I am new to using soaps I was wondering if anybody has any good recommendations for soaps which perform equal or better than Martin de Candre.
thanks
thanks
Experienced users - Mdc equivalent recommendations please?
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La Toja stick, Calani, I Coloniali, TFS and all rebrands of such. Those are the first ones that come to my mind that produce a lather similar to MdC.
other strong options include Mikes, QCS, DR Harris, etc.
other strong options include Mikes, QCS, DR Harris, etc.
If you want a similar scented soap that performs nearly as well..... I would recommend Mike's Natural Soaps Hungarian Lavender. There are only two other soaps that I consider better performers than MdC and those are Tabac and Mitchell's Wool Fat.
Ben
Ben
Pretty much nothing lathers as easily as MdC. Having said that, I think that lots of other soaps have better cushion. MdC is quite slick, but I prefer more cushion than it provides. Given the choice, I'd take Proraso any day over MdC. My MdC doesn't get used nearly as much as my Proraso does.
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This is probably going to get a ton of answers, as this could be sort of a referendum on MdC itself (quite the controversial topic in and of itself). My YMMV answer: none. But one cheaper and more available "alternative" if you don't mind either almond or really no scent (menthol) is Valobra soft soap. Its a putty-type consistency, like MdC, and has very limited ingredients, like MdC.
Below was my response in the "Top 10" thread. I would say the ones listed at the bottom are as good as well.
The lather and after shave face feeling I get from Mystic Water is as good, if not better than MdC.
Prairie Creations makes an MdC clone, but I have not tried it.
Prairie Creations makes an MdC clone, but I have not tried it.
It depends on what exactly you like about mdc. Since I don't know, I'll just say I prefer Mike's, Mystic Water, p.160, RazoRock Mudder, Valobra, AoS tallow.
I've been using PdP for a while now and am really enjoying it.
Very easy to lather and only costs about $15 for a tin that will last about 100 shaves (give or take).
above suggestions are all good as well. MdC is MdC though, it lathers like no other soap and is he best smelling lavender I have used. The simplicity of the ingredient list is also quite astonishing.
I'd say PdP is the next easiest to lather soap product I have used, using very little product to get an abundance of thick and creamy lather, that provides great shave and is very moisturizing to my face.
Very easy to lather and only costs about $15 for a tin that will last about 100 shaves (give or take).
above suggestions are all good as well. MdC is MdC though, it lathers like no other soap and is he best smelling lavender I have used. The simplicity of the ingredient list is also quite astonishing.
I'd say PdP is the next easiest to lather soap product I have used, using very little product to get an abundance of thick and creamy lather, that provides great shave and is very moisturizing to my face.
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To me Martin de Candre is a unique product and nothing is comparable. Of course there are many other soaps and creams that I love, but none of this has the scent/latherability/performance of my beloved French vegetable gem. As always IMHO.
You'll have to be a lot more specific if you want recommendations. "Good", and "better" (and even "equal") really don't mean anything without qualification. What properties of MDC are the ones that matter to you? Which ones are you looking to improve on? MDC's at the top of my list. VT_Hokie mentioned DRH as a strong contender but while DRH is among my favorites it's easily places under MDC for me. Rankings are going to vary from person to person.
What other soaps have you used? Have you liked or disliked them and how do they compare to MDC for you? Give us a frame of reference to work with.
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MDC is pure potassium salts and massively high stearates. Very few soaps are going to lather as easily as it does. No soap will lather as easily as it does for as many people as it does. To put it bluntly, MdC is approximately a vintage shaving cream recipe that is not aerated and is dried into a soap. If you want soaps like it, look at softer soaps with potassium stearate as the #1 ingredient.
If you just want MdC at a lower price, then get someone to knock it off for you (I haven't tried the PC knockoff, but MDC is a relatively simple soap, so I would be surprised if it wasn't an effective copy). I threw a few batches of MdC clones/adaptations (trying to get a firmer texture) together a few years back. I wanna say it took me 30 seconds to calculate the recipes and all of 20 minutes to make the soap. It's a VERY easy soap for a home soaper to make, despite being a rather involved soap to manufacture (since it's handmade vs rolled from pellets like most commercial soaps).
Panna Crema is somewhat similar to it in lathering, a bit softer and gentler/more skin friendly, not quite as beast a latherer, but close.
If you just want MdC at a lower price, then get someone to knock it off for you (I haven't tried the PC knockoff, but MDC is a relatively simple soap, so I would be surprised if it wasn't an effective copy). I threw a few batches of MdC clones/adaptations (trying to get a firmer texture) together a few years back. I wanna say it took me 30 seconds to calculate the recipes and all of 20 minutes to make the soap. It's a VERY easy soap for a home soaper to make, despite being a rather involved soap to manufacture (since it's handmade vs rolled from pellets like most commercial soaps).
Panna Crema is somewhat similar to it in lathering, a bit softer and gentler/more skin friendly, not quite as beast a latherer, but close.
^ there must be more to making MdC soap then 30sec of calculations and 20 min of making time.
If it was that easy, there would be more then a PC knock off version of it. With all the GIT knock off makers, surely they would jump at the chance to make and MdC clone if it was as simple as you say.
Heck, RR would have knocked it off by now if that was that simple. They do AK, CF (soon) and P.160, why would he jump at the chance to take on an RR MdC soap if he could make it in less time then watching an episode of Seinfeld?
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That's my view too. I have a number of soaps I really like, including DR Harris, MWF, Tabac, Cella...
But Martin de Candre has quickly become my favourite after I got a jar of the new Fougère.
Boellis Panama 1924, and it is around $20 less shipped to the States...I like the Panama more for the sweet almond scent, and the superb skin care it offers. MdC is meh compared to Boellis, and you can get it from Italian Barber in Canada in no time flat! The soap says 175g, but I recently got a box and there was 186g in it, and someone on another forum said their box had almost 300g in it! It is YMMV, but there is no argument that the Lather is superb. and should be on your MUST have list of soaps.
Another one for me is The Knize (a hard triple milled soap), but you MUST use a Boar brush to lather it...The Knize is pricey, but worth it IMO.
Another one for me is The Knize (a hard triple milled soap), but you MUST use a Boar brush to lather it...The Knize is pricey, but worth it IMO.
I've never tried anything that lathers with the same efficiency as MdC. MdC is just absurd in its ability to produce lather with only a few swirls of the brush, and the jar will easily last a long time. I've used my jar about 10 times now, and I've barely made a measurable dent in the jar of soap. Lather quality is top notch and post-shave feel is above average.
I've recently taken a liking to TFS / Razorock La Famiglia products, they are bit harder to lather MdC but are top notch in their own right. Post-shave feel and moisturizing is superior to MdC.
I've recently taken a liking to TFS / Razorock La Famiglia products, they are bit harder to lather MdC but are top notch in their own right. Post-shave feel and moisturizing is superior to MdC.
TFS Bergamotto Neroli (the soft one) is closest IMO. I only buy it from Barbiere di Figaro
Yeah TFS soft is very close to it.
As for more people not knocking it off. What would be the point? P160 got knocked off because it doesn't exist anymore. So now people who are P160 'fans' can buy the knockoff. MdC is still available, and still lives and dies by its reputation and yes, the mystique it gets because it IS so expensive. You could send MdC that you simply rescented to 50 MdC users and ask them to compare this $1 bowl of soap you discovered to MdC, and I'd put down good money that at least 40 of them would find something about the performance that is inferior to MdC in their use of it. I'll bet at least half of them would tell you they'd still pay $60 for MdC over $1 for the soup you "discovered". It makes a great deal more sense from a marketing standpoint to do something like Mikes and Panna Crema did. Come up with your own recipe. Maybe it's not as beast a latherer as MdC... but since it's not being marketed to people who already decided they like MdC, you're going to sell more product because it's not a losing battle from the get go (convincing people who feel they have the best already to change their minds).
As for more people not knocking it off. What would be the point? P160 got knocked off because it doesn't exist anymore. So now people who are P160 'fans' can buy the knockoff. MdC is still available, and still lives and dies by its reputation and yes, the mystique it gets because it IS so expensive. You could send MdC that you simply rescented to 50 MdC users and ask them to compare this $1 bowl of soap you discovered to MdC, and I'd put down good money that at least 40 of them would find something about the performance that is inferior to MdC in their use of it. I'll bet at least half of them would tell you they'd still pay $60 for MdC over $1 for the soup you "discovered". It makes a great deal more sense from a marketing standpoint to do something like Mikes and Panna Crema did. Come up with your own recipe. Maybe it's not as beast a latherer as MdC... but since it's not being marketed to people who already decided they like MdC, you're going to sell more product because it's not a losing battle from the get go (convincing people who feel they have the best already to change their minds).
