What am I doing wrong with Esbjerg Shaving Cream?

For one of the very few times I bought a full tub of a shaving cream/soap. Esberg Orange Vetiver.  Why? I like orange scents and Esberg has gotten good reviews from EU shavers. I've seen it mentioned several times in the same league but just lower than XPEC. Here is one review of it. Here is a picture of the lather from the same thread. I'm not embedding the photo. I didn't take it.  However - this is the exact thing I bought and it is my picture.



Notice it is that wet yogurt like appearance the exact same as in the reference thread. When I went to lather it, it barely lathered at all and the result looked like the reference brush picture. It was like it was virtually ready to use out of the jar. The scent was fine. Cushion was "OK". But this was one of the few shaving creams where residual slickness was sub par. If there wasn't any lather on your face, you do NOT go back over it with a razor. In fact, it started to dry. I know to add water and tried face lathering adding water with various relather but to be frank, this was no XPEC.

So is there something obvious I did wrong? I lathered it the exact same way I've lathered maybe 50 other shavings creams. There is just something about the consistency of this cream that I find different. There are no peaks, not nice fluffy clouds, just a yogurt like substance.  To be fair, the resultant shave was smooth but the alum stung, the AS stung. No bleeding but not pleasant.

Since this brand seems fairly highly praised, I figure its me. But at the moment, its NO XPEC and its not even close to the other T, T, and T brothers. And lesson learned here about spending money on full tubs ...

I saw Esberg hyped recently on another forum. I'm always suspicious of hype campaigns that look strangely coordinated. That's not to say that it's automatically a bad product, but it's important to read impressions with a critical eye. If 50 people on a certain forum suddenly praise a product to high heaven after a certain retailer begins carrying it... Well, caution is warranted.

From what I've read of more credible reviewers though, I didn't get the impression that it was a top tier product like XPEC or SMN.

Interesting take. I have encounter no problem with this brand, of course I understand am not your garden variety internet desk jockey expert, but here it goes.

Compare in it to XPEC is a non starter. Consistency is not the same, lathering properties are not the same. These are two different monsters.

I found out you have to use more product, you want to be one of those cent and grams shaver, be my guest, but here you need to load a bit more than normal and add water a bit at a time. Slickness? Is not bad, but is not alum either, I'll say average, but effective.

This is a finicky cream for sure and it does take a learning curve. grim I don't think you did anything wrong, but it requires a bit more than others.

NeoXerxes please try it first and leave your sour grapes with that other forum out of it. You mention all the time you are a serious reviewer, then act like it. Use it and issue a fair objective opinion. Otherwise your above comment is just plain petty and it doesn't help grim or anybody else one bit.

Another reason many "reviews" aren't trustworthy...personal trial and error is more reliable.

Another reason many "reviews" aren't trustworthy...personal trial and error is more reliable.

I agree Primo. I think this is the only true way. I enjoy reading reviews, but at the end of the day, my opinion is the one that matters most.

Compare in it to XPEC is a non starter.  Consistency is not the same, lathering properties are not the same.  These are two different monsters.  

I found out  you have to use more product, you want to be one of those cent and grams shaver, be my guest, but here you need to load a bit more than normal and add water a bit at a time.  Slickness?  Is not bad, but is not alum either, I'll say average, but effective.  

This is a finicky cream for sure and it does take a learning curve.  grim don't think you did anything wrong, but it requires a bit more than others.

Thanks hrfdez , I was looking to see what I did wrong. I WAS expecting it to act like any of the British creams, some of which I barely look at and they explode in lather. This one does not even come close, totally different.

I will give it another shot tomorrow and see what I can do.

Now like I said to be fair, the result was a close shave and I liked the scent, but it was a bit miserable getting there.

Compare in it to XPEC is a non starter.  Consistency is not the same, lathering properties are not the same.  These are two different monsters.  

I found out  you have to use more product, you want to be one of those cent and grams shaver, be my guest, but here you need to load a bit more than normal and add water a bit at a time.  Slickness?  Is not bad, but is not alum either, I'll say average, but effective.  

This is a finicky cream for sure and it does take a learning curve.  grim don't think you did anything wrong, but it requires a bit more than others.

Thanks hrfdez , I was looking to see what I did wrong. I WAS expecting it to act like any of the British creams, some of which I barely look at and they explode in lather. This one does not even come close, totally different.

I will give it another shot tomorrow and see what I can do.  

Now like I said to be fair, the result was a close shave and I liked the scent, but it was a bit miserable getting there.

You got it.  I get your experience because mine was similar.  Unlike Castle Forbes, this needs a little more cream galore, which in a way explains the amount of cream you get in the jar, if that makes a little sense.

In conclusion, my two keys with this cream are, more product and little water to start with.  Give it a shot and see what happens.  Good luck with it

I need to give it a spin with one of my synthetic brushes to see if that makes a difference.

I'm one of the guys that has praised Esbjerg as one of my favourite shaving creams.

I bought all my 5 pots at the artisan's own online webstore.

Sometimes I do get a bit shall we say committed in my reviews, but I have never published a review or opinion on a product on any foreign (not danish) shaving site, where shilling was involved.

I did 3 times receive products from 2 danish wet shaving online stores, where I promised to make a review of the products - not a positive review, but a review none the less.

You could argue, that schilling was involved there in these 3 cases, but since I have never received products from NON-danish online stores, you can't argue that schilling is involved here.

I have bought and paid for all my 5 Esbjerg shaving creams.

Esbjerg shaving cream in my opinion is top shelf stuff. I can only speak for myself of course. But I rank it almost on the same level as the top creams like Xpec, and I own both Xpec's - new version and old version, and also Acqua di Parma shaving cream.

My Esbjerg creams lather very easily - and I have hard water where I live.
Perhaps I don't notice, that I have obtained a good deal of experience now, so pretty much all creams and soaps (as long at they are of a certain quality level) work well for me......

The slickness of my Esbjreg creams are great. I can easily shave over the same place several times without irritation.

Of course we are all different and perhaps you got a bad batch of Esbjerg cream, or you did not use enough water or your water just does not work that well with Esbjerg creams.

hrfdez Please let the OP determine what is or is not helpful to him. It is quite obvious that I was attempting to explain the hype he witnessed regarding this particular product. Fortunately that opinion isn't subject to your approval.

And CHSeifert, naturally I wasn't referring to you in my previous post. I'm glad the creams work for you and that you enjoy them!

I am also one of the people who enjoys Esbjerg creams - I bought mine directly from them in Vienna and paid the full price. I did receive a couple of small samples though and a plastic spatula...

I think the reason why I like this cream so much, is because it does behave like a good soap - you have to work it a bit harder and it needs more product, but it also takes so much more water than other creams I have tried so far, hence getting slicker. But as always, YMMV and I am certainly not a cream expert.