Shave Soaps

There are so many soap choices out there. What unusual soaps have you tried that you did not have much hope for? But turned out to be impressive, exceeded your idea of what you thought soap would be.

Brilliant question,and I can think of a couple,but maybe the most impressive one have been Dr Selby.I wasnt expecting to be the great soap that it is, and the wonderful skin care protection that gives me.Another was the shaving stick I used today,the Gibbs 53,which doesnt have any scent left,but oh boy!, it pampers my skin with a lot of care while shaving.

I've been fairly cautious. I think the biggest surprise was Mike's Natural Soap. I didn't expect it to be as good as it is, but didn't expect it to bomb, either.

A couple of years or so ago, just after I started traditional wetshaving, there was a buzz on another board about a then new tallow based soap by a small maker under the name Charismata.

I ordered a puck. Upon arrival, I couldn't get a decent lather out of it. Evidently lots of others couldn't either and the buzz turned a little ugly. I set the puck aside for awhile.

After about a yr, I decided to try it again. Evidently my technique improved during the time the puck was hibernating and I was able to get it to work well. Got a great lather out of that puck. Great cushion, good glide, a nice soap.

I haven't ordered anymore since I all ready have about 3 years worth. But, if I needed soap, I wouldn't hesitate to try it again.

Haslinger

Dr. Selby, Savon du Midi, Wilkinson stick and Woods of Windsor.

And the vintage Musgo Real stick.

Godrej Shaving Round

Dr. Dittmar. I generally do not care for veggie based soaps but this one is different. Thick and rich lather with plenty of glide.

Col Conk did the magic for me the other day. Until I started experimenting with soaps a few months ago, I'd been using creams only. At that time I bought a couple of pucks CC - Amber and Bay Rum, and liked their scents a lot. But I couldn't make decent lather with this soap and didn't use it since then. I re-visited it again the other day, and I couldn't believe how nice slick and protective lather came out of it.

Institut Karite
Dr. Dittmar
Haslinger

Heck, most German and French palm based soaps have kind of surprised me. They have surpassed most of the English soaps lately.

(03-26-2012, 11:51 AM)SteelTown Wrote: Institut Karite
Dr. Dittmar
Haslinger

Heck, most German and French palm based soaps have kind of surprised me. They have surpassed most of the English soaps lately.

The same here : I found French and German soaps,in general terms,much better than the made in UK ones,but for few exceptions like the Geo F. Trumper or the Edwin Jagger soaps.

(03-26-2012, 10:12 AM)40boy Wrote: Haslinger

Same here. I picked up a puck and I didn't expect much, boy was I wrong!

RazoRock Artisan line was also are nice surprise.

I can't live without my MWF. Have a box full of some great soaps and I will pull them out and use them when the mood strikes but MWF stays on the sink counter full time. It's used at least three days a week every week. Always get a great shave with the Fat.

De Vergulde Hand
De Vergulde Hand "Extra fris"

These soaps are almost Williams cheap over in the Netherlands but actually work brilliantly. I had read good & bad reviews but when I had some patients going to visit family I had to ask them to look for this stuff. I only asked for 1 puck. I ended up receiving 1 puck & 2 sticks. They said it was too cheap that they couldn't get me just 1. This is a non-tallow soap but it lathers easier than anything else I've used & provides nice cushion along with excellent glide. The scent is what tends to turn people off on this soap as it starts out strong. I find it very pleasant, citrusy & fresh. Anyone that has a chance to pick it up should. If you have easy access to it or just don't like the puck you have, then please send them to my Nook where they'll be treated to boar massages & SE exfoliation!

Ditto Dittmar's! I posted about it earlier. I am a MWF pundit and never expected to use another palm based product.
You have to apply discretion lumping national soaps qualitatively. There are to many good people making wonderfull
kit worldwide. Shaving, as Hemingway would say is truly a 'Moveable Feast.'

(03-26-2012, 05:32 PM)daccpa Wrote: I can't live without my MWF. Have a box full of some great soaps and I will pull them out and use them when the mood strikes but MWF stays on the sink counter full time. It's used at least three days a week every week. Always get a great shave with the Fat.

Ditto, Ditto, and Ditto

Do shaving forums have a raisson d'etre?
It doesn't take a great effort to search past postings on the various forums and get
a general indication if something is worth trying. Products seem to have their 'day in the sun'
and then fade to anonymity except people who tried them and experienced kismet.
I experimented ONCE; a ebay 'artisan' soap scented in the very pungeant indian incense
based on sandalwood. I had attended a Hindu wedding and came home imagining myself smelling like
Sir Richard Burton planning an adventure. It was mediocre lathering which was moot. The essential oils
were so strong I had to take an immediate cold shower to staunch the burning. My Grosvenor LE reeked
for days until use and MWF removed that Black Hhole of Calcutta stench.

(03-27-2012, 02:05 PM)kav2 Wrote: Do shaving forums have a raisson d'etre?
It doesn't take a great effort to search past postings on the various forums and get
a general indication if something is worth trying. Products seem to have their 'day in the sun'
and then fade to anonymity except people who tried them and experienced kismet.
I experimented ONCE; a ebay 'artisan' soap scented in the very pungeant indian incense
based on sandalwood. I had attended a Hindu wedding and came home imagining myself smelling like
Sir Richard Burton planning an adventure. It was mediocre lathering which was moot. The essential oils
were so strong I had to take an immediate cold shower to staunch the burning. My Grosvenor LE reeked
for days until use and MWF removed that Black Hhole of Calcutta stench.

My posting was not about popular soaps that are a fad. The question I had asked was basically about soaps that proved to exceed expectations. You have a valid point about searching.