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What Soap Type Do You Prefer?

It seems to me that there are distinct types of shaving soap, but I am no expert here….

”Soap soaps” - These are soaps that appear like soap. Smooth, white, dense, produce a lather that is like soap lather. They have a base that smells clean and neutral - like soap, on which the scents are added. Examples are Martin de Candre, Haslinger, Saponificio Varesino.

”Beige smoothies” - These are softer, smooth, always seem to be some shade of beige from ivory to taupe or even hazelnut, produce a lather that is sort of thick and gloopy, or yoghurty. Examples are Barrister & Mann, Noble Otter, Grooming Dept. The bases seem to have a characteristic background odour which I can’t describe other than to say it smells ’beige’ to me, but which is light enough to allow the added scents to stand out in a detailed way, but I think colours the scents slightly.

“Congealed vomit” - These are soft, lumpy, sometimes crystalline, and sometimes slightly glistening in a suspicious manner. They look to me a bit like a tub of vomit that has been kept in the fridge. Examples are Declaration Grooming, Stirling, TFS. It seems to me that these bases have a fairly strong odour - maybe citrusy or acidic - which can overpower subtle scents and appears to require a heavier hand in adding the scent oils. My sense is that this sort of soap yields the most slickness during the shave.

I don’t know if you would agree or disagree with my impressions of these distinct types of soap or these classifications, and feel free to correct me on the characteristics that you observe, but hopefully you see what I mean in general. Are there other kinds too? Do you favour one style in particular - soap soaps, beige smoothies or congealed vomit - and if so, why?
 
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Congealed vomit?? I switched to Stirling soaps 5yrs ago and haven't looked back as it has everything I've needed in a shave soap that lathers quick and easy, is one of the slickest soaps on the market today, one of the largest varieties of scents available in a shave soap line, and all that at one of the best price per ounce soaps on the market!! The last description I would ever think when I open a tub in the morning is congealed vomit!!

@Stinkykid You should probably stick to using Arko and Tabac cause I don't think your ready for anything beyond that!!
 
Congealed vomit?? I switched to Stirling soaps 5yrs ago and haven't looked back as it has everything I've needed in a shave soap that lathers quick and easy, is one of the slickest soaps on the market today, one of the largest varieties of scents available in a shave soap line, and all that at one of the best price per ounce soaps on the market!! The last description I would ever think when I open a tub in the morning is congealed vomit!!

@Stinkykid You should probably stick to using Arko and Tabac cause I don't think your ready for anything beyond that!!
If you can think of a better name for this type I’m happy to hear it. I always thought “croap” sounds like a disgusting throat infection, so I dislike the term.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
If you can think of a better name for this type I’m happy to hear it. I always thought “croap” sounds like a disgusting throat infection, so I dislike the term.
I think of Stirling as more of a Beige myself. Except for the scents. They are either a homerun or a strike out.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I keep three options available for each shave:

One hard soap. Will get switched for a different hard soap when it's finished.

One cream. Again, will only be swapped when it's empty.

One sample sized serving of a tub soap. This might give me 20 to thirty shaves before I need to serve up another portion. I might have three or four tubs soaps open at any time.
 
If I were forced to choose just one, it would be a soap. They may take a little more effort to create a lather than cream or croap, but they will still be going strong when the others are just a memory.
But it's good that a choice doesn't have to be made, because there are some really great ones in every category! :thumbup:
 
In many instances, the appearance of a soap is dictated by the scent of the soap. For example, any soap that has a significant vanilla scent tends to be quite dark, so much so that you might want to lather using a synthetic brush to avoid staining a natural hair brush.

I have over 200 soaps in my collection, so each of the types you mention is represented multiple times. I tend to rate most of the soap-soaps on the low end of my performance criteria. Many of my very best soaps would fall into the beige smoothie grouping.
 
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