Hand Soap for Shaving?

[aldomarino]

Cashmere Bouquet (no longer in production but still can be found) works great for shaving. Palmolive works well,too. In fact, it seems (looks, smells) pretty similar to their shave stick.


Actually, we've been going the other way here, for the last 13 months, using Arko as hand soap.

 

[Shavely Manden]

I've been pondering this matter of irritation from hand soap, and shaving soap in general.

When I see shaving/soap labeled for "sensitive skin" and it has aloe somewhere down the ingredients list, my first thought is it's a gimmick. However, straight aloe juice IS good for sunburn and some other things. Has anyone tried it as or in an aftershave?

Witch hazel is also excellent for quickly relieving the itching and swelling from fresh mosquito bites, so could it also be helpful in relieving soap irritation? Anyone try it, or perhaps witch hazel with aloe?

BTW, there are two family-produced Dickinson witch hazels, one with natural alcohol and the other with denatured alcohol. The family split up over this dispute.

Vinegar, in theory, should also be helpful as an aftershave in countering the alkalinity of most soaps. Trouble is, I haven't been having any skin irritation from my current hand/shave soap, none, so I can't test these.

I see in the tallow thread that some complain it causes skin irritation, but I suspect it is the alkalinity (they used to use lye) needed to turn it into soap.

I wonder how many fancy shaving soaps cause skin irritation?

Most of the time when I've seen irritation from soaps, it's from an allergy to one of the ingredients...e.g., avocado oil and rosemary scent both make my face burn (and lanolin also does to a lesser degree). I suspect, given people have been making shaving soaps for a couple hundred years at this point, that soapmakers have figured out the lye thing by this point...otherwise, wouldn't we all have switched to a brushless cream or that canned blue goo by now?

People do indeed use witch hazel as an aftershave...I have some Thayers rose-scented witch hazel I use sometimes. It works all right...wouldn't be my first choice after a rough shave. There are some shave soaps & creams with aloe...up until recently, TOBS made an aloe cream, but I think they've recently discontinued it. I can't say I've ever heard of vinegar as an aftershave...if nothing else, it'd leave you smelling like a jar of pickles, so I'd probably pass.

 

[BigSpender]

I picked up a glycerin-based soap at my local Indian market--Medimix--to use as a pre-shave soap, but found it lathered so well, I just shaved with it.
View attachment 1255875

Lathered as well, if not slightly better, than any entry level glycerin soap. I'm talking VDH, Col. Conk's, Wilkinson's Blue Bowl.

But then, I've shaved with Zote's laundry soap and got a good lather.

View attachment 1255879

In case you are interested, here are pictures and a link to Medimix Classic. The white, yellow and green box is what I recall years ago, the green box is labelled "classic" in the corner. Perhaps your local store has some. I recall getting a decent shave from it. It is certainly a good soap.

If they have Vi-John tube shave cream at a reasonable price, you might want to try that, too. It has a lot of glycerin and some lanolin. In India, it is very inexpensive. The price online in America is, frankly, too high. However, Italian Barber has it on clearance for $2 for a 125 gram tube, which is more than fair. I find it provides a reliably good shave.

I would be curious to know what your local Indian store charges for Medimix and Vi-John. I hope they are cheaper than online. Also, the Indian horsehair brushes come in some interesting colors.

As an experiment, I tried shaving with my glycerin soap without washing my face first. It did not work; the lather broke down. My previous procedure of washing my face with the glycerin soap first did work well.

Not all "glycerin" soaps are equal, at least in America, where it seems they often just look like glycerin soaps. On Pears, glycerin is fifth on the ingredient list, with water and sorbitol at the top. Corporations love to buy brands, keep the image and manipulate the product to make more profits. But I think a true, old fashioned glycerin soap does have the potential to be a good shave soap.

I can't speak for whether Medimix has kept its product constant. Perhaps some of our Indian members can provide insight.

Medimix Ayurvedic Classic 18 Herbs Soap, 125 g (4 + 1 Offer Pack) | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Medimix Ayurvedic Classic 18 Herbs Soap, 125 g (4 + 1 Offer Pack) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Tirvine]

I've used Ivory in a pinch in the past and it worked, it was drying but a little AV took care of it.
I also tried Yardley Lavender because it is a tallow soap and I really like the scent. Again this worked but not something I would want to do everyday. I have found I can shave with just about anything as long as it is slick, but at this point I choose to shave with soaps that I enjoy. If you enjoy using hand soap then by all means keep using it and save money!

I have tried ivory and Yardley, too! The Yardley was on a par with some old schools pucks. The Ivory was not a good choice. I am not sure Yardley every day would save money. It dissipates quickly.

 

[alin]

Some Hand Soaps are good for shaving, but still do not exceed a cheap shaving soap like Vitos Rosso with glycerin and coconut talow that costs 10 euros for 1 kilo in Europe. With ten euros we can shave very decently for 5 years. So it's not worth exaggerating with the discounts. We will not make a fortune shaving with hand soap that can be more expensive than Vitos. We deserve to protect our face properly even if we pay an extra dollar.

 

[geneaut]

I took a swing at shaving with a Clearly Natural glycerine bar soap I had sitting around. I never could quite get it to develop into a stable lather, and since I was headed somewhere that a nice appearance was required I ended up adding a dollop of Old Spice Lime shave cream. The OS isn't my favorite shave product but the combo seemed nice enough. I actually had the glycerine soap on hand because at one point in the past I had thought to use it as a preshave product.

 

[BigSpender]

I took a swing at shaving with a Clearly Natural glycerine bar soap I had sitting around. I never could quite get it to develop into a stable lather, and since I was headed somewhere that a nice appearance was required I ended up adding a dollop of Old Spice Lime shave cream. The OS isn't my favorite shave product but the combo seemed nice enough. I actually had the glycerine soap on hand because at one point in the past I had thought to use it as a preshave product.

I've been working on a post about this product, but it turns out it is complicated.

The company is Beaumont Products in Kennesaw, Georgia, right? How long have you had the soap? Did you buy in online/Amazon?

Beaumont Products sells its glycerin soap under at least three labels, with Clearly Natural the online version.

I bought mine in a Kroger store. The old version, the same since 1975, is called Clearly Magic. The new version, which I bought in the last six months, is called Clearly Glycerin.

The new version is a completely different formula, with glycerin as the first ingredient. In the old version, glycerin is the third ingredient. None of them have ANY water in the ingredients! Try finding any other glycerin soap with no water.

The new version says on the label: "New, richer lather!" This is correct. The old version didn't exactly do anything. But the new version does make a nice lather, especially if you leave it in a sealed container with a bit of water. It is a nice shave cream; I've been able to get a close shave without problems. It does not irritate my skin. This is surprising, given that the company says the pH is up around 10. So pH is not the whole story.

If you look online, you can find it on Amazon and Walmart, but it is hard to tell whether Walmart actually sells it, online or in store. The company says it is available in Kroger stores, which may carry it in part to cater to the vegan crowd. It is a good soap, and remarkably inexpensive if you can find it in a store - less than $1.50.

The company says the main difference between the online and in store versions is that the later use all natural fragrance. But the instore versions smell very nice. The soaps I have found online seem to all list different ingredients, though, so it is confusing. My guess is that they all shifted to the new formula (however, if you order online, there is no guarantee you will receive the new version).

If any readers can find it in store, it would be interesting to know which stores carry it.

I will post a bit more later.

In short, the new version. Clearly Glycerin, with glycerin as the first ingredient, works as a shaving soap, and is worth trying if you can find it in a store. The old version, with glycerin down the list, does not.

 

[razorhead63]

I like this thread, so I just got a bar of Dove out for my next shave. Just to experiment again.

 

[BigSpender]

Anyone familiar with ceramides? Anyone use products with ceramides in them?

There's always the wiki link:

Ceramide - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I ask because I ran across some soaps with ceramides in them. They sound like they could make a good shaving soap, as they lather, are slick, are good for people with sensitive skin, and have a neutral pH. One person warned to be careful not to slip if the soap go onto the shower floor.

Amazon.com : CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar | Soap-Free Body and Facial Cleanser with 5% Cerave Moisturizing Cream | Fragrance-Free | Single Bar, 4.5 Ounce : Beauty

Amazon.com : CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar | Soap-Free Body and Facial Cleanser with 5% Cerave Moisturizing Cream | Fragrance-Free | Single Bar, 4.5 Ounce : Beauty

www.amazon.com

Robot or human?

www.walmart.com

You might be able to find this in Walmart or other stores in the cosmetics section.

I just might try this. Or I might not.

I've. already. got. too. much. soap!

If you are adventurous and try shaving with this, please let us know how it works.

 

[shavefan]

I've shaved with bar soap once or twice out of necessity. A couple times I forgot my travel shave kit and resigned to using the hotel's bath soap to shave. I didn't like it, taut and dry.

 

[BigSpender]

I took a swing at shaving with a Clearly Natural glycerine bar soap I had sitting around. I never could quite get it to develop into a stable lather, and since I was headed somewhere that a nice appearance was required I ended up adding a dollop of Old Spice Lime shave cream. The OS isn't my favorite shave product but the combo seemed nice enough. I actually had the glycerine soap on hand because at one point in the past I had thought to use it as a preshave product.

A follow up from my earlier post. "Clearly Natural" is the version of the soap sold online. These are soaps sold stores:

Here is a photo of the old soap, on top, and two examples of the new soap, on bottom. Notice "New, richer lather!" Front - 1:

And here is the back, with ingredients - 2:

And here is a closeup of the ingredients for the new soap. Notice "New, richer lather!" New back - 3:

And here is the ingredients for the old version, Back - 4

And, while we're at it, here's some soap in a real brick and mortar store:

To test the soap, I washed my face with it first, and after using it to shave, I used the remainder on the brush to give my face a final wash. This was in part to test if there was any irritation from the soap. There wasn't. The soap produced a decent lather and enough of a cushion to shave comfortably with a Schone OC, a Gillette Old Type OC, and a New Type.

If you are experiencing irritation with your shaving soap, this might be worth a try. If you are using another shaving soap, it might be a good option for washing your face before your shave, and perhaps a wash afterwards to remove anything left that could be causing irritation.

It can be used as an all-purpose soap, even to wash your hair, though the glycerin feels a bit odd. Notice that there is NO water in the ingredients, so the bar doesn't magically shrink in half while just sitting, like some glycerin soaps. And each bar is shrink-wrapped, to minimize scent wafting through your home from stored soap. I see some of their old customers are very angry about this shrink wrap, complaining that the only way to open it is with scissors. Well, then use scissors!

As I mentioned, you can find it in Kroger stores, according to the company website; it is less than $1.50 a bar. It is on Amazon, and seems to be for sale through Walmart's website, but the online product name is different. I haven't tried the online version.

https://www.amazon.com/Clearly-Natural-Glycerine-Unscented-Count/dp/B009FJH9H4/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=CLEARLY+NATURAL&qid=1619505421&sr=8-4

For more information:

Beaumont Products, Inc.

www.beaumontproducts.com

BTW, this thread on hand soap alternatives should perhaps be considered a companion thread to the one about irritation from shaving soap:

Which soaps burn or irritate your face?

Essence of Scotland - Sweet Gale It first started out burning around my nose and then it started to irritate my face as a whole. It's sad because I love the scent. I use it as a body wash now.

www.badgerandblade.com

Why do you have to endure hours of irritation and redness from shaving soap?

 

[BigSpender]

I've shaved with bar soap once or twice out of necessity. A couple times I forgot my travel shave kit and resigned to using the hotel's bath soap to shave. I didn't like it, taut and dry.

Well, yes, of course. So have I, and so, I suspect, have most guys. That's the point of this thread: what hand soaps work in a pinch?

I have found some success with Dove, with Dial White, and Dial Power Berries. I got a very good shave with that red Power Berries semi-glycerin soap, and can even use it to wash my hair.

The question then arises whether there are any hand soaps that are as good as or better than shaving soap, at least in terms of not irritating the skin? What causes irritation to some people does not to others, apparently. Someone recommended Yardley. While I love Yardley as a soap, it irritated my face too much. But it is worth trying.

As to European shaving soap being cheaper than hand soap, stuff like Cella is three or four times as expensive here. It sounds good to me, but I also see some people reporting skin irritation from all the Cella varieties, as well as all sorts of high end shaving soap.

So the question in my mind is whether there is a hand soap that is mild and non-irritating that provides a good lather and slickness needed for a good shave? What I have found so far is that many of the soaps with a long reputation for being gentle to sensitive skin are actually quite irritating when used for shaving, such as Basis soap.

The only way to find out what works is to experiment.

 

[alin]

I still don't understand why you want to use a multiscope glycerin soap that costs $ 1.5 when the alternative Vitos shaving soap with Tallow and glycerin costs 1 Euro / 100 grams (10 euros 1 kilo). Just for the economy? You also have good and cheap shaving soaps in America! You are Americans earning ten times more money per hour of work than a Romanian! Don't exaggerate! Don't forget the light on in the pantry or in the bathroom and you already have money for a month of shaving with a good soap!

 

[BigSpender]

I still don't understand why you want to use a multiscope glycerin soap that costs $ 1.5 when the alternative Vitos shaving soap with Tallow and glycerin costs 1 Euro / 100 grams (10 euros 1 kilo). Just for the economy? You also have good and cheap shaving soaps in America! You are Americans earning ten times more money per hour of work than a Romanian! Don't exaggerate! Don't forget the light on in the pantry or in the bathroom and you already have money for a month of shaving with a good soap!

Welllll, for one thing, I don't live in Europe (don't let the headdress fool you). So I cannot go down to the corner chemist and buy a kilo of shaving soap for 10 euros. I can't even find a tiny cup of van der Hagen at the local chain drug store. I don't live in a big city; I can't even get half the stuff on eBay or Amazon shipped to me because I don't live in "CONUS."

I could fly to Italy to pick some up, but they won't let us Americans in these days. And to offset the airfare, I would have to buy at least 1,000 kilos of shave cream, which I might get home and find I do not like.

I see I could order a ton, err I mean a kilo, of your shave cream and have it shipped from England for A LOT more than 10 euros.

Vitos Shaving Soap Block Cube (Extra Super) - 1Kg 1000g | eBay

Vitos Shaving Soap Block (Extra Super) - 1Kg. Imported from Italy, this classic shave cream soap 'block' is tallow based and very similar to the 'classic' GREEN version but with added Glycerin for lubrication.

www.ebay.com

But I don't need a kilo, as I have a mustache. I could order a 100 gram slice, but that's an even worse bargain:

Vitos Sapone Per Barba Extra Super Shaving Soap 100gm / 3.5oz Block | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vitos Sapone Per Barba Extra Super Shaving Soap 100gm / 3.5oz Block at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

So I am having difficulty understanding why you think my buying 100 grams Vitos for $15 is a better deal than buying 113 grams of nice, mild American glycerin soap that I get a very pleasant, close shave with, has a delightful scent, and that cost me about $1 on sale. And which has glycerin as the first ingredient. And which has absolutely no -- ZERO -- water (aqua). None -- unlike Vitos.

Perhaps I am confused. Am I not supposed to shave with a soap just because it is not labeled "shaving soap"? Will people think I am "strange," or put me away in a padded cell for being a nonconformist?

We have a philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote in his essay, "Self Reliance":

“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.”

No one reads Emerson, anymore. He is obsolete. Who needs self-reliance in the age of social media, when even non-conformity is conformist? No one thinks for themselves, anymore, and if they do, no one hears because no one listens.

BTW, don't look for me on Facebook, Twitter or any of those purveyors of mass delusion. I'm not there. I might not even be here after awhile.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Welllll, for one thing, I don't live in Europe (don't let the headdress fool you). So I cannot go down to the corner chemist and buy a kilo of shaving soap for 10 euros. I can't even find a tiny cup of van der Hagen at the local chain drug store. I don't live in a big city; I can't even get half the stuff on eBay or Amazon shipped to me because I don't live in "CONUS."

I could fly to Italy to pick some up, but they won't let us Americans in these days. And to offset the airfare, I would have to buy at least 1,000 kilos of shave cream, which I might get home and find I do not like.

I see I could order a ton, err I mean a kilo, of your shave cream and have it shipped from England for A LOT more than 10 euros.

Vitos Shaving Soap Block Cube (Extra Super) - 1Kg 1000g | eBay

Vitos Shaving Soap Block (Extra Super) - 1Kg. Imported from Italy, this classic shave cream soap 'block' is tallow based and very similar to the 'classic' GREEN version but with added Glycerin for lubrication.

www.ebay.com

But I don't need a kilo, as I have a mustache. I could order a 100 gram slice, but that's an even worse bargain:

Vitos Sapone Per Barba Extra Super Shaving Soap 100gm / 3.5oz Block | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vitos Sapone Per Barba Extra Super Shaving Soap 100gm / 3.5oz Block at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

So I am having difficulty understanding why you think my buying 100 grams Vitos for $15 is a better deal than buying 113 grams of nice, mild American glycerin soap that I get a very pleasant, close shave with, has a delightful scent, and that cost me about $1 on sale. And which has glycerin as the first ingredient. And which has absolutely no -- ZERO -- water (aqua). None -- unlike Vitos.

Perhaps I am confused. Am I not supposed to shave with a soap just because it is not labeled "shaving soap"? Will people think I am "strange," or put me away in a padded cell for being a nonconformist?

We have a philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote in his essay, "Self Reliance":

“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.”

No one reads Emerson, anymore. He is obsolete. Who needs self-reliance in the age of social media, when even non-conformity is conformist? No one thinks for themselves, anymore, and if they do, no one hears because no one listens.

BTW, don't look for me on Facebook, Twitter or any of those purveyors of mass delusion. I'm not there. I might not even be here after awhile.

If it works for you, sir , it works. In Africa there are people who can shave with just little water. I am not surprised why a soap high in glycerin works for you. Glycerin improves slickness and traps humidity in the skin at the same time. While soaps low in glycerin, will most likely dry the skin.

This Ralph Waldo Emerson, was a minimalist. Truly, a difficult place to be in today's consumeristic society. Hats off to him and to you, sir! You put me to shame as an African. But, like you say, i too have lived for too long in a conformist society. I try to use cheap products too, just to remind myself my african roots. But you are more african than me by now, i am afraid.

 

[alin]

Welllll, for one thing, I don't live in Europe (don't let the headdress fool you). So I cannot go down to the corner chemist and buy a kilo of shaving soap for 10 euros. I can't even find a tiny cup of van der Hagen at the local chain drug store. I don't live in a big city; I can't even get half the stuff on eBay or Amazon shipped to me because I don't live in "CONUS."

I could fly to Italy to pick some up, but they won't let us Americans in these days. And to offset the airfare, I would have to buy at least 1,000 kilos of shave cream, which I might get home and find I do not like.

I see I could order a ton, err I mean a kilo, of your shave cream and have it shipped from England for A LOT more than 10 euros.

Vitos Shaving Soap Block Cube (Extra Super) - 1Kg 1000g | eBay

Vitos Shaving Soap Block (Extra Super) - 1Kg. Imported from Italy, this classic shave cream soap 'block' is tallow based and very similar to the 'classic' GREEN version but with added Glycerin for lubrication.

www.ebay.com

But I don't need a kilo, as I have a mustache. I could order a 100 gram slice, but that's an even worse bargain:

Vitos Sapone Per Barba Extra Super Shaving Soap 100gm / 3.5oz Block | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vitos Sapone Per Barba Extra Super Shaving Soap 100gm / 3.5oz Block at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

So I am having difficulty understanding why you think my buying 100 grams Vitos for $15 is a better deal than buying 113 grams of nice, mild American glycerin soap that I get a very pleasant, close shave with, has a delightful scent, and that cost me about $1 on sale. And which has glycerin as the first ingredient. And which has absolutely no -- ZERO -- water (aqua). None -- unlike Vitos.

Perhaps I am confused. Am I not supposed to shave with a soap just because it is not labeled "shaving soap"? Will people think I am "strange," or put me away in a padded cell for being a nonconformist?

We have a philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote in his essay, "Self Reliance":

“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.”

No one reads Emerson, anymore. He is obsolete. Who needs self-reliance in the age of social media, when even non-conformity is conformist? No one thinks for themselves, anymore, and if they do, no one hears because no one listens.

BTW, don't look for me on Facebook, Twitter or any of those purveyors of mass delusion. I'm not there. I might not even be here after awhile.

I'm sorry, I didn't know Vitos is so expensive in America. I do not advertise in Vitos because I do not have shares in them, it is not the best shaving soap but in Europe it is the cheapest because of this I gave it an example. If a glycerin soap works well, keep going! I also used Protex soap and it was really wonderful. Sorry again.

 

[Manannan]

I occasionally use Palmolive bath/hand soap as an alternative to using the Palmolive Classic shave stick; with face lathering the bath soap produces a decent lather and, although it does not last as long on the face as that produced by the shave stick, with a pre-shave touch up after stropping, it hangs around for long enough at skin level to produce a decent shave. In the UK, Boots and Superdrug now appear only to stock the Wilkinson Sword shave soap bowl - the Wilkinson Sword and Palmolive sticks have disappeared as has the Ingram Cool Lather Shave Cream; the Boots shaving stick and shaving bowl refill both vanished long ago... I recall watching a documentary showing a soldier shaving with a handheld DE razor blade with no soap and just cold water - I have yet to try this...

 

[Burundian Hawk]

I occasionally use Palmolive bath/hand soap as an alternative to using the Palmolive Classic shave stick; with face lathering the bath soap produces a decent lather and, although it does not last as long on the face as that produced by the shave stick, with a pre-shave touch up after stropping, it hangs around for long enough at skin level to produce a decent shave. In the UK, Boots and Superdrug now appear only to stock the Wilkinson Sword shave soap bowl - the Wilkinson Sword and Palmolive sticks have disappeared as has the Ingram Cool Lather Shave Cream; the Boots shaving stick and shaving bowl refill both vanished long ago... I recall watching a documentary showing a soldier shaving with a handheld DE razor blade with no soap and just cold water - I have yet to try this...

Dear sir, they are all buying artisan soaps nowadays! So, who will buy the cheap sticks! Only we Burundians try to save the cheap products nowadays!

 

[thombrogan]

I didn't know Vitos is so expensive in America.

The shipping on a kilo from England to the USA got fairly expensive during COVID. I think the 100ml tubs can be sent here for about $13usd shipped, I’d rather spend less money on a dozen sticks of ARKO! and get guaranteed satisfaction.

 

[Manannan]

Dear sir, they are all buying artisan soaps nowadays! So, who will buy the cheap sticks! Only we Burundians try to save the cheap products nowadays!

Burundian Hawk - quite agree with you sir. When I were a lad, we 'ad t'shave wi' a dollop of margarine, half a small 'amster and a shard of broken bottle. Shavers these days don't know they're born...