Colgate shave soap

[BubbleBoy]

Found this at an antique store for 2 bucks. I'm guessing it might be about 15-20 years old. New enough that there is a barcode on the box. Looks a little crusty, has a faint soapy/cheap aftershave aroma. No ingredient list. Anybody remember this stuff? Worth lathering up? How well does shave soap age?

 

[mctmatt]

I think it is considered an excellent vintage shave soap and is treasured just like vintage Williams. Hopefully HoosierTrooper will chime in as he is pretty knowledgeable about these soaps. You should have no problem shaving with it and it probably contains tallow.

 

[michiganlover]

There were a couple of different formulations of Colgate shaving soap: one called Colgate Cup Soap (old fashioned tallow goodness), and the one you have which was considered to be a bottom of the bucket product, with pretty abysmal lather.

But try it out, and see for yourself.

As for how shaving soaps age, a top quality vintage soap will perform just as well today, as when it first came out of the factory many years ago; for the most part it will be lacking any type of scent though.

 

[ruchlos]

Yes, pics of lather please!

 

[dfigz]

If it doesn't lather well in puck form...try milling it into a mug or bowl....just as a suggestion.

 

[GreekGuy]

There were a couple of different formulations of Colgate shaving soap: one called Colgate Cup Soap (old fashioned tallow goodness), and the one you have which was considered to be a bottom of the bucket product, with pretty abysmal lather.

+1

John is right on. The cup soap is fantastic, comparable to vintage williams or any other vintage tallow soap really. The Mug soap is comparable to Modern Williams...

 

[sixgun_symphony]

I have used Colgate shaving soap and it works fine. Because it's old and dried out some you may want to soak in hot water for a minute and then dump the water before working up a lather.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I love the Colgate soaps and have had pretty good luck with the Mug version, but the Cup is definitely better.

 

[poppi]

I think Tom can lather anything and get a great shave

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Having extraordinarily soft water that goes through a water softener and then a reverse osmosis system does seem to help.

I think Tom can lather anything and get a great shave

 

[Leon]

There were a couple of different formulations of Colgate shaving soap: one called Colgate Cup Soap (old fashioned tallow goodness)

I got one of these. No barcode, nor ingredients. It's pretty old. I used it a couple of times and liked it.

 

[McEwenC]

General consensus is that Mug = trash, Cup = treasure

 

[Kevan]

Colgate "Barber" soap is pretty fantastic too. Reminds me of Old Spice the way the uberdense lather just STICKS to your face.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Used Colgate Mug this morning with a Surrey boar brush and got great lather.

 

[Rybot]

I just got me a lot of 3 Colgate Cup soaps on the bay so I'm very excited to see how it performs!

 

[Threeme2189]

I have to ask, does it have a minty smell like the toothpaste?

 

[poppi]

I have to ask, does it have a minty smell like the toothpaste?

Nope, I don't believe Colgate ever added scent to its soaps. Just smells like soap

 

[GencoOliveOilCompany]

I bought some of this Colgate soap from eBarbershop, and it did not work at all. Tried it > 10x then it went to shower duty. Just my experience.

 

[Alejandro1969]

Wow! I love the box! Colgate-Palmolive are the same company as far as I know! Great soap makers!

 

[BubbleBoy]

Time to post back. I took this colgate puck for a testdrive this morning. When I took a brush to it it instantaneously burst into lather and once I started swirling in my bowl it almost immediately overflowed with lather. But no matter how long I whipped it up it wouldn't get that thick rich "yogurt" lather, just more of that sudsy bubbles lather. It was the only lather I've ever had that broke down on my face. It stayed slick enough to finish the shave with frequent reapplication, but I had to be extra careful as there was no "cushion" to speak of. Anyway, it was fun to try my first vintage soap but with as many choices as there are out there right now I won't be going out of my way to try other vintage soaps.