Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
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Post by Possum on Feb 22, 2012 4:07:30 GMT -6
Seems most of you guys are shave soap users. Are there any of you who use shave creams extensively?
I gravitated to creams when I got back to traditional wet shaving in early 2008. Gave them a try and loved the way they mixed up so easily and were not so messy to make lather with.
Prefer the name brands over the artisan creams. Some TOBs, T&H, Trumpers, C&E, Tabac. While the artisan creams provide great lather they were much harder to mix up.
I use a cream for about 2 of every 3 shaves. Are there any of you who do the same? What creams do you use?
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Post by johna2231 on Feb 22, 2012 12:00:40 GMT -6
Possum,
I'm big time into shave creams. I'm apparently lazy since I like the way they whip into a great lather with little effort. My favs include: TOBS (especially Jermyn St -- IMHO, it's the best deal on the market. Lathers like Trumpers, costs like TOBS), Trumpers Sandalwood, AOS Sandalwood, various Palolives, and recently, Gillette European (this one just might rival my Jermyn St).
I'm using more soap lately. Especially since I started using VDH and starting it off by using it as a shave stick directly on the face and lathering from there.
But the creams are my favorite! Looking forward to other users opinions.
John
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Post by wchnu on Feb 22, 2012 12:54:55 GMT -6
I use the soaps more. I dunno... for some reason I just like the ritual of them. I don't have a problem with the mess or anything. That being said, I do like creams. I have several that I use. Wars is a favorite as well as some of the TOBS. I do not pop for the ching to get the fancy thangs.
I also have three tubs of the old Body Shop formula. that is probably the best cream ever to me. I do not use it much though as I want them to last. I have some of the Palmolive creams that were made in the US. I think Possum sent me the one in the metal tube and I have a few in the plastic tubes.
So some old creams and some new. I like them. Derby, C.O. Bigelow,Arko,Palmolive from India.... but they will not replace my soaps anytime soon me thinks.
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Post by stljeff on Feb 22, 2012 19:24:31 GMT -6
I'm definitely a shave cream guy. Since I tend to be on the "frugal" side, I've gravitated to the less expensive brands: Proraso in both its original and its C.O. Bigelow incarnations, the European Palmolive, the Euro Gillette, the German Nivea, and Godrej. I've enjoyed each of them but the Proraso, Palmolive, and Nivea have been keepers for me. I would like to indulge in one of the English creams sometime; I keep telling my kids what a great gift one of them would make but they haven't taken the hint yet.
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RocketMan
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Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Feb 22, 2012 19:33:16 GMT -6
I tend to bounce around on this one. It may have to do with my brush options, not sure.
I started out with a C&E Best Badger - a nice little brush that works very well with creams. I couldn't understand for the longest time why anybody would want to use soaps since the creams had such a great ritual side with the prep and all. The resulting shave cream can be so luscious - yum!!!
Then, I picked up a big ass Omega Pro boar brush - quite a big handled black and chrome beauty that I really like the feel of. I didn't find it did so well with the creams but would load up a preheated soap puck real nice - something the badger just didn't seem to pull off. Then, I found that making lather on the face really preps the stubble well. It truly does seem to allow for a better 'wetting' of the beard and also allows more for 'standing' the stubble - by going ATG while in the final soaping/prep stage before a pass. So, I got to use this cool brush, it worked better than the badger for pucks, and it allowed me to 'place' the beard in such a way as to make for a better first pass.
Hmmmm....... Then, I go back to the badger and fluff up some incredibly scented (for me) T&H Rose made with pre-heated rosewater and..... YUMMY........mmmmmmm...... I feel a little like Snuggles the dog from the old cartoons where he would eat a treat then sort of float up a few feet and come down gently, and happily, like a feather falling to the earth.
Then to the pucks, then the cream, the pucks, ...... YIKES!!!!!
That said - soap lathering gives me a better shave as the prep is superior to the cream. But, cream, yum....... dunno!
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Feb 22, 2012 20:29:12 GMT -6
I don't shy away from creams, but for some reason I use soap more often.
No high end creams here either... Bigelow, Kiss My Face (mint), and TopTen for men (from Bulgaria). I guess I just think of mint and menthol as more summery than wintery.
At the moment I want to use up the Vitos soft soap I was given so I've been using it exclusively for the last month or so.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2012 21:58:37 GMT -6
Most of my shaves: J.M. Fraser's Bigelow Real Shaving Co.
Sometimes: QCS (the croap) I like the Vetiver and the Key Lime so far and will buy other flavors once I bring down my software holdings a bit.
Rarely anymore: Cella Pre de Provence
So I guess I'm a cream guy.
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Post by wchnu on Feb 23, 2012 3:05:27 GMT -6
Where is a good place to get the Frasers?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2012 3:24:31 GMT -6
Where is a good place to get the Frasers? I don't know if it's the best place to get it, but I got mine from westcoastshaving.com. It's my first tub of the stuff, but it's a 16oz tub that will take a while to polish off. I have quite a few shaves left before I'll have to order that second tub.
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Post by wchnu on Feb 23, 2012 4:13:43 GMT -6
Where is a good place to get the Frasers? I don't know if it's the best place to get it, but I got mine from westcoastshaving.com. It's my first tub of the stuff, but it's a 16oz tub that will take a while to polish off. I have quite a few shaves left before I'll have to order that second tub. Thanks for the info.
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RocketMan
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Post by RocketMan on Feb 23, 2012 9:16:04 GMT -6
I don't know if it's the best place to get it, but I got mine from westcoastshaving.com. It's my first tub of the stuff, but it's a 16oz tub that will take a while to polish off. I have quite a few shaves left before I'll have to order that second tub. Thanks for the info. JM Frasers is a Canadian product made in Toronto that has been around in barber shops here for years. It was very hard to pick up in the US up to only a couple of years ago, but some of the specialty online guys, like Westcoast, are distributing it. I doubt you will find it in any stores but possibly by now. Like Mr Flay says, the tubs are pretty big - 16 ounces is a volume measure and amounts to two cups. So, think of a two cup measuring cup and you can imagine how much cream you get!! It will last for ages. I didn't like it for the first couple of years actually that I had it around. I stuck with it though and occasionally would lather up. As I got used to it however I now really like it. Same thing happened with Guinness and Scotch, so it wasn't the cream, I'm just slow to come around on the finer things in life!!
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SharpSpine
Master Shaver
My Flavor Sabre
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Post by SharpSpine on Feb 23, 2012 9:34:23 GMT -6
I mainly use soaps but did start out primarily with creams.
My favorites are: Proraso/Bigelow/Omega Speick (used sparingly as too many days in a row will irritate me for some reason) Musgo Real Godrej Dettoll
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