I was an early adopter (mid-2007) of Tabula Rasa shave cream from Germany; a rather esoteric cream that it was only possible to order directly from the manufacturer and with very complex ordering procedures as well as significant shipping costs. To add insult to injury however, the cream did a very poor job of shaving. It was thick, dry, didn’t hold water, ran off my face, didn’t work well in a superlather, and all this for some $50 per tin (landed cost)!

After about a year and a half since my last disappointing use (just search Tabula Rasa in the search bar on the lower right if you want to see my various reviews), I came upon a web site that discusses how to build a great lather with this cream. It turns out that you really need to vigorously break down T.R. and force it to take on water, by working it up in the palm of your hand for about a minute or two. I decided to try this method and am happy to report that it works! Once the cream begins to lather up, it produces a very copious and thick slag that provides an excellent cushion and lubrication for the blade. I used the E.J. Chatsworth with a fresh Super-Max blade and got an excellent shave.

The shave itself was frankly no better than what I usually can achieve with any of my other creams/soaps, BUT, as I stroke my 30 min. post-shave face it has a smoothness and “nourished” feel far beyond any of those other creams and soaps. It must be what the manufacturer calls  “Stimu-tex”, a proprietary cosmetic agent for treating dry skin. Anyway, I must say I am a convert. I even liked the “unscented” scent which smells very vegetal and earthy.

I must also say a word about the web site where I found the instructions on Tabula Rasa. It is very well-designed and visually appealing. The writing is very good and the authors cover some topics you may not find covered elsewhere to the same extent. I like it and it is well worth the visit, here.