Recommend me a bar soap

[Norbert Sykes]

I've been using shower gels for years now. I pretty much have exclusively been using Old Spice Amber body wash. I love the fragrance and it really lasts on the skin for a good amount of time for a soap.

I'm looking to switch to a bar soap with quality ingredients. Last night I used a bar of Yardley, and I have been pretty itchy since then. It could be a coincidence since the humidity is getting lower in the cooler weather or maybe I'm being conscious of using a new soap and am noticing itches more (I sure overthink things, don't I?).

I'd like to find a higher quality soap with fewer "cheap" ingredients even if it means spending more. Something that doesn't leave one dry, but not "moisturizing" as in it leaving you feel clean and not like you have a film of moisturizer on you. Also, a harder soap that lasts long, to help make the higher price more economical.

A few years back, a lot of folks on here were praising Nancy Boy soaps. I noticed their body soaps aren't getting as much praise anymore. A lot of talk about Stirling now and a few others. I'm thinking about getting the Nancy Boy signature scent, but even though I'm willing to pay a little more for a quality soap, $13 after shipping is a little more than I'd like to spend on one bar, especially if it ends up not lasting that long. Looking for some input from fellow B&Bers.

 

[BSAGuy]

Stirling soaps. Pick the scent(s) of your choice.

 

[Justgent]

Stirling soaps. Pick the scent(s) of your choice.

+1

 

[eezee]

I've been using a soap called "Mentha" by C.O. Bigelow that you can get at Bath & Body. They usually have a "Buy 2 and get 1 free" deal. It has peppermint in it and I like it a lot.

 

[ciderguy]

Sudsy Soapery's 100% olive oil Castile soaps are quite nice and made with quality ingredients. My skin tends to prefer 100% olive oil or high olive oil soaps. If you want less expensive, Kiss My Face makes 100% olive oil soaps that come unscented in a 3pack for a very reasonable price at retail. Papoutsanis unscented olive oil soaps can often be found at on-line retailers for good prices. The individual bars don't last as long as the Sudsy Soapery (aren't as hard), and KMF charges quite a premium for the scented ones.

If you like the idea of staying with liquid soap, Everyday Shea and Dr. Bronner's make liquid soaps (not body washes) with quality ingredients and are often reasonably priced at retail (shipping can make them expensive).

 

[ohbrian]

+1

+2

 

[dfoulk]

I've tried a bunch of soaps from many of the Artisan vendors. I still revisit many of them from time to time but I keep going back to buying bars of Kirk's Castile from the local WalMart as my staple house soap. It's tough to beat from a performance standpoint. Then there's the cost as they are between three or four dollars for a three pack and contain about four of five simple ingredients as opposed to the list of 30 chemicals found in most all of the other soaps on the shelf. I found this one by reading the ingredients on every soap in the store and looking for an all natural solution. There aren't many choices as I believe the only options that met my needs were Kirk's and Yardley. I tried both several times and prefer the Kirk's especially when the price is less than I'd pay for shipping if I were to order something from an Artisan vendor.

Yardley is another decent choice but I do much prefer the Kirk's. It has a faint coconut smell that's fairly neutral and unoffensive and the lather is much more rich and luxurious. I prefer it over every other soap I've tried. Plus it's locally available. The Yardley bars do last a bit longer than Kirk's but they aren't nearly as nice.

If you're stuck on purchasing from an Artisan vendor then Sudsy Soapery is outstanding and probably the best I've found and I will place an occasional order with them. They really know their soaps and jam them full of ingredients that are great for your skin.

I do also order from Nancy Boy from time to time as well since I do enjoy their Signature Scent bar soap and aftershave gel. I do enjoy their soaps (especially the signature scent) but not enough to justify the cost of $7 a bar plus shipping as a full time everyday soap. They just aren't any better than the inexpensive easily attainable Kirk's soap.

 

[JerYnkFan]

I like Stirling, Kirk's Castile and just got these new ones from Walgreens called Savon Deluxe which are outstanding. Got like 12 bars for less than 10 bucks and each lasts at least a month

 

[Marco]

Sir, I want to give you 3 Italian names to consider: Valobra, I Provenzali and Nesti Dante. All very high quality at a fair price.

 

[CurtisB81]

Kirk's, Kiss my face olive oil, dr bonners soaps are very good just allowing them to dry out in between use, helps to last longer..

An wild soap bar company an good artesian soap..

Thats just my .2 cents

 

[adamchur]

Magno Black from Spain - Made by La Toja

https://www.google.es/url?sa=t&rct=...mDE38U-s0o4RcLEX9X2YMg&bvm=bv.137904068,d.d2s

http://www.ebay.es/itm/Magno-La-Toj...hash=item4ae64e2649:m:mceJqmQga58ZvpszX_JowgQ

Very skin-friendly, even lathers in seawater

 

[Koken]

 

[Tannhauser]

Sir, I want to give you 3 Italian names to consider: Valobra, I Provenzali and Nesti Dante. All very high quality at a fair price.

I also really like the soaps from Saponificio Varesino. Sadly, can't get all of them direct from SV for some reason.

Stirling makes very good soaps, as does Mystic Water.

 

[Norbert Sykes]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions! Special thanks to dfoulk and ciderguy for their detailed responses. Looking forward to trying many of the recommendations made.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

The Musgo Real men's body soap is very good. It doesn't strip my skin or cause any drying, yet does a thorough cleansing job. The original and oak moss scents are both very nice. It's fairly expensive in the UK, but not outrageously so.

 

[bleddy]

Trader Joe's has great vegan bar soaps. Cheap too.

 

[Doc4]

I'd like to find a higher quality soap with fewer "cheap" ingredients even if it means spending more. Something that doesn't leave one dry, but not "moisturizing" as in it leaving you feel clean and not like you have a film of moisturizer on you. Also, a harder soap that lasts long, to help make the higher price more economical.

Another vote for Musgo Real.

If you are concerned about the soap not lasting long, then make sure you are getting a triple-milled "hard" soap rather than a glycerine soap, and be sure to take the soap out of the shower once you are done so it can dry fully as quickly as possible. That will really extend the life of the soap.

 

[Snorlax]

Gotta go with Stirling.

 

[cvargo]

I use Stirling and Soap Commander both great soaps and my skin has been much healthier since I ditched the gel!

 

[Acmemfg]

Duke Cannon Naval Supremecy...even if you weren't in the Navy. This stuff is great!