Cut Out the Artisan Crap...Soap is Soap!

[MichaelUK]

This is a hobby - B&B is definitely not about shaving out of necessity - its about enjoying the process of shaving.

If people are drawn strongly to pay extra for certain brands / products because they feel better for using them, then that's a personal choice and not my business to complain about.

Life is about using what you got, to get what you want. Pay what you feel able to pay for stuff and enjoy it while you are able to.

Otherwise, it could descend into unwarranted and unresolvable squabbling about other people lifestyle choices: do you really need a sports car ? do you really need that season ticket for sports ? do you need that holiday ? etc,etc

 

[Tedolph]

Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Plus Propylene Glycol as the top ingredient. Good soaps don't need that stuff.

That anionic detergent dries out my skin something fierce. You asked.

SLS (a detergent and emulsifier) helps heep the sink clean. It is in the liquid hand soap you use and probably in your shampoo as well. That is why they don't mess up your sink or tub with a soap scum ring.

Think about it, soaps without it leave a soap scum film behind on your sink or tub that you have to scrub to get off. That is the same film you are leaving on your face if your shave soap does not have Sodium Laureth Sulfate. It is very safe, and much better for you than Sodium Laurel Sulfate which is different and can be irritating to some people.

It might be something else that is irritating you.

 

[Tedolph]

Nothing wrong with it but I pass Pasteurs on a regular basis (when not isolating) and sniffing all the options there is fun. Ditto Ladydials who is a perfume collector and even keener to sniff than I am. I don't need more, I want more.

I really wish that we had a place like that where I live.

 

[babydials]

Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Plus Propylene Glycol as the top ingredient. Good soaps don't need that stuff.

That anionic detergent dries out my skin something fierce. You asked.

I can't even use toothpaste with SLS. Canker sores for days.

 

[Tedolph]

Classic case of the haves vs the have nots.
Have nots: My razor is just as good as your razor because it cuts hair.
The Have's: Are you sure about that? My razor is more elegant, and machined to much higher tolerances.
Have Nots: That doesn't matter. My cheap razor does the same thing as your expensive razor.
The Have's: Can you prove this?
Have Nots: No. But it shaves really good.
The Haves: That's nice. I'm glad you like it.
Have Nots: Don't get snide with me. My razor is just as good as your fancy schmancy razor and I saved money!
The Have's: How much of that money can you take with you when you die?
Have Nots: Oh so it's all about money , huh?
The Have's: That is not what I said. Thats is what you said.
Have Nots: What??????????

Some people get pleasure out of "beating the system" by buying cheap products that perform way above their price point. You just don't get the same "hey, 'The Man' can't keep me down" kick with expensive product that perform well, and you avoid the "boy am I a sucker" feeling when you buy an expensive product that performs poorly.

Hey I am not saying this for me, I am saying this for a freind!

 

[nemo]

SLS (a detergent and emulsifier) helps heep the sink clean. It is in the liquid hand soap you use and probably in your shampoo as well. That is why they don't mess up your sink or tub with a soap scum ring.

Think about it, soaps without it leave a soap scum film behind on your sink or tub that you have to scrub to get off. That is the same film you are leaving on your face if your shave soap does not have Sodium Laureth Sulfate. It is very safe, and much better for you than Sodium Laurel Sulfate which is different and can be irritating to some people.

It might be something else that is irritating you.

I don't use SLS in any form. I do not use liquid hand or body soap or shampoos -- never have, never will. My toothpaste is SLS-free. My tub is clean.

I don't need to keep my sink clean by purchasing shaving products with low-cost industrial foaming agents added, no thanks.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

I can't even use toothpaste with SLS. Canker sores for days.

Same here!

 

[Steve56]

The point is that I don’t need people pointing out any kind of distinction with a buzz word label. I’ll decide if the soap is good or not. I don’t need need it pointed out, or slyly referenced by attaching a header label. I don’t need to make my own soap to know a good one be it old fangled or new fangled, which is what I’m talking about. Artisan is just another way of labeling something “ new fangled” even though their technique may be hundreds of years old.

 

[PreachTheWord]

I really wish that we had a place like that where I live.

I don't!! It would only serve to drain my bank account faster. Whenever my wife wondered where I was she could just call there (kinda like my local cigar shop).

 

[Dave-the-rave]

Perhaps it's a generational thing, but when I hear 'artisan soap maker' I don't picture some tattooed bearded hipster making soap in his garage in Brooklyn or Portland. I see Granny boiling lye down at the 'SEE-ment' pond.

Her 'spring tonic' was also a fine artisan whiskey, but that's another thread on another board.

View attachment 1112701

Remember the two old ladies in The Waltons and their ''recipe''?

 

[preidy]

I use Arkansas soap.

 

[babydials]

I can't even use toothpaste with SLS. Canker sores for days.

Actually Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a bigger problem for me than Sodium Laureth Sulfate

 

[Tedolph]

Actually Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a bigger problem for me than Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Most people are tolerant of Sodium Laureth Sulfate. It is Sodium Laurel Sulfate that a lot of people have problems with. Unfortunately the names are very similar and people often confuse them.

 

[kingfisher]

I can't even use toothpaste with SLS. Canker sores for days.

Same here. And commercial shampoos give me horrible dandruff.

 

[Adam18]

The temperature of threads like this is always lowered by pointing out that we each have our own priorities (college savings v. closets full of shave gear), our own preferences (Arko v. MdC) and our own opinions (Tabac is heavenly v. Tabac is the scent of the underworld).

I can only share that since buying more products with ‘skin friendly‘ ingredients (found in newer companies like B&M, Stirling, DG, WK, etc), my skin has never been healthier and that, in turn, makes me happier. So for me, not all soap is created equal.

Yes indeed Sir ! I agree 100 %. Yes, (to the OP) .... soap is soap, but for me and my face, the "artisan"
soaps like Ariana & Evans, Barrister & Mann, and Stirling seem to treat me a whole lot better than the mass
produced stuff. Real scientific reasoning ? --- absolutely not. An "am I dreaming" fantasy ? -- perhaps.
But, for me, the extra bucks spent on the artisans is an indulgence that I so rightly deserve !

 

[never-stop-learning]

I like it all - mass market and Artisan.

Yes, I am a soap addict.

Using Hyaluronic Acid post-shave takes care of all of my skin nourishment needs.

 

[Zwiehander]

I like it all - mass market and Artisan.

Yes, I am a soap addict.

Using Hyaluronic Acid post-shave takes care of all of my skin nourishment needs.

This forum is a real enabler LOL

I didnt visit the forums for many years and I had one razor, one brush and one soap at a time. No sooner did I revisit the forums than I have multiple razors and a new brush with another one on the way and more than 11 soaps currently with me or on order !
.

 

[never-stop-learning]

This forum is a real enabler LOL

I didnt visit the forums for many years and I had one razor, one brush and one soap at a time. No sooner did I revisit the forums than I have multiple razors and a new brush with another one on the way and more than 11 soaps currently with me or on order !
.

I hear you. I used one razor, one brush, one soap, a couple of brands of blades, one AS and one cologne from 2013 to 2019.

Then I found B&B

 

[OldSaw]

Eight pages in, wow. I mean, this is a shaving forum where we talk about our fun/silly little hobby in ways that normal humans would find odd. So who cares?

When I get out my Mitchell’s Woolfat in the branded ceramic bowl I feel like it is a little artisany. But does it really matter? The shave is great and I like it.

When I see people make references to artisan soaps I know that they are generally talking about smaller batch makers. It’s not a bad description, so I’m ok with it.

 

[BigFoot]

*ahem* Pantera is not music. It's noise