D.R. Harris Marlborough Shaving Cream

This is a great cream. Lathers easily, smells great. Some of their creams are a little too light on the scent (like coconut) but this one is perfect. Large tub, lasts forever. One of my go to creams.

This was a very croap-y style cream, very thick so it will last long time.

I had high expectations of the scent, which I loved in the jar, but then the scent virtually disappeared once I lathered it up. It felt unscented!

I also found this very tricky to lather, even compared to other Dr Harris creams (I used the rose and lavender the months prior). I never did get a satisfying lather which resulted in some rough shaves.

I did not get great, smooth shaves out of this one. There was no noticeable moisturising effect.

I would not recommend, although other creams from Dr Harris are exceptional.

The expected Harris quality. I am fond of the Marlborough scent. SWMBO says it smells like wood with this why-would-you-want-to-smell-like-wood look on her face. She doesn't hate it, so I continue to use the Marlborough line.

Lathers with the best. Works like it ought to. Leaves my face in great shape. One of my favorites. I have yet to meet a DR Harris product I don't like.

I wanted to like this shaving cream, I was determined that if the 3T's can play on their long history and heritage then surely the 4th olde school of barber shops in London could deliver. I tried it repeatedly using all known methods and each time it came up short in all aspects. In short, I was dissapointed and I am at a loss to exactly why I was unable to get it on with this highly respected cream.

6 months ago, I gave it the benefit of the doubt with my brand spanking new Plisson shaving brush. Nada, again, the same results. I am not in the habit of slating a company that has been around for over a century and produces some excellant shaving soaps, after shaves and colognes, so I just placed it in the cupboard under the sink. In short, I believe it was a dodgy batch.

A very good cream, especially if you happen to like the scent as sell. Lathers well, and a little goes a long way. Highly recommended.

Price: I'm not going to comment, since I got my tube in a big mystery box, so I didn't pay anywhere near full price. At the usual $14+s/h per tube, I'd probably buy again for the scent, if it weren't for the irritation.

Quality: The quality of my shave was greatly diminished because this burned on my somewhat sensitive skin. I loved just about everything else about it, but the burning was still there half an hour after the shave -- I had to sell it off because of that.

Scent: Wonderful. Woody, smoky, complex...everything GFT Sandalwood is trying to be. Classic, classy, and manly all at once, with a hint of the exotic. If it just didn't burn, it would easily earn its pricetag by scent alone.

Latherability: It's not MWF, Tabac, or QCS, but it's really good for what it is. I wouldn't put this cream in the "exceptional" category for latherability (I'd consider 9-10 exceptional scores), but it's about as good as it gets without being exceptional -- on a similar level to TOBS creams in that regard.

Efficacy: Again, this is hard to judge, since the burning resulted in a quick, sloppy shave (since I just wanted to GET IT OFF ME NOW AUGHHH). I imagine it'd give a great shave for a person of less sensitive skin, but it gave me an awful shave that I wanted over ASAP.

Moisturizing: I'm not going to comment on this, since I have rather moist skin and don't really notice moisturizing / drying effects under normal circumstances.

Packaging: From the pictures I've seen, the tub looks classy, but I've got the tube, which is cheap-feeling plastic. The lid's somewhat fragile at the hinges, and, while the presentation doesn't look bad or actively detract from the cream, the tube could be a lot nicer for the price.

We agree!

What's not to like about this incredibly rich, scented cream?

Price: Would that we could all drive Caddies at Chevy prices. Typical for high end English, and only a few bucks less than the premier Trumper's, my runaway favorite.

Quality: Superb; among the pantheon.

Scent: Rich, heavily-layered scent of sweet almond that stays with me part of the day.

Latherability: Among the nobility.

Efficacy: Easy to apply and control as are all high end English creams.

Moisturizing: Not at all drying. The day using any shaving cream that replaces CAR aftershave conditioner, I will rate it a 9 or 10.

Packaging: Top shelf; only outdone by Trumper's hardshell tub and reassuringly, fancy graphics.

The best thing about this cream is the scent. It's woody/spicy, and very aromatic.

The worst aspect of the D.R. Harris cream is the price. At $25 per tub, I could pick up three large tubes of C.O. Bigelow. Sure, the Marlborough smells better, but the Bigelow works better. That's not to say that Marlborough doesn't work. The lather is very thick and creamy. This is definitely a premium product, but mostly for its smell.

If you have sensitive skin, this cream may cause irritation.

I also don't like the lid on the plastic tub. It feels flimsy. I have read posts about guys cracking the lid by screwing it on too tight. It does seem to seal quite well though.

If you like the Marlborough fragrance, you'll enjoy the cream. Overall, I prefer the D.R. Harris soaps over the creams, but YMMV.

After trying the wonderful soap version of this, I wanted to try the cream as I normally much prefer creams to soaps. Surprisingly, I found the scent weaker and less interesting, and the cream barely lathered as well as the soap. The shaving properties of the lather it produced fell short (I felt) of the performance of the soap. It's pricey to boot, and the PVC tub feels less substantial than Taylor's, Trumpers, etc. tubs.

It certainly works well enough, but I will not repurchase with so many cheaper options that work better for me, including the Marlborough soap which I adore.

What a disappointment this cream was. Finally got me a tube. What happened with the quality tubes like the ones GFT come in? No, cheap plastic tubes for Dr Harris. I tried screwing the cap back and it just snapped. Scent. What scent. They should sell this unscented. I tried really hard taking whiff after Whiff and could barely make out anything. Lathering, cushioning and moisturizing properties are very good just like most high end English creams. Not the best for the Marlborough version, but good.
This one gets tossed away. One of my worst purchases ever. I do have the Almond cream which smells delicious and the Arlington soap which is more scented than this.

This is a woodsy cedar scent, no citrus, no floral, which is what I love. It seems like a milder version of Castle Forbes cedarwood. But this provides great lather with superior lubrication and moisturizing.. In fact no balm is really needed. Perhaps only Penhaligon's gives me as good a shave. If there is anything negative it is that the scent disappears pretty quickly, even if I use Marlborough A/S. I don't consider that a really bad thing as I don't want to smell like A/S all day. If you like cedar, you owe to yourself to have some of this.
Larry

Harris creams don't seem to get as much attention as the Three Ts, but in my opinion they're every bit as good as Taylor's and Truefitt (haven't tried Trumpers).

Price/Quality/Packaging: A reasonably priced, very highly concentrated cream with functional, attractive packaging. No complaints!

Latherability/Efficacy/Moisturizing: Superb. Slick, cushioned, relatively moisturizing, this cream is a top performer. Some creams are slightly more moisturizing and gentle (TOBS Avocado for one), but this is a superb everyday luxury cream.

Scent: Wonderful. I don't know if this is wishful thinking, but the core of the scent for me was a mild vetiver; this combined with notes of cedar and possibly geranium to create a woodsy, planty, very masculine fragrance. Quite delightful. It has a tiny synthetic edge to it so I've docked one point. Not a knock-your-socks-off vetiver like Salter's, so don't be afraid to try it if you're not a vetiver fan.

If you plan on getting only one Harris cream for some reason, definitely go for Arlington, which has one of the most amazing scents of anything in the world. But Marlborough will definitely not dissapoint in performance or scent.