Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

What is your opinion on fine shaving creams and hard soaps? Do you like Trumpers, Coates, Taylors, Truefitt & Hill? Post your reviews and opinions here!
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Squire
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by Squire »

The discount store foams and gels work well for me, I just don't find them fun to use and the synthetic scents can be off putting.
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by brothers »

So true. Alas . . ., Barbasol and others are flying off shelves like free cold beer on a hot day. The volume would probably exceed the mighty Mississippi. The reality is that the vast majority consider it a daily necessity.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by ShadowsDad »

The gels work and when I was using canned gunk gel was my choice. But it has no soul. While it gets the job done it's just not as good as a really nice soap and brush generated lather. Too, since I face lather, the gel doesn't prep the whiskers the was face lathering does.
Brian

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Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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fallingwickets
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by fallingwickets »

I might love soap fidelity and all of that, but could never go back to canned cream. A few years ago(?) there was a thread about cans that caught my interest and i bought a can of cream just to see what fuss was about.......worst shave evahhhh. I remember as if it were 3 minutes ago thinking: how in the world do guys use this stuff everyday??? :D :D

clive
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Squire
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by Squire »

Clive I believe the difference is most men still view shaving as a chore and do not think past getting it over quickly.
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by ShadowsDad »

fallingwickets wrote:I might love soap fidelity and all of that, but could never go back to canned cream. A few years ago(?) there was a thread about cans that caught my interest and i bought a can of cream just to see what fuss was about.......worst shave evahhhh. I remember as if it were 3 minutes ago thinking: how in the world do guys use this stuff everyday??? :D :D

clive
They use carts too Clive. They simply don't know.
Brian

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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by brothers »

I'm 4 days into Cella (both of them). The AOS Sandalwood soap was great for the allotted 24 days, but on day 24 I was excited to move on. After a few months of this it's going to be just as good to rotate back again to the AOS for the next 24 days.
Gary

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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by ShadowsDad »

Gary, I just went through much the same myself testing my new soaps. While I was testing them I really enjoyed it, but no matter how good they were/are, when I decided to let my hand invade the cabinet and choose any soap it wanted to, it felt good to do so. Plus I get to rejudge mine against what I previously thought was pretty good.
Brian

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Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by brothers »

vespergo wrote:I've been DE shaving for 10 years now, and when I first got into it I was all about the variety. I would visit the forums and really got into it. Then after about 4 years or so I just started using the creams that I owned because I bought probably 40 or so. At that point I realized that I should probably start using them up before buying more so I could actually finish one or so. Once I started focusing on finishing up one rather than enjoying my selection each day it started to become monotonous. I stopped visiting the forums and other hobbies came up. I never quit DE shaving, but it turned back into a chore rather than a hobby. I put my soaps into a box and only focused on a couple at a time. I took a five year hiatus from the forums. Just within the last month I pulled the creams out and put them all in the bathroom and boy has it been a joy. I'm glad I'm switching back to variety, now it's a hobby again. It's great to be back.
Makes a good hobby. Not too expensive, and as we have discussed, the variety really is the fuel that cranks our engines. Monotony can creep back and pull us down. It's understandable that a guy might lose interest, especially if boredom sets in.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by brothers »

In order to avoid monotony, tomorrow's cream of choice is going to be one that I haven't used in a very long time: Coates Sandalwood! It's been tucked away for a long time, and today I opened the box and spotted the little tube with the brown lid. Wow, it smells good!
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
nicodemus38

Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by nicodemus38 »

well if you find a soap that really works for you, its worth keeping up with it. like some shampoos just work right and others just don't. doesn't completely make sense to have 10 bottles of 20 dollar shampoo in the tub taking up room.
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by Antique Hoosier »

I tend to binge on product. Variety is a luxury and often I will change after a few days with any one particular item. In packing a Dopp Bag for a month or more in the mountains of North Carolina, I decided on a La Toja stick and a tube of Proraso. The mineral salts soothing of the La Toja vs the clean and refreshing Eucalyptus scent of the Proraso will be enough of a variety I believe. I am packing a flacon of Dopo Barba di Calmandoli as aftershave. If I get bored with that, I will snag a drug store aftershave like Brut or Old Spice when I am in the mountains.
Mike
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by brothers »

Sounds like you've got a nice trip coming up. Enjoy!
Gary

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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by Squire »

I agree, a lot of expensive shampoos don't seem necessary which is why I've paired down my stuff significantly. Just a few will do and I'm not nearly as particular about the matter as I once was.
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nicodemus38

Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by nicodemus38 »

I can see monotony happening. I do change my previous input.

When you see from others who claim to have used a single puck of say Pre de provence every day for a month, and they haven't even managed to wear the fancy logo off the top.. I can see it happening.
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by brothers »

When I feel monotony setting it, it's time to take action. I have no reservations about parting company with anything boring when it comes to this stuff. It took more than 3 full months to use up an entire glass jar of Martin de Candre Fougere. I got really bored with it after about 3 weeks, but for no reason other than the fact that it was the mighty MdC and I am mightier than a jar of soap, I killed it dead and now I'll never have to be bored with anything again. It feels really good! (PS: my own homemade soap is a better soap than MdC, and I've got 10 of them. I do not find them boring.)
Gary

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das234
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by das234 »

I'm new to the forum (also to DE shaving) and just saw this original post.

First, I think #3 is the best analogy. The same clothes every day would get the job done but wouldn't be very satisfying.

I like the idea of randomly reaching into the box of soaps and using whatever you grab. That removes the chore of choosing the soap of the day and you get a nice surprise.

I wonder; does anyone ever organize soap exchanges, where people send samples of whatever they're using to each other? That would be a nice way to try different soaps without having to buy a whole jar of each and then have it for months whether you like it or not.
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by brothers »

I just checked, and since I started using up products 3 years ago, I have used up 25 soaps and creams to date.
Last edited by brothers on Fri Oct 23, 2015 4:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
Gary

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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by Squire »

Actually I did wear the same type clothes every day. Blue blazer, rep tie, blue cotton Oxford shirt, Khaki slacks and buff saddle oxford shoes. Standard attire for the Southern lawyer who's practice is primarily before Administrative judges. The only thing that varied was when the tie wore out it was replaced by a different one of similar color and design. Shirts, slacks and blazer replaced as needed with duplicate stuff and a new pair of shoes ever decade or so. Dress the same way now in retirement just without the coat and tie. Perfectly comfortable with the look.

Amusing story, last week a local choir director asked me to join a chorus group made up of retired gentlemen. I agreed, made arrangements and almost as an afterthought before hanging up asked how they dressed (I was thinking coat and tie) and was told, "Oh, white shirt and black pants". I said Peter, hard as it is to believe, I don't own a white shirt and have never owned a pair of black pants. He quickly said come as you are and I'll loan you a white shirt. So now I'm the proud possessor of exactly one white shirt, which is borrowed.

Same with shaving stuff, just tend to use what's there until it's used up. A casual approach I know but perhaps that's who I am.
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Re: Monotony vs. variety in soaps and creams

Post by drmoss_ca »

I don't call it monotony, I call it monogamy.

BTW, my wife has approved this post.

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