DR Harris Rose Cream

[Craig_From_Cincy]

I received my first ever tub of a Harris cream this weekend, their rose cream. Its much more heavily colored than I was expecting. I'm also surprised at just how hard the cream is, I had to treat the cream like it was a soap in order to load my brush. The cream required a great deal of water in order to make into decent lather. I've shave with this cream twice now, and its going to take some work to get the water ratio just right. I'm going to reserve judgement on this cream until I've worked with it a bit more, however right now I'm wishing that I had bought T&H's Rose cream.

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[bernards66]

Craig, Bad luck, sounds like the cream is already fairly dehydrated. This sort of thing has always been the problem with ordering these creams via mail; one never knows what state the cream is in. Granted, there are vendors who, if you speak with them on the phone, are willing to check the cream out before shipping but, of course, that can't happen if one just orders off the website. These creams are generally quite moist when newer ( like that pot of Taylors Rose I received recently ) then, as they sit for a few months they firm up a bit but are still 'creamy'....this is their optimal state, IMO. But then, as they sit longer, they begin to firm up to the point where they become like the DRH Rose you just got....and that mine has gotten to now that I'm down to the last bit of it. All the old Coate's creams that I hoarded became like that eventually. While some here have reported success with re-hydrating such creams it never worked that well for me. Yes, by adding some water I could get them to soften up but then they didn't seem to work quite as well as before. I usually put just a small amount in the lather bowl ( don't need much as the cream is very concentrated by the time it reaches this state ) and just work the wet brush like hell back and forth and all around. I'll get a decent lather even though some of the cream always remains undisolved on the bottom of the lather bowl.
Regards,
Gordon

[gsgo]

Craig, I bought a tube of DRH Rose shave cream when the scent first came out and found it was on the firm side right from the get go. Squeezing it out and then lathering it up was a bit of a chore, the shave was great as I remember, I would imagine a pot of this cream would be similar to lathering up a soft soap.

The tubes of Arlington and Lavender that I tried were definitely softer with a bit more moisture.

In contrast my recent adds of T&H Almond, Lavender and Rose all have a nice soft and almost glistening texture that lather super easy.

[brothers]

Too bad Craig. I recently used up the remaining half of my tub of Harris Rose cream, and it too had firmed up a lot over the last couple of years I'd had it. I too loaded mine like a soap, but thankfully, the lather came as expected, and the course of events was uneventful to the end. I'd urge you to take a few practice lathers to see if maybe it's a simple tweaking that can bring it out for you, as hoped. Good luck!

[Squire]

Too bad Craig unless you have a vendor like Charles at QED or Phil at Bullgoose who will check the container if you wish. I haven't asked either one to do that but they have done everything else I've asked of them

But all is not lost, it can be made to work, just lather it like a soap.

[fallingwickets]

just lather it like a soap.

i tried that with a pot of t&h and it was a complete act in frustration.

i dont know why craig cant send it back....if you buy defective product you have the right to return it

clive

[Squire]

Clive I make lather directly on the surface of the soap or hardened cream. Place the cake in a container (zip lock type bowl works) large enough to hold the soap and lather then work away. With the onslaught of brush and water the soap must surrender.

[drmoss_ca]

And here's me dehydrating tubs of old cream so they will keep forever! A dried tub of cream makes a lovely soap.

Chris

[bernards66]

Clive, Lathering creams in that state exactly as I would a hard soap never seemed quite satisfactory to me either. The reason may be mainly psychological but none the less, I'm personally not okay with that approach. I've always been happier using them as I outlined above. I'm quite sure Craig could return it to the vendor but if he does he would be wise to be very explicate regarding what he would like as a replacement. And even if he is, who knows? My first real experiance with dehydrated creams was a pot of Coate's Rose I ordered from Charles Roberts at Enchante. When it arrived I said, "crap!...what's with THIS stuff?!" I called CR and explained my problem and he graciously offered to send me another pot; didn't even ask me to send the dried out one back. Problem was, when the new one arrived it was just about as dehydrated as the first one had been. At that point I just let it go. I appreciated the gesture and I wasn't about to hassle him a second time. Truth is, he probably didn't have any Coate's Rose that wasn't dehydrated at that point.
Regards,
Gordon

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think that I will likely contact Phil about exchanging this for something else, maybe a tub of Trumpers something or other.

[bernards66]

Craig, Trumpers Rose? Smells quite similiar afterall.
Regards,
Gordon

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Yes, I think so, plus it can't be any more heavily colored than this dayglo Harris Rose.

[Squire]

Dayglo, I like that.

[fallingwickets]

The reason may be mainly psychological but none the less,

A dried tub of cream makes a lovely soap.

unlike gordon and myself, you must be free of any psych issues haha

clive

[Esoteric83]

I seem to recall T&H having some sort or requirement or program in place with resellers to ensure creams are still fresh.

I can still get great lather with hardened Coates Lime and Rose. I just let a layer of water sit in the pot while showering while leaving the brush wetter than I would for fresher cream. T&H acts like this, but not at good. I could play hockey with the quarter pot of Grafton I've had.

[bernards66]

Craig, Yep, the Trumper's Rose cream has the same sort of heavy coloration that the Harris's has. Personally I don't use really light tipped brushes with creams like these although members in some areas report no such problem. Apparently it has something to do with one's water.

Well, regarding the T&H creams, Brittney at T&H North America told me that they order creams frequently from T&H in London and that they do try and assure that the creams they send out to customers are in good shape. I tend to believe her because every pot of T&H cream that I've gotten ( including two that were not directly from T&H NA ) since that new owner/manager took over has been very fresh.
Regards,
Gordon

[Craig_From_Cincy]

I kept the Harris Rose cream. I was able to get good lather with it yesterday and obtained a good shave shave. I did notice, as others have noticed, that the shave was not as close as shaving with either T&H or Trumper creams. It was just short of BBS.

[bernards66]

Craig, Yes, I am one of those who has noticed that and have mentioned it in posts. I don't really know why but perhaps it has to do with the fact that all the pots of Harris's creams I've had in the last few years have been very dense and concentrated ( or slightly de-hydrated if you prefer ) as compared with the specimens from T&H and Trumpers, which have been lighter weight. So, maybe this leads to the Harris's lather having a shade more cushion than the other two? This will do for a reasonable sounding theory anyway.
Regards,
Gordon

[Squire]

My own theory is to agree with Gordon's theory.