If you could only keep 4 shaving soaps or creams

[Lee Van Cleft]

1) TOOBS…..Mr Taylor’s cream
2) arko! …..stick
3) SV Opuntia….hard soap
4) La Toja…..stick
Hampshire Wool Fat is my favourite though but definitely too artisanal

 

[Bsamps]

Way too many to choose but, my four would be…
Tabac
Stirling Arkadia
Proraso Blue
TOBS Coconut

 

[Tomo]

Santa Maria Novella
Acqua di Parma
Martin de Candre Vetyver
DR Harris Arlington

 

[dmshaver]

My top 4:

Ethos Mandarino Fumo
Ethos Colonia
MdC Fougere
MdC Agrume

 

[JohnG]

1. Proraso Green
2. Nivea Sensitive
3. Cella Red
4. Speick cream

There can only be one?

Proraso Green.

 

[Iridian]

Cella and a gel... a huge bottle of what is basically glycerine and blue food color, seems to be immensely popular in Turkish barber shops. Sold under dozens of brand names.

 

[WhiskerLess]

1. Proraso Green
2. TOBS Sandalwood
3. TOBS Eton College
4. TOBS Jermyn Street

 

[ZeelandsRoem]

1. Santa Maria Novella
2. D.R. Harris Marlborough
3. D.R. Harris Lavender
4. SV Argania

 

[Edgelord]

I would update mine…

Cyril R. Salter sandalwood
Stirling sandalwood
TOBS sandalwood
Proraso sandalwood

 

[tube_guy]

Tabac soap with tallow.
Any Stirling beef tallow soap.
ARKO!
Palmolive classic shave cream.

 

[BobbyB]

My four:
1. Original Williams Mug shaving soap
2. Original Old Spice Cream
3. Any Noble Otter soap (my current favorite)
4. Stirling's Barbershop.

 

[DEgeezer]

Santa Maria Del Flore
Proraso green (tube)
Tabac
Cella bio

 

[rasoirdangereux]

I don't actually need 4 soaps. Arko(or More for you) and Tabac is all I use thesedays.

 

[tehnothing]

A few of mine are discontinued. Also borderline artisan. I rarely use anything else.
Czech & Speake Oxford & Cambridge in the old Valobra base. Failing that the also discontinued artisan Fine classic tallow Lavender Pour Homme. Martin de Candre Vetyver. They call that artisanal, but, it is pretty mainstream soap. Proraso Green or Red. Probably Green because I would miss it more if I could only pick one of them. Finally another borderline artisan Saponoficio Varesino Desert Vetiver. There just aren’t any mass market soaps or creams I will use so go play what if by yourselves. I have enough of my favorites to last me a couple years at least.

 

[SalS]

Jack Black Beard Lube
Jack Black Supreme Creme

Just two

 

[Jmp63]

As of right now:
Stirling Executive Man
Canada Shave Soap
B&M Waves
Haslinger Schafmilch

We’ll see how that changes after I finally try a few more, really want to try Ethos Succès and SV Opuntia.

 

[rsp1202]

MdC Nature and Canada remain my top soaps. They're interchangeable far as I'm concerned.
Kaliflower Organics Citrus Cedar is right there with them. I'm not a cedar fan but this one's mild and lathers great.
I'm on the fence with Southern Witchcrafts Incorporeal. It doesn't pop for me but is still a good soap.
TBD: Not a soap, the Omega Via Barberia Herbae hard cream. On hand, I haven't gotten to it yet.

 

[Mustard Seed]

I cannot limit myself to four of my 24+ creams. Just can't. Sorry, should have not even posted on the thread. BUT.. still was interesting to see the selections of those who could.

 

[Doc Dan]

I cannot limit myself to four of my 24+ creams. Just can't. Sorry, should have not even posted on the thread. BUT.. still was interesting to see the selections of those who could.

It's hard, I have to admit. However, that was just the point...getting us to think about it. I have a ton of soaps and I thought what I would use if I could only have one now that MWF tallow is no more. Then, I found that was nearly impossible, so I got it down to four. Think on it some. What four could you not live without?

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

A good short answer to this question is whatever @Marco recommends!

I don't use a ton of non-artisan soaps but here goes:

1. Cella Red (Brick) - I still have mine from my purchase in April of 2012 and use it for all of my head shaves. It is perfect for that.
2. SV 4.3 - This would be the one I use for my face. Lather can get incredibly thick. I haven't found a scent I truly love yet though.
3. Barberia Bolognini - not sure if this is considered artisan but it seems made in the classic ways. Vigoroso was/is one of my top 5 scents of all time. Unfortunately, I think it is discontinued. The classic scent was also a great almond smell. I wish I had more tubs of these!
4. Razorock La Famiglia - not sure if this is considered artisan but it seems made in the classic ways. The scents were incredible! Cumba Cheech, Zi Peppino, Nonno Michelino, Don Marco! I don't think I have ever been so excited about scents than these. I bought these all at once and loved them all - that has never happened again! Now a days, in most of the artisan soaps, I find the scents so bad that I am trying to find the least offensive but these are truly positive. Unfortunately, this line is discontinued. I have not tried the new line but Don Marco and Zi Peppino remain and they are tempting. Just thinking of these brings me back to my first years on the forum and awesome posts by @Marco about Italian soft soap. CLASSICS!

Honorable mention goes to P.160 brick - This is a classic that has also been lost to history. Beautiful almond scent though I prefer the scent of my beloved Cella over it. My brick is long gone but it was a classic.