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Rookie question about exploring different soaps...

In my opinion, No.
Check out Sterling. They are a decent soap maker. Lots of scents to choose from. Just not an Artisan soapmaker any longer as they have grown to be huge.
 
Check out Sterling. They are a decent soap maker. Lots of scents to choose from. Just not an Artisan soapmaker any longer as they have grown to be huge.

With Stirling, you can buy an empty 4oz jar (tub) for under $3 which will hold their samples or refill pucks. I have several of those I keep reusing. I also save all my used cream and soap tubs. Besides soaps, they come in handy for storing nails, screws, etc.
 
Call me careless, call me wrong, call me a heretic, but I have soaps in mugs hanging below a shelf in the bathroom, on cup hooks with no covers. One is a Stirling sample, one is a puck of Col Conk which I melted into the mug in the microwave, and one is a puck of William's wedged into the bottom another mug.

I just use em, rinse off the excess lather when done and hang the mug back on a hook. No covers.

I also have tubs of Taylor of Old Bond Street, Cella, Proraso, and Captain's Choice. I scoop what I need to use for a single shave from those into my lather bowl, recap the tub and store in a drawer on the bathroom vanity.

I don't use any of them every day, and only use one of the mug soaps once a week to shave my head, and they all seem to be fine. Time will tell.
 
Call me careless, call me wrong, call me a heretic, but I have soaps in mugs hanging below a shelf in the bathroom, on cup hooks with no covers. One is a Stirling sample, one is a puck of Col Conk which I melted into the mug in the microwave, and one is a puck of William's wedged into the bottom another mug.

I just use em, rinse off the excess lather when done and hang the mug back on a hook. No covers.

I also have tubs of Taylor of Old Bond Street, Cella, Proraso, and Captain's Choice. I scoop what I need to use for a single shave from those into my lather bowl, recap the tub and store in a drawer on the bathroom vanity.

I don't use any of them every day, and only use one of the mug soaps once a week to shave my head, and they all seem to be fine. Time will tell.
Me too…never had any problems.
 
Triple milled tallow soaps have a very low moisture content as the moisture has been squeezed out. This makes the soaps shelf stable for years, if not decades.

Artisan soaps tend to have a wider variety of ingredients, including some that might make them more likely to go bad. However, my collection of soaps include some I have had for 8-9 years and I have never had one go bad on me. The scents tend to fade and water tends to evaporate making the soap harder, but the soaps are still usable. If you want a soap to last years, never put it away wet and store it is a cool, dry area. If you plan to use the soap in a few months, it probably won't matter.

The choice of soap may depend a lot on your skin type. If you skin is as tough as alligator hide from exposure to the Florida sun or a leathery as bison hide from exposure winds blowing across the Montana plains, you can probably use any soap you want. If you skin is very sensitive, as mine is, then you might appreciate a soap with a high level of skin moisturizing and conditioning ingredients. Some shavers use the soap of their choice and then use a aftershave moisturizer, balm or serum for skin conditioning. The choice is yours. As with most things in wet shaving, there are many ways to reach the same result. If you are happy with the result, then your method is fine.

The very best soaps in my collection will make my skin feel great for a full 24 hours. At the other extreme, Arko leaves my face feeling tight and dry immediately following the shave, so I refuse to use it. Some people love it like my friend @FarmerTan love Arko. It if works for you, great!
 
Truly, a dizzying array in soaps/creams. Indecision paralysis!

Proraso green was in my first order. It has promptly been relegated to under-sink emergency soap status. I do not care for it, and the matching AS even less. Proraso red is sandalwood, I wish I’d known that.

In the “Classics not to be missed” thread linked on page 1, I got a sample of Mr. Taylor’s and I’m so glad I didn’t waste money on a tub. It isn’t that it smells bad, it’s just sorta flat. The shave is great, don’t misunderstand that. The TOBS work well. That ones just not for me.

My advice is pick some samples. It’s easier to stomach $3 sample and not like it that $20!

Maggard’s has 20% off samples right now with $5.99 2-day FedEx on orders over $29.

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FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Truly, a dizzying array in soaps/creams. Indecision paralysis!

Proraso green was in my first order. It has promptly been relegated to under-sink emergency soap status. I do not care for it, and the matching AS even less. Proraso red is sandalwood, I wish I’d known that.

In the “Classics not to be missed” thread linked on page 1, I got a sample of Mr. Taylor’s and I’m so glad I didn’t waste money on a tub. It isn’t that it smells bad, it’s just sorta flat. The shave is great, don’t misunderstand that. The TOBS work well. That ones just not for me.

My advice is pick some samples. It’s easier to stomach $3 sample and not like it that $20!

Maggard’s has 20% off samples right now with $5.99 2-day FedEx on orders over $29.

View attachment 1470640
Oh! Brother @Ottertail ! I must resist the force of the Maggard!!!

Well, I guess I could just tell my wife that it's your fault?
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I'm probably going to use the Father's Day excuse, and we don't even have kids.



(Now THAT statement is the definition of enabling. 🙂)
We were told we couldn't have kids. Lol, my son's middle name is "Impossible!"

We really never made a big deal about holidays. At least gifts. If I get outta my Lazyboy and do the dishes, I'm golden, ha.
 
Just started using soap and brush this past week. Picked up a soap at the farmers market for 7 dollars. Was using Cremo before that. Too many options like you said. I'm happy with what I'm using and it will last a long time. How many soaps can you use after all considering how long they last. That being said ,going to pick up another old spice mug and go back to the market for another fragrance.
 

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Funny thing about soaps, they seem to breed under the sink. They naturally just start multiplying once you add a second or third into the mix. Be careful it’s a slippery slope towards the dark side. JK…have fun exploring and trying new soaps and creams.
Who doesn't like variety?
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Soaps are a bit different from other shaving gear because all soaps are cheap, except compared to other soaps.

I started at the bottom, like almost everyone does, and worked my way up the price ladder. Don’t do that.

Start at the top. Get some AdP cream, some ABC cream, SMN cream, MdC, etc and work your way DOWN. You will spend a lot less money in the long run.

If you want value soaps that perform as closely to the best, get some La Toja stick or Pre de Provence.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Soaps are a bit different from other shaving gear because all soaps are cheap, except compared to other soaps.

I started at the bottom, like almost everyone does, and worked my way up the price ladder. Don’t do that.

Start at the top. Get some AdP cream, some ABC cream, SMN cream, MdC, etc and work your way DOWN. You will spend a lot less money in the long run.

If you want value soaps that perform as closely to the best, get some La Toja stick or Pre de Provence.
Tough to beat LaToja...
 
With Stirling, you can buy an empty 4oz jar (tub) for under $3 which will hold their samples or refill pucks. I have several of those I keep reusing. I also save all my used cream and soap tubs. Besides soaps, they come in handy for storing nails, screws, etc.
The ladies in my house always are vying for my empty tubs. There is a Stirling tub floating around with bobby pins in it. My wife just grabbed my just emptied St. James of London cream jar. That one was glass so it caught my wife's eye.
 
My 9-count sampler that arrived today is my Father’s Day gift 😉


I have found that samplers are great for evaluating scents. However, I do not usually get as good a lather from a sample as I do from a full tub. Thus, if I am doing a formal evaluation of a soap. I always want to use a tub. Otherwise, I might underestimate the quality of the soap.

That happened a few months ago when I evaluated a sample of Ethos Grooming Essentials sent to me by another forum member. My experience with the soap was very good, but the performance was not nearly as good as I had expected based on reviews I had read. When I later tried a full tub of the F Base, it became one of the top soaps in my large collection. Thus, unless the soap definitely fails to work for you, do not reject it outright based on the sample.
 
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