will give a few tips here as well.

It is true that this cream is very thick; it has the consistency of cool butter. If you live in a cold part of the country like I do (New England) this cream can get tricky to lather in the winter depending on where you store it. There are two ways to lather up. You can swirl a damp brush like you would a soap to load the bristles or you can remove a snurdle to a bowl. I do both.

Today I placed a snurdle in a small bowl with about half teaspoon of hot water and took my shower. When I was ready to shave the hot water had softened the cream just enough to better work with it. After chasing the blob around the bowl for a few brush swirls and smashes the cream began to loosen and infuse into the brush. Adding a little more water results in lather bursting forth like it is possesed; I thought the bowl was rabid! The lather just keeps whipping up as you add water, it is just that easy folks.

This cream is effacious, and does a great job of getting the job done.

My face always feels hydrated after I finish shaving and many times I forget to apply my usual ASB without adversity.

The packaging is just so-so, what can you really do with a plastic tub and a label? For the price you would expect a glass bowl.

All in all this is some great cream, I get a very close shave and the slickness is so forgiving that if you need to take a quick additional swipe without fully re-lathering you are not punished like you are with lesser creams/soaps.

Bottom line I feel if you can get past the cost you will be rewarded with a great cream.

I had this cream on my radar for a while. I finally took the plunge after ordering a new Rooney 3/1. I was a little confused at first and like others had a hard time getting rid of the 'lump-o-castle' at the bottom of my lather bowl. One morning I just said 'f it!' and load my brush by dabbing it into the tub. With 15 or so dabs I proceeded to face lather. Wow, very strong/thick lather. I usually stick to 3 passes, but had enough lather on the soap for prob two more. And I must say, I do have fewer to no nicks when I shave with this cream. I can't talk this cream up more. Other than the cheapo tub, this product is A+.

CF Lime SC gave me just what I was looking for. Mounds of wonderful smelling, slick lather. I enjoyed every shave with this cream. On top of that the Lime scent really surprised me. I was initially turned off of lime because of Trumpers, which to me smells like lime lifesavers candy. CF Lime was much more subtle. And the lather just kept coming and coming. Interestingly enough, the consistency was very different from what others have seen. My was very VERY thick. Almost like a soft soap like Proraso's soap. And the stuff is just so darn expensive I just don't think it's worth the money.

This stuff is sort of weird. Mine arrived and I anxiously prepared myself for a wonderful shave. I put a new Derby blade in my Gillette slim adjustable (possibly a mistake) and got out the new C&E Best Badger - definitely a mistake.

I looked at the cream and thought "that looks nothing like the picture in the review". The review pic looks like soap with some lather on it. Mine looks like a bowl full of whipped cream. In fact I thought it WAS creamy until I tried to use it. I thought that I could just dip the tip of my brush and get some cream.

Wrong.

The stuff is actually quite solid. I had to almost cut a piece off. It is VERY stiff and feels more like softened soap than cream.

Anyway I lathered up and....

Had the worst shave ever. The brush very pricklily (sp - probably not a word ) put lather on my face. I am not liking this C&E! The razor pulled and dragged. No setting was comfortable. The lather seemed OK, so I wonder if it was the blade? I had been using a Crystal blade in the Gillette, but figured since the Derbys work so well in my Merkur, they should be OK in the Gillette.

This morning I gave it another whirl, but did a few things differently. I used my old Burma Shave brush and lathered on top of the cream as you might do with a soap, which this stuff resembles more than a true cream. The Burma Shave brush has always been comfortable and works well, today was no exception. I got a good lather on and put a Crystal blade in the Gillette. It was like night and day. I went from a horrible shave to complete comfort. The scent of the Castle Forbes was wonderful and it did a great job of lubricating my face with lots of lather left over for the second and third pass. It came off cleanly and left my face in good shape.

So, I am not entirely sure this stuff is worth the big bucks. $35 plus shipping is a lot of money for shave cream. But it works quite well, so I am not going to worry too much about it. I will probably buy it again just for the scent of limes!