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La Toja vs Arko

La Toja Stick.JPG
I use a straight razor most days. I have found that a lot of good soaps that will work well with a double edged safety razor don't do as well with a straight razor. A lot of aritsan soaps are pretty expensive. So, I decided to do a comparison of two popular shaving soap sticks, Arko and La Toja. As with anything, your results might be different from mine.

I tried shaving a couple of days with Arko. The smell, to me, is not bad. It smells like hotel soap. I could shave with it, but it was kind of dry feeling, for want of a better word. It didn't have enough slickness for my liking. I didn't get as close of a shave as I prefer, though it was okay.

Next, I tried shaving a couple of days with La Toja. I already like this soap for DE safety razor use. The smell of La Toja is a lot better. It is clean and pleasing. It left me smelling like I had actually bathed and shaved. It was easier to get a thick, rich lather in my bowl with the La Toja. The shave quality was a bit better than the Arko, for my face. I got a fairly close shave and it was a bit slicker than the Arko. Overall, the La Toja was the best of the two.

Like the Arko, the La Toja can be mixed with other things, or mashed into a jar.

Neither of these soaps are as good as a top tier soap like A&E. However, the La Toja is acceptable, but the Arko was not as enjoyable.
 
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Try using La Toja for an extended period. You will probably find that it can be an excellent soap with the right amount of soap and the optimal soap:water ratio. It doesn't contain any exotic ingredients, but it doesn't cost much, either. The overall post-shave you're left with is a clean feeling.
 
Try using La Toja for an extended period. You will probably find that it can be an excellent soap with the right amount of soap and the optimal soap:water ratio. It doesn't contain any exotic ingredients, but it doesn't cost much, either. The overall post-shave you're left with is a clean feeling.
I already like La Toja. It is my go to soap for a DE safety razor. I will be able to tweak it and make it a little better for a straight. It is a great soap. It will never be a Kaizen base soap, though.

I love the smell of the La Toja, the sensitive even better than the stick. Too bad there is no deodorant that smells like them.
 
I very much like La Toja shaving sticks and creams.

Both work exceptionally well in their respective (low cost stick or cream) categories, but generally I find that using shaving soaps (as pucks in a bowl) and shaving creams makes a more enjoyable shaving experience for me.
I do however appreciate the convenience of using a shaving stick when travelling, which in fact is my primary reason for using shaving sticks.

When I tried Arko years ago, it worked well enough, but just did not appeal to my olfactory senses.
Not only the smell, but even more the overpowering intensity.*
Mind you, this comes from a man who would rather walk on the other side of the street than expose himself to the brute olfactory assault (stink) of cheap over-perfumed soaps that emanates from the open doors of “Lush” soap shops.



B.


* Please refrain from mentioning that I only would need to air out an Arko stick for 3 months to reduce the smell.
One of my rules is that any shaving product that requires a special procedure or addition of another component makes this product by default “deficient”.
 
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I like La Toja and think it’s a good soap. I don’t like sticks so I grate or slice it up and put it in a bowl.
 
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Yeah, I have a couple of flat jars/tins for when I want to mash up one of my sticks. It is easier to use that way, but for travel, the stick is certainly easier. The La Toja smells good. It has a clean smell, like someone freshly bathed and shaved. It is not over perfumed so that a person doesn't smell like a two dollar whore on Saturday night.
 
I purchased my first stick of LaToja this past summer. I must say, that it could be my first choice in soaps. Really nice to quickly build a lather with minimal effort.

I also have Arko. As you mentioned, it does have drying affect to it, albeit, it does not personally affect me.

Of course Your Results May Vary.
 
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Love La Toja and love Arko. About the only crap soap I can ever remember using was some "bay rum" from Col. Conk. I should have known better just from the dopey name...
 
Tried both of these and both caused some irritation for me. La Toja was really slick and I loved the smell, but sadly it lit up my face. Arko was less irritating overall but protracted use dried my skin. The sadly discontinued Wilkinson Sword blue shave stick and the Lea shave stick (still available I think) are both excellent performers for me.
 
Tried both of these and both caused some irritation for me. La Toja was really slick and I loved the smell, but sadly it lit up my face. Arko was less irritating overall but protracted use dried my skin. The sadly discontinued Wilkinson Sword blue shave stick and the Lea shave stick (still available I think) are both excellent performers for me.
The La Toja Sensitive cream might be a good option. It has a different formula. I use it a good bit also.
 
I like Arko quite a bit. It lathers great and I enjoy the clean soapy scent. I'm definitely in the camp that it's similar to a much stronger Ivory soap scent.

Never tried La Toja but one day I'll get around to it. Sounds like it would be up my alley also.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I use a straight razor most days. I have found that a lot of good soaps that will work well with a double edged safety razor don't do as well with a straight razor. A lot of aritsan soaps are pretty expensive. So, I decided to do a comparison of two popular shaving soap sticks, Arko and La Toja. As with anything, your results might be different from mine.

I tried shaving a couple of days with Arko. The smell, to me, is not bad. It smells like hotel soap. I could shave with it, but it was kind of dry feeling, for want of a better word. It didn't have enough slickness for my liking. I didn't get as close of a shave as I prefer, though it was okay.

Next, I tried shaving a couple of days with La Toja. I already like this soap for DE safety razor use. The smell of La Toja is a lot better. It is clean and pleasing. It left me smelling like I had actually bathed and shaved. It was easier to get a thick, rich lather in my bowl with the La Toja. The shave quality was a bit better than the Arko, for my face. I got a fairly close shave and it was a bit slicker than the Arko. Overall, the La Toja was the best of the two.

Like the Arko, the La Toja can be mixed with other things, or mashed into a jar.

Neither of these soaps are as good as a top tier soap like A&E. However, the La Toja is acceptable, but the Arko was not as enjoyable.
I have both but much prefer Arko - I'm on my fourth 12 pack of Arko at the moment.
 
I like Arko quite a bit. It lathers great and I enjoy the clean soapy scent. I'm definitely in the camp that it's similar to a much stronger Ivory soap scent.

Never tried La Toja but one day I'll get around to it. Sounds like it would be up my alley also.

I'm trying LaToja now for the first time, and, though the lather is NOT voluminous compared to most, it is the SLICKEST cream I think I've ever come across. It's so glossy that it SHINES in the mirror.

In any case, it does a good job for me and is incredibly inexpensive.
 
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