Different soap base’s explained/reviewed

[Psusocr]

Hello all ,

I’ve searched the forums but can’t seem to find any thread that really dive’s into all of the different, major and especially artisan , soap companies and the different bases they use for there soap’s. (I.e kaizan , k2, beef/bison tallow, goat’s milk, duck based, vegetable glycerin, etc.) I guess I’m looking for opinions/facts on what the base used in a particular soap has to offer-in terms of pro’s & con’s , maybe some highlights , type of lather, feel, long lasting , density, moisturizing, slickness etc. that people think the various bases attribute to and/or are known for and what the highlight’s would be for each. I understand that this can be somewhat based on our different skin types and YMMV , but I would think that there must be some major defining factors to choose one over another.

Are there any threads out there like this? Or does anyone care to chime in and start one with some opinions on different types and there opinions/facts on any?

I also think a thread like this can really help the beginner shaver out a lot in narrowing down what may or may not be right for him/her.




TIA

 

[Balthier]

I think you'll mostly find people listing their favorite bases. Why that is or what ingredients are making a difference seems like a guess to the user. An example, I used to think tallow made the difference for me, but some non tallow soaps proved me wrong. If your trying to figure out your favorite base, (or possibly best for the money) sampling as much as possible seems like the best solution.

 

[DEPenguin]

sampling as much as possible seems like the best solution.

Pretty good advice, there.

The closest analog to soap bases I can think of may be fat used in cooking. Would make sense to us that you likely wouldn't use chicken suet in Duck Confit, that kind of thing.

Different fats (and related additions) affect the saponification process differently (the way soap becomes soap). As Balthier pointed out, however, tallow bases tend to give a different kind of 'face feel' than non-tallow soaps; imagine the difference in tortilla texture and taste if you used beef fat or duck fat instead of lard. But there are non-tallow soaps that have fantastic performance that match or even exceed some tallow-based soaps. I love me some tallow soaps, but honestly, PAA soaps, which are all "vegan", have a reputation for kind of mimicking the feel of tallow soaps. If your gate swings that way then it's a good place to start.

Glycerin, I believe, is great for hydration and slickness. A word of caution though about olive oil in soaps . . . in my experience olive oil is a lather killer. I've had two different soaps that contained OO and I couldn't get either one to produce a feasible lather despite my best efforts with different brushes and differing amounts of hydration.

Bottom line really is: What feels good to you? What do you enjoy most? What works best for your skin? A lot of the names you mentioned make very good products, even great products. But there are a lot of artisans out there, which I'm sure you've encountered. The names most often mentioned on these boards are frequently mentioned because they are widely used and liked. I happen to really enjoy a rarely mentioned artisan, Lakewood Soap Company, and their soaps are tallow-based, with the exception of their latest release which is a lard base. I think the lard base has a kind of creamier feel to it than the tallow, and I can't really explain why, it just feels that way to me.

Do yourself a favor and get some samples from artisans you're intrigued by--and don't be afraid to step off the beaten path and try something few others have. You may just find a diamond in the rough.

Here's a couple Wiki pages you might find answers in:

Shave_soaps

Differences_between_Triple_Milled_Tallow_and_Glycerin_soaps

 

[Beefdrippings]

You might have to do an individual search for bases or keywords that you’re curious about. Check the titles only box for narrower results. This is what I do. Maybe there’s something along the lines of what you’re looking for in the wiki section but I haven’t looked. Trying sample sizes is good advice.

 

[Barbarian80]

There are so many good soaps no need to get all wrapped up in the different bases because IMO many of them are great and none of them are standouts.

 

[old_school]

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HTH

 

[dabrock]

That's a huge rabbit hole! The artisan soap bases are so diverse these days it's really hard to keep up.

 

[brettimby]

Ruds shaves has reviewed bases, and he has a "shavescore" google doc in the description of his videos. But he more reviews the soap rather than the base.

 

[Jeffscott]

This is totally just my opinion. I have worked on my soap recipe for almost 40 years. It is a hard beef tallow soap with a little bit of bentonite clay for slickness. It makes a thick shiny lather that shaves good and leaves your skin soft and nourished feeling. I don’t scent it. I just drop a couple drops of cologne in it if I want scent.Or a couple drops of vanilla extract even. Just my two cents.