beginner soap or cream

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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mrjediconsular
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beginner soap or cream

Post by mrjediconsular »

so i'm going to buy a synthetic brush for cyber Monday and i was wondering which i should buy and if any brand would be easier then the others
Jordan
ShadowsDad
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Re: beginner soap or cream

Post by ShadowsDad »

I'd take a jaunt through the "shave of the day" section and see what folks are using. The list of good soaps/creams is long.

If you find Williams I would steer clear of it.

Some easily found soaps/creams that are good are, Bigelow/Proraso and Kiss My Face but if you're in NYC or Chicago you can find lots of other choices.

I just looked in my cabinet to see if there were others, but the rest were all mail order for me.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
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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Squire
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Re: beginner soap or cream

Post by Squire »

Harris Almond, or Harris Lavender, or Mitchell's Wool Fat for starters. There are a lot more I could list but these are as good as any.
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brothers
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Re: beginner soap or cream

Post by brothers »

All of the above are excellent suggestions. If you're going to buy online, check out Taylor of Old Bond Street, TOBS for short. They offer a wide selection of shaving creams and a couple of soaps. Their shaving cream is very good. I don't know where you live, but there are some stores that can be found in most shopping malls, examples are Bath and Body Works (their product is COBigelow shaving cream, made by Proraso, and it contains menthol if you like menthol). Other examples would be The Body Shop and Art of Shaving. They all stock very effective shaving creams at fairly reasonable prices. If you happen to go into an Art of Shaving store, I recommend their shaving creams, and I do not recommend their shaving soaps. I hope some of this is helpful to you. Please let us know how your search turns out, and how you like the product you choose for your first one.
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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mrjediconsular
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Re: beginner soap or cream

Post by mrjediconsular »

are shaving soap sticks good for beginners or no?
Jordan
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Squire
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Re: beginner soap or cream

Post by Squire »

Sure, they're just shaving soap in another form.
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ShadowsDad
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Re: beginner soap or cream

Post by ShadowsDad »

A stick pretty much means you'll be face lathering. OR you can do as I do and shred them, put the shreds in a tub with a small amount of water and press them into a puck. That way I load the brush in the tub, then face lather. It's much less messy than the stick form. From the tub you could also easily bowl lather.

Another reason I do this is because back in time a bit some soaps were only available in stick form.

OK, getting a little off topic, don't think that because a soap only comes in puck form that you need to use it from a tub. A puck can be used the same as a stick and rubbed on the wet face to get what you need for lather making.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
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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