TOB Jermyn Street fanbois club

..but I don't subscribe to blooming. There's something about a water logged puck that doesn't sit right with me.
Plus in my rotation, each soap comes up once every couple of months so it's dry out by that time I guess.

I think we've found your problem!

Try it once. Fill the puck with hot water for a few minutes while you shower/strop/whatever and tip it out and then lather with a damp brush. I guarantee this hydrates and makes for easy loading with any hard soap. After you see the lather it produces it will sit very well with you I'm sure!
 
@todras
Thanks, Good tip...but I don't subscribe to blooming. There's something about a water logged puck that doesn't sit right with me.
Plus in my rotation, each soap comes up once every couple of months so it's dry out by that time I guess. I don't like grating soaps either but will do it with the JS as it's the first time grating a soap has become necessary in order to use it.

Well, the technique itself (as I envisage it) only necessitates 4 or 5 drops of water on the surface of the puck, nowhere near enough to cause the soap to over hydrate and certainly not so much that you need to pour excess water off the puck. I don't do it myself regularly, but on occasion when I have had a triple milled soap I have found that a few drops of water prior to pre-loading (while the brush soaks and I do my pre-shave soap) can help.

If you are going to grate the soap, won't you need to spray the soap flakes with water anyway while you reseat it into the puck ?
 
Hard soaps do require some hydration before use from my experience.
I run them across the stream of hot water, flick out the excess, shower and shave at the end of the shower with a soap that's had time to hydrate and form a suspended/gel like layer.
 
@Nonick
I am aware of the puck hydration method but I did it once with mwf and didn't like it at all.

I'll try adding a few drops on top of the puck as @todras mentioned and if that doesn't work, I'll grate it into the container.

@todras I won't need to add water to reseat the soap. I just press the shaving into the container. I used to do this with all hard soaps until I realised it's really not required...until now that is.
 
@todras I won't need to add water to reseat the soap. I just press the shaving into the container. I used to do this with all hard soaps until I realised it's really not required...until now that is.

Thanks for the tip, I will run with it the next time I am grating a pain in the neck odd sized puck into a TSW container!
 
@Nonick
I am aware of the puck hydration method but I did it once with mwf and didn't like it at all.

I'll try adding a few drops on top of the puck as @todras mentioned and if that doesn't work, I'll grate it into the container.

@todras I won't need to add water to reseat the soap. I just press the shaving into the container. I used to do this with all hard soaps until I realised it's really not required...until now that is.
Thank all that is good females don't deploy the same logic... ;)
 
I loved the scent, but couldn't get it to lather worth a damn. I musta did it wrong.

The scent is the only thing pushing me to grate and try it otherwise, i would have just got rid of it!
 
I have the Jermyn cream and Traditional Luxury shaving soap which also smells awesome. I enjoyed the Jermyn more but after reading this topic I now understand why I struggled with the lather of the Luxury. Thanks for the advice and tips.(y)
 
I like it so much I think imma hit it tomorrow!
 
So if Jermyn St is the no1 for alot on here, which TOBS would be your second favourite ?


Scent 1. Royal Forest cream

Performance 1. Avocado cream

I don't like tobs hard soaps. I find they lack slickness and have a drying post shave.

I personally think Jermyn Street is average in scent and performance.
Maybe 4 or 5 years ago I may have thought differently.
 
One of the biggest apparent changes now compared to five years ago is the diversity of good artisanal producers, many of whom do great work on fragrances in soaps/creams. It has possibly diminished the appeal of the more 'British establishment' makers like TOBS, DR Harris, GF Trumper etc.

TOBS Jermyn is still one of my favourites for performance because it always lathers easily and effectively, and I like it a bit more (for reasons unknown) than the comparable Proraso products. It's pretty good every time - rarely great and never excellent - but it's still what I usually suggest to people wanting to have a dabble with a brush and cream / soap for the first time. The Jermyn Street also has the advantage of being for sensitive skin, which might make some difference to me with my tricky skin and does make me a bit more comfortable recommending it to others. I guess it's all an ease-of-use judgement.

Trying out the avocado was a very weird experience for me, the scent is not my favourite. It did perform well when I tried it, but I spent the whole time smelling it rather than concentrating on what I was doing. From memory, it did have some interesting cooling characteristic though. Kinda soothing on the face.
 
One of the biggest apparent changes now compared to five years ago is the diversity of good artisanal producers, many of whom do great work on fragrances in soaps/creams. It has possibly diminished the appeal of the more 'British establishment' makers like TOBS, DR Harris, GF Trumper etc.

TOBS Jermyn is still one of my favourites for performance because it always lathers easily and effectively, and I like it a bit more (for reasons unknown) than the comparable Proraso products. It's pretty good every time - rarely great and never excellent - but it's still what I usually suggest to people wanting to have a dabble with a brush and cream / soap for the first time. The Jermyn Street also has the advantage of being for sensitive skin, which might make some difference to me with my tricky skin and does make me a bit more comfortable recommending it to others. I guess it's all an ease-of-use judgement.

Trying out the avocado was a very weird experience for me, the scent is not my favourite. It did perform well when I tried it, but I spent the whole time smelling it rather than concentrating on what I was doing. From memory, it did have some interesting cooling characteristic though. Kinda soothing on the face.

Another problem I have with Tobs creams is although I enjoy using them, and in my opinion, they are a class above in performance to the soaps, is I have to be extremely careful and make sure I rinse well at the end of the shave and no final face wash with left over lather. The cream when left on my skin induces an allergic reaction burning sensation which lasts for hours. I have never experienced this from any other artisinal soap or cream product. I do not have the same problem with Tobs soaps, apart from an average performance.

I have been tested for allergies and have no positive allergens to FO, EO, lanolin, cinnamon, the usual natural ingredients. Basically my face is all natural friendly.

Through my own findings I have narrowed it down to either or a combination of these artificial chemical ingredients.

Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Methylisothiazolinone
Triethanolamine

These 3 ingredients are not found in tobs soaps. I have the new tobs tobacco leaf which I am trialing currently. It does not have Methylchloroisothiazolinone or Methylisothiazolinone. If I have no allergic reaction with this product, then I can narrow it down to two possible ingredients.
 
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When I first started shaving back in the early 14th century, I think it was with TOBS soap (probably sandalwood). At the time, there was nothing else available except canned goop.I quite like the lavender cream, but not so keen on the violent purple colouring.

I'm pretty sure I have a sample of the Jermyn St (probably a freebie from vshod). Seeing this thread pop up makes me think maybe I'll give it a go in the morning...
 
I remember being totally smitten with this cream.. should really revisit it huh.
 
... I have to be extremely careful and make sure I rinse well at the end of the shave and no final face wash with left over lather. The cream when left on my skin induces an allergic reaction burning sensation which lasts for hours....
I get this kind of reaction with any soap or cream. This is why it has been the habit of a lifetime to shower after my shave. I did experiment for a month of the lockdown (the first one, that is, for many of us) with doing it the other way around, but for some reason it ended up in bloodshed. Not like Friday 13th, just enough to be annoying. So I went back to doing it the old way.

I've always thought it passing strange to see characters in movies just towelling off their shave soap and going about their business. I've never been able to do that.
 
Just tried my sample of JS cream, and I was really surprised, in a good way. For some reason I had associated it with some of the abortions we get offered in airline toiletries packs, like Vulgari.

The scent is what I might describe as tasteful. Not overstated or in your face, a true "gentlemanly" scent that is just really pleasant.

My little single-use sachet gave an explosive lather that could have easily done for at least 2 face and head shaves, with all the slickness I could want. Not sure why I didn't try this before, maybe because the unprepossessing packaging does nothing to sell it.
 
Just tried my sample of JS cream, and I was really surprised, in a good way. For some reason I had associated it with some of the abortions we get offered in airline toiletries packs, like Vulgari.

The scent is what I might describe as tasteful. Not overstated or in your face, a true "gentlemanly" scent that is just really pleasant.

My little single-use sachet gave an explosive lather that could have easily done for at least 2 face and head shaves, with all the slickness I could want. Not sure why I didn't try this before, maybe because the unprepossessing packaging does nothing to sell it.

The Jermyn Street also does not contain

Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Methylisothiazolinone

Google searched these products and this is the result.

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT) may be hard to pronounce, but they can be even harder on the body. These common preservatives are found in many liquid personal care products, and have been linked to lung toxicity[1], allergic reactions and possible neurotoxicity[2].
 
Absolutely my #1 favourite scent that I have come across from all the shaving products I've tried. I now have a JS soap and it's filled my little ensuite bathroom with its glorious aroma.
The only negative I have with the shaving cream is that it tends to leave my skin feeling dry after the shave. Nothing a bit of moisturiser (part of my post shave routine anyway) doesn't fix.
 
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