Shaving Cream/Soap Samples – Lessons Learned, A Ton of Empty Jars and Process Results

A note about cost/shave.

I wish I had the sense to track hundreds of shaves and figure out the cost/shave across many soaps but when I started, I just didn't think about it. I've been doing it lately but it will take a long, long time to really get a lot of them locked in.

In any case, the last several days I've been using up ABC which I have in one of the those sample jars. I've used a 22mm Savile Row, a tiny little brush. Now I know when I have a soap in one of those wide jars, I automatically get out my Chubby 2 and tear into it.  I've read over and over again about "load the brush". Whenever there are discussions about the cost/shave, I've read comments like "I don't care about it because the soap is so cheap (and they were talking about things cost $10 - $16 a tube or tub).

So as I've used this small container, I'd put a little bit on the Saville Row, dribble some water in the bowl, and it just explodes in lather. There is no other way to describe it. Three twirls in a bowls and bam. 10 twirls and its done. And so using it, I'm about to clean out the bowl and see I didn't use half of the actual bit of soap I pulled out and I still had enough lather in the bowl, and the brush, to easily shave twice more. In other words, I made way too much lather with a tiny bit of this stuff.

The point being, if you want to be frugal and use the more expensive stuff, use a tiny bush and use very little product. You will still have plenty of lather. I suspect sometimes people make Way Way too much lather and flush money down the drain. I plucked out the tiny bits of soap and shoved them back in my sample jar to use tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. And I don't even like Almond.  

I'm not rich, but I just don't find it worth it to under load my brush. It against my nature.

9/10 times when rookies have lather problems they load too little product.
So I find it worth it for them to overload.

Once you figure out how much to load, then by all means don't overload.

I just prefer to overload since it eliminates all my lather problems.

I own 250-350 soaps and creams, and since I started using a pre shave product and sometimes superlather (overloading with both a cream and soap) or just overloading one single soap/cream I have never experienced a poor lather. Were talking 2-3 years of shaving since I got a really poor lather. And I have rock hard water (people with hard water should always overload btw)

YMMV

^^^ When in doubt, load more!

^^^ When in doubt, load more!

That is my motto as well!

grim Nice write up. It was an interesting read. Your efforts lead you to some wonderful products, enjoy them!

^^^ When in doubt, load more!

+1 , but in my circumstance, it would be to apply/rub more to the face! This will, most definitely, assure you of a thick and creamy lather.

Ya see? Just as I thought. Way Way too much product and $$$$$ flushed down the drain

I expect no complaints from you guys about prices of stuff.

The frugal police in my brain keep saying .... NO NO NO

I stumbled across a couple of threads in other forums where people had far more patience than me in tracking the usage of many soaps. It seems there was NO consensus. Numbers were ALL OVER THE PLACE ranging from 8 cents/shave to almost $1.00. Admittedly they also noted they loaded heavy, which falls back to my claim that I suspect much lather is just flushed down the drain.

I only bring this up in that if anyone is reluctant to try the more expensive brands by initial purchase price, how much you use is probably directly related to how much you flush down the drain.

I stumbled across a couple of threads in other forums where people had far more patience than me in tracking the usage of many soaps. It seems there was NO consensus. Numbers were ALL OVER THE PLACE ranging from 8 cents/shave to almost $1.00. Admittedly they also noted they loaded heavy, which falls back to my claim that I suspect much lather is just flushed down the drain.

I only bring this up in that if anyone is reluctant to try the more expensive brands by initial purchase price, how much you use is probably directly related to how much you flush down the drain.

Great points. I overload everything (in my view) but compared to some others, I massively underload. It's all relative I suppose. In the end, my soaps and creams seem to last forever, especially the pricier stuff which is in many cases more dense.

I am amazed by how long products last and I load an AWFUL LOT. I never really feel like I am just washing lather down the drain though. I don't ever have a bunch of lather left to wring out of my brush when I am done shaving. On that final pass I squeeze it all out and apply it to my face. I know this is simply masking the fact that I am just washing it down the drain, but at least it got applied to my face. In regards to lather, I'd rather have too much than too little, trying to stretch lather is pointless in my opinion and for me only results in razor burn.

I am amazed by how long products last and I load an AWFUL LOT. I never really feel like I am just washing lather down the drain though. I don't ever have a bunch of lather left to wring out of my brush when I am done shaving. On that final pass I squeeze it all out and apply it to my face. I know this is simply masking the fact that I am just washing it down the drain, but at least it got applied to my face. In regards to lather, I'd rather have too much than too little, trying to stretch lather is pointless in my opinion and for me only results in razor burn.

Nathan, I completely agree with you.

If pressed for time I squeeze the rest out of the brush and into the sink- if not I apply it for my touch up pass, the same way Nick Shaves from YouTube does.

I have used this method before Nick even started doing videos.