soap vs cream

Creams are definately easier to get going, you don't have to load the brush for a start, blob a bit of cream into the throat of the brush & crack on.
I prefer hard soap primarilly because I'm tight & object to paying for water.

I needed to learn how long/much to load a hard soap. My first few lathers were very watery, it didn't take long to improve.
Now I'm quite sure the lather from a hard soap (even humble Palmolive stick grated into a bowl) is better than any cream I've tried (erasmic, body shop, trumpets, tobs).

We all have preferences & as long as it does the job.
 
Personally I use both, some creams are really good and some soaps are meh, but the reverse is also true.

I do tend to use creams more often than soaps for convenience , but I have also found some soaps to give a better overall result. I say use whatever feels best.
 
I used to use both creams and soaps when I started DE shaving (and threw those cans of foam in the bin). Soaps can be a little harder to master getting the lather right, creams are a bit more forgiving. I still use Palmolive and the old formula Erasmic creams on occasion, but once I tried Tabac, Arko etc I definitely became a soap fan.
 
Always wondered how people classify a very soft soap like Cella. A croap? I once had a jar of TOBS Mr Taylor that not only had a loose lid but hadn't been used for a while. It had the consistency of cella and lathered like a champ.
 
phil-b said:
soaps seem to be more popular than creams but for me creams seem to lather quicker.

is there really much difference and why do soaps seem to prevail
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The biggest difference is in the amount of sodium hydroxide vs. potassium hydroxide, the amount of water, and the time needed to make it. Shaving cream takes much longer to cure (actually the proper term is "rot," soaps cure, creams rot) than soap does, and must be stirred once a week [correction, every 3-4 days] until it reaches the right consistency, color, and pH, a process that can take up to two months.

Soap is easy to make. Shaving cream is not.
 
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And that is why I love this site; learning things I didn't know that I didn't know..
 
phil-b said:
soaps seem to be more popular than creams but for me creams seem to lather quicker.

is there really much difference and why do soaps seem to prevail
Click to expand...
I find soap offering more glide than cream. Since I discovered soaps I rarely use any of my creams. Before that I couldn't understand what was the fuss about soaps.
 
Have used both. With soaps it just takes 60 seconds extra to load the brush. Both provide good lather so not a lot of difference. I prefer creams these days; having purchased 4 TOBS bowls in January. Not a lot of difference in the price.
 
I use cream with a synthetic brush when I'm pushed for time otherwise various soaps. When using soap I always use a few drops of glycerine and a cheeky squirt of cream after the initial lather. I find this gives me much better results than soap alone?
 
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