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Rookie question about exploring different soaps...

I'm continuing to use the search feature and trying to read up on older threads. The sheer volume of information is overwhelming, so apologies if this has been asked/answered:


Shaving soap question for you guys, as I am a bit of a novice on the soap category. I’ve generally been using shaving creams in a tube, such as Creamo and proraso, and lathering directly on the face.

If I were to buy my first supply of shaving soap, do I need to buy one that’s in a container with a lid so that it is preserved and does not oxidize? I see some that are just sold as Pucks and I’m not sure how they are to be stored each day?

Without knowing any better and looking at simple reviews online, it looks like for somebody who is new to using soaps instead of creams in a tube, the Proraso green might be a good starting point? Please suggest otherwise as I’m really interested. I have my first nice brush on the way to me this week and might be retiring my 12 year old Edwin Jagger brush, although it's been suggested I give it a good shampoo and keep using.
 
Welcome to B&B, Sir Strumbringer!
You're off to a great start with Proraso stuff, even face-lathering!!
I'd echo suggestion for Arko stick!
Other ideas are Speick stick, Mitchell Wool Fat, Wilkinson Sword stick, any Proraso tub.
Enjoy the journey!!
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
The soaps prone to spoilage will come in some kind of lidded container anyway. The cakes of soap which don't are refills, sold on the assumption that you already have some kind of soap dish to put them in.

Also, do bear in mind, that many of these soaps are intended to be used on their own, not in some rotational system with seventy two other soaps. So they were not necessarily intended to be used a couple of times, then stuffed in a cupboards for a few weeks, and still only being part used three years later. A soap should stay intact for as long as it takes to use one soap, but sometimes spoilage does happen.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Hey @Strumbringer : first, don't worry about asking questions. We are talking about soap. EVERY possible question has been asked already, lol. It always irks me when folks yell at new folks for that. Jeez. Like they were never new at anything.

I love shaving sticks, or pucks treated like a stick, rubbed on my incredibly handsome face, and then lathered directly onto my face with a moist brush.

I think if you buy "Artisan" type soaps that they are more prone to go rancid, as the fats aren't stable.

If you have a 12 year old brush, you definitely know more about soaps than I do!

If I haven't welcomed you before, welcome to Badger and Blade my friend.
 

Ravenonrock

I shaved the pig
I’ve purchased a few pucks without containers as I had a few of my own I wanted to use (Williams, DR Harris, TOBS) but mostly get soaps with a dedicated container. Either way, they get a lid after use.
 
Th
Hey @Strumbringer : first, don't worry about asking questions. We are talking about soap. EVERY possible question has been asked already, lol. It always irks me when folks yell at new folks for that. Jeez. Like they were never new at anything.

I love shaving sticks, or pucks treated like a stick, rubbed on my incredibly handsome face, and then lathered directly onto my face with a moist brush.

I think if you buy "Artisan" type soaps that they are more prone to go rancid, as the fats aren't stable.

If you have a 12 year old brush, you definitely know more about soaps than I do!

If I haven't welcomed you before, welcome to Badger and Blade my friend.
Thank you, very kind. Well, the brush does have a lot of years on it, but I’ve really only experienced tube-based cream/soaps and not the real-deal stuff. I just watched several great YouTube videos. I’ll likely try one at a time, as it makes sense to not have several in rotation. Appreciate your kind message!
 
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Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Here are two threads I used to figure out a few soaps to try:



The threads aren't too long and there is some good discussion in each of them.
 

Mike M

...but this one IS cracked.
There are no silly questions here (with the exception of "Why does Arko smell like a urinal cake") you will find that most croap style soaps like Proraso already come in a container. Sticks will be fine, Arko improves when left out in the air because it smells less like Arko. If you buy refill pucks you will need a container for it, but anything will do, plastic food containers, bowls, I have one in a bowl that used to hold a candle.
The one piece of useful advice I can give you is try some of the classics listed in the threads in @Phoenixkh post, but don't buy all of them. Just don't go crazy buying, there is plenty of time to try them out. Also spend a bit of time with each soap to see how they work, you can't tell anything about a soap from using it a couple of times.
 
Some soaps are milled to remove excess water and make them more dense. Some soaps are softer, like a firm cream.

Keep the soft soaps in a covered container. Treat them like a cream.

The hard milled soaps can be put in an open mug like our grandfathers and great-grandfathers used. If they are not covered, they may lose some scent over time, but will perform the same. You can cover them if you want to. I usually do, with reusable containers like these:

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Lots of great info was given. Soooo many soaps on the market right now and with you being a bit new to soaps you might not know when soap is much better than others. Knowing and learning about the slickness, how easy it lathers, the conditioning of your skin, the scent, how little or much is needed to make lather, how much water is needed to build a good lather, etc...

Some shave companies sell samples so you can try different types without buying pucks and finding it's not for you. You can also buy soaps in the BST thread here for less than it will cost you from buying new. I personally like the Artisan soaps. They come in containers and last for a few years if properly taken care of. They have some of the best scents and qualities that soap makers can make. The tubes and stuff you buy on Amazon or Walmart or your local drug store are just the beginning. Nothing wrong with them. some are a little better than others. But step up your game and you will find soap is a lot more than just lather and scent.

Good luck with what you decide. If you want to put out a few bucks get you a tin of SV and a tub of MDC and you will never look back. But you will first have to discover what those letters mean. lol.
 
You can store a hard puck however you want, really. Some people keep it in a bowl or mug. If you do you'll want something sort of cover to keep the dust off. It doesn't need to be an air tight cover. I would start with buying a soap that comes with its own container.
 
I'm continuing to use the search feature and trying to read up on older threads. The sheer volume of information is overwhelming, so apologies if this has been asked/answered:


Shaving soap question for you guys, as I am a bit of a novice on the soap category. I’ve generally been using shaving creams in a tube, such as Creamo and proraso, and lathering directly on the face.

If I were to buy my first supply of shaving soap, do I need to buy one that’s in a container with a lid so that it is preserved and does not oxidize? I see some that are just sold as Pucks and I’m not sure how they are to be stored each day?

Without knowing any better and looking at simple reviews online, it looks like for somebody who is new to using soaps instead of creams in a tube, the Proraso green might be a good starting point? Please suggest otherwise as I’m really interested. I have my first nice brush on the way to me this week and might be retiring my 12 year old Edwin Jagger brush, although it's been suggested I give it a good shampoo and keep using.
I would recommend Razorock soap. Very easy to lather, good performer and comes in a good solid jar.
 
I have containers with lids for all my soaps (about 22, with about 7 additional samples in containers as well). I would not overthink anything. Explore soaps as you see fit. Proraso is a wonderful soap to get in a tub. There is no wrong soap. I purchased some used empty tubs from Maggards a while back when I first explored soaps and bought some soap samples from them too. And yada yada yada I have 22 soaps and 7 samples. So, that was a thing. :)
 
I reviewed the thread that was kindly suggested by @Phoenixkh And noted that Mitchell’s wool fat was one of the most frequently mentioned soaps. I did not perform a proper tabulation with modal distribution, but it seems this one had the highest frequency. A good start perhaps?
 
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