Hand Soap for Shaving?

[Burundian Hawk]

Thanks.

Um, after the sixth item or so on a list of ingredients of any soap, I'm just a little skeptical that the ingredients actually contribute anything, aside from trying to impress the consumer with a lot of mumbo jumbo. The exceptions would be things that work in small quantities, such as fragrance, tea tree oil, lanolin and jojoba oil. Does vitamin E do anything in soap? Perhaps it is a preservative for the oils. BHT would make more sense, but they might be afraid to list a "scary chemical."

I know a fair amount about medicinal herbs, and I think most of the herbs added to soap are just BS. I don't know what they are supposed to do, applied topically, and have never seen any attempt at explanations. They stay on the skin so briefly, I don't see how they could have much effect.

I agree, sir, which is why i didn't bother to write all the ingredients in my first post. The herbs are probably there to justify the increased cost.

This Palmolive soap, here is cheaper than Arko. Because they sell it in 4 packs for 2 euro or less. It results in 50 cents per puck. Not that i intend to shave with it. I have a big stash of shaving soap. But, if you CAN shave with it, why not know it... Which is why i decided to post it here, for the gentlemen that might be interested.

But tomorrow i will actually shave and report back. I am Burundian. My grandfather would probably dream of such a fine shaving soap!

 

[Cesare]

And yet here's one little bar of soap that does it all: face, body, shave, and perhaps even shampoo your hair.

Absolutely: great as shampoo as well.

Price? Around US$ 0.50 per puck (90 grams). Same as a bar of regular Dove (also 90 grams), here.

 

[trentr]

They will never make it available to USA, exactly because you are Americans. You are supposed to buy the most expensive stuff, not the "one does it all" product!

Well if that is the way it is supposed to be then apparently things are RIGHT on track lol

 

[Burundian Hawk]

Well if that is the way it is supposed to be then apparently things are RIGHT on track lol

Of course it is! If Americans don't buy the most expensive stuff, who will??? The Burundians? The Americans are like a dream playground market for companies! They can sell anything at much higher price and be sold! You can look at this very forum too! Pay attention to the acquisition habbits of Americans vs non Americans. If you are a company, Americans become your no1 target for selling your more expensive stuff! Americans are big spenders!

 

[trentr]

Of course it is! If Americans don't buy the most expensive stuff, who will??? The Burundians? The Americans are like a dream playground market for companies! They can sell anything at much higher price and be sold! You can look at this very forum too! Pay attention to the acquisition habbits of Americans vs non Americans. If you are a company, Americans become your no1 target for selling your more expensive stuff! Americans are big spenders!

We prefer high rollers, thank you. Oh the money I have waisted. If only I were a better steward back in the day. From now on however, I only splurge occasionally. I use Arko and VDH for heavens sake! haha

 

[BigSpender]

A big reason I won't buy expensive shaving soap is I think they are vastly over-charging, given the actual price of the raw ingredients.

How much does aqua cost per ounce?

That's "tap water," in English. I'm surprised they don't list the ingredients in French: "eau du robinet" sounds far more impressive.

Guess what the first ingredient is in Proraso tubs? Correct: water. Maybe that's why you are having trouble getting a good lather.

I made up a list of the price per ounce of the common ingredients used in making soap, based on a quick scan of Amazon products, generally using the larger 1 to 5 pound/gallon sizes. These are retail prices, with the usual Amazon inflation; eBay is often cheaper. And wholesale for manufacturers could well be half the price.


vegetable glycerin: 20 cents per ounce

beef tallow: 28 cents

coconut oil: 23 cents

olive oil: 19 cents

sunflower oil: 23 cents

cocoa butter: 87 cents

shea butter: 36 cents

mango butter: 66 cents

lanolin: $1.16

jojoba oil: 94 cents

sodium hydroxide: 22 cents

stearic acid: 31 cents

aqua: 0.00000000001 cents/ounce

None of the basic, common ingredients costs more than about 30 cents an ounce. Of course, beef tallow is a byproduct that is probably much cheaper from some sources.

Fancy shaving soap typically costs $2 to $4 an ounce, and yet the soaps in this price range typically have water listed as the first or second ingredient. A notable exception is Cella in a bowl.

On the one hand, the price per shave is still low. On the other hand, some of these fancy soaps are not even as good as a can of Barbasol.

And on the third hand, some of the "hand made" shaving soaps are made by people who don't really understand the unique properties of shaving soap.

The ingredients may be cheap, but I am not inclined to try making my own shaving soap because I probably would not know what I'm doing, even after reading up.

But, once upon a time, back in Ben Franklin's day, soap was soap: made with tallow and lye. You could shave with it or bathe with it. But then the giant soap manufacturers were formed and took the glycerin out of tallow. Why? Because there was big money in glycerin for making explosives, which were needed for all those fun wars in Europe. So now the soap was dryer, and not so good for shaving. Then they added all sorts of chemicals to make the soap more cheaply. Now soap is almost unrecognizable.

The question remains: Can commercial hand soap be used for shaving? Most can't, but from my experience so far, some can.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

We prefer high rollers, thank you. Oh the money I have waisted. If only I were a better steward back in the day. From now on however, I only splurge occasionally. I use Arko and VDH for heavens sake! haha

Well, i hope you will excuse me if i didn't use the appropriate phrase, but i don't know the difference in terms. I don't think there are many people in this forum that haven't wasted at least some money in shaving. But there are some fortunate ones, who, at some point, step on the brake and calm down and take everything more for what it is: shaving.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

A big reason I won't buy expensive shaving soap is I think they are vastly over-charging, given the actual price of the raw ingredients.

How much does aqua cost per ounce?

That's "tap water," in English. I'm surprised they don't list the ingredients in French: "eau du robinet" sounds far more impressive.

Guess what the first ingredient is in Proraso tubs? Correct: water. Maybe that's why you are having trouble getting a good lather.

I made up a list of the price per ounce of the common ingredients used in making soap, based on a quick scan of Amazon products, generally using the larger 1 to 5 pound/gallon sizes. These are retail prices, with the usual Amazon inflation; eBay is often cheaper. And wholesale for manufacturers could well be half the price.


vegetable glycerin: 20 cents per ounce

beef tallow: 28 cents

coconut oil: 23 cents

cocoa butter: 87 cents

shea butter: 36 cents

mango butter: 66 cents

olive oil: 19 cents

lanolin: $1.16

jojoba oil: 94 cents

sodium hydroxide: 22 cents

stearic acid: 31 cents

aqua: 0.00000000001 cents/ounce

None of the basic, common ingredients costs more than about 30 cents an ounce. Of course, beef tallow is a byproduct that is probably much cheaper from some sources.

Fancy shaving soap typically costs $2 to $4 an ounce, and yet the soaps in this price range typically have water listed as the first or second ingredient. A notable exception is Cella in a bowl.

On the one hand, the price per shave is still low. On the other hand, some of these fancy soaps are not even as good as a can of Barbasol.

And on the third hand, some of the "hand made" shaving soaps are made by people who don't really understand the unique properties of shaving soap.

The ingredients may be cheap, but I am not inclined to try making my own shaving soap because I probably would not know what I'm doing, even after reading up.

But, once upon a time, back in Ben Franklin's day, soap was soap: made with tallow and lye. You could shave with it or bathe with it. But then the giant soap manufacturers were formed and took the glycerin out of tallow. Why? Because there was big money in glycerin for making explosives, which were needed for all those fun wars in Europe. So now the soap was dryer, and not so good for shaving. Then they added all sorts of chemicals to make the soap more cheaply. Now soap is almost unrecognizable.

The question remains: Can commercial hand soap be used for shaving? Most can't, but from my experience so far, some can.

I agree and i can't convince myself to pay 40 euros for a soap either. There are famous brand colognes that cost less. The most expensive soap i shaved with was Truefitt. The lather was good, but not something i haven't seen before. You paid mainly for the scent, which was indeed very nice, but my nose after a while does not notice at all. And just like with all soaps, after a while i was praying to finish so that i could open my next, much cheaper, cream. So, once in a while, i may buy something like Truefitt again. But i am not American, see?

 

[geneaut]

Going from memory but I've used Yardley Lavender and Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Oil soap bars to shave with before. I'm fairly certain they were adequate and bloodless shaves, but I don't remember exactly being blown away by either of them. I keep debating grabbing the Almond and Shea bar that I see at the Dollar Tree and trying that.

I've always thought if I found a hand soap I really liked that a small nurdle of unscented Kiss My Face shave cream would probably bring it up to snuff for shaving use if needed.

 

[trentr]

Well, i hope you will excuse me if i didn't use the appropriate phrase, but i don't know the difference in terms. I don't think there are many people in this forum that haven't wasted at least some money in shaving. But there are some fortunate ones, who, at some point, step on the brake and calm down and take everything more for what it is: shaving.

No worries, I was trying to be humorous.

 

[trentr]

Going from memory but I've used Yardley Lavender and Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Oil soap bars to shave with before. I'm fairly certain they were adequate and bloodless shaves, but I don't remember exactly being blown away by either of them. I keep debating grabbing the Almond and Shea bar that I see at the Dollar Tree and trying that.

I've always thought if I found a hand soap I really liked that a small nurdle of unscented Kiss My Face shave cream would probably bring it up to snuff for shaving use if needed.

I like the Yardley lavender as well, as a bath soap. Not tried it as a shave soap. The dollar tree here has yardley bar soap for a dollar. So ya, I get it fairly often.

I want to try some fancy soaps. So far all I have tried is VDH, Arko, some Captain's choice samples....ummmm ya. That is it. The only soap (shave soap) I ever actually bought is VDH and Arko.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

I like the Yardley lavender as well, as a bath soap. Not tried it as a shave soap. The dollar tree here has yardley bar soap for a dollar. So ya, I get it fairly often.

I want to try some fancy soaps. So far all I have tried is VDH, Arko, some Captain's choice samples....ummmm ya. That is it. The only soap (shave soap) I ever actually bought is VDH and Arko.

Worry not, sir! Since you registered in this forum, sooner or later, you WILL try something expensive too! And once you do, then comes the difficult part. Will you be able to go back to cheap soaps or not... Some can, some can't...

 

[Alum of Potash]

Well, this is a fascinating little sub-genre. Just shaved using a bar of Marius Fabre 72% olive oil soap. This is an all-around soap made in France. "Other uses" include placing a bar in your closet to keep moths away and using it as a toothpaste. While unscented, it does have a strong, smoky, tar-like odor.

Anyway, I used extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil as a pre-shave, then tried to lather from the bar after soaking it in hot water a little. Almost impossible to arrive at anything other than an airy lather that disappeared before the pass was done. Got around this by continually applying new airy lather. Shave during the first pass did not feel particularly uncomfortable, the olive oil probably helping as to protection. Noticed some weepers during the second pass, coinciding with the skin feeling like it was drying out. Followed up with final touch-ups, rinsed off my face and applied the alum block. A bit of tingle, but nothing like receiving a sudden electric shock. In rinsing off the alum, I noticed I had a very mild rash at the base of my neck. Followed this with a shot of Pinaud Whiskey Woods AS while wondering if I might end up looking like a scarred Prussian army officer afterwards. Sitting here twenty minutes later as I type, my skin feels dry and just a little bit raw, sort of like winter in January. Obviously, it was not the best shave, but it could have been worse. Would just using olive oil be better in a pinch is the question I'm asking myself now.

 

[trentr]

Worry not, sir! Since you registered in this forum, sooner or later, you WILL try something expensive too! And once you do, then comes the difficult part. Will you be able to go back to cheap soaps or not... Some can, some can't...

I have done fairly well, so far, living vicariously. I have pacified myself with Flea market and Ebay vintage Gillettes and straights, a couple cheap chinese razors, DE and SR

 

[trentr]

Well, this is a fascinating little sub-genre. Just shaved using a bar of Marius Fabre 72% olive oil soap. This is an all-around soap made in France. "Other uses" include placing a bar in your closet to keep moths away and using it as a toothpaste. While unscented, it does have a strong, smoky, tar-like odor.

Anyway, I used extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil as a pre-shave, then tried to lather from the bar after soaking it in hot water a little. Almost impossible to arrive at anything other than an airy lather that disappeared before the pass was done. Got around this by continually applying new airy lather. Shave during the first pass did not feel particularly uncomfortable, the olive oil probably helping as to protection. Noticed some weepers during the second pass, coinciding with the skin feeling like it was drying out. Followed up with final touch-ups, rinsed off my face and applied the alum block. A bit of tingle, but nothing like receiving a sudden electric shock. In rinsing off the alum block, I noticed I had a very mild rash at the base of my neck. Followed this with a shot of Pinaud Whiskey Woods AS. Sitting here twenty minutes later as I type, my skin feels dry and just a little bit raw, sort of like winter in January. Obviously, it was not the best shave, but it could have been worse. Would just using olive oil be better in a pinch is the question I'm asking myself now.

Hmmm. I am seeing a "alternate shave oil" thread where we use 5w-20, olive, and coconut oil instead of shave secret.....

 

[Burundian Hawk]

I have done fairly well, so far, living vicariously. I have pacified myself with Flea market and Ebay vintage Gillettes and straights, a couple cheap chinese razors, DE and SR

If you have kept at that, sir and VDH-Arko, you have certainly done much, much better than me!

 

[geneaut]

I like the Yardley lavender as well, as a bath soap. Not tried it as a shave soap. The dollar tree here has yardley bar soap for a dollar. So ya, I get it fairly often.

I want to try some fancy soaps. So far all I have tried is VDH, Arko, some Captain's choice samples....ummmm ya. That is it. The only soap (shave soap) I ever actually bought is VDH and Arko.

There's nothing wrong with Arko or VDH. I shaved with Williams and VDH for almost a year before a coworker gave me a Palmolive stick to try. He was an enabler, and before long I was trying it all. I still use Williams, Arko, and VDH at times because they all work. Currently, I have two sticks of Arko smushed into my Old Spice mug and it's my usual Monday shave.

Samples are the crack cocaine of the shave soap industry The first time I smelled GFT from a Trumper's sampler I knew I was doomed.

 

[trentr]

If you have kept at that, sir and VDH-Arko, you have certainly done much, much better than me!

Most recently bought a Tony Miller strop. Very nice. Now eyeballing some Ariana and Evans soaps. It may take longer for some, but if you walk on slippery banks long enough...... well you get the idea.

 

[Atlantic59]

...I don't know where the boonies are...

boonies, n. : remote rural areas distant from urban centers; synonyms: hinterland; back of beyond; the sticks
see also: BFE

 

[trentr]

There's nothing wrong with Arko or VDH. I shaved with Williams and VDH for almost a year before a coworker gave me a Palmolive stick to try. He was an enabler, and before long I was trying it all. I still use Williams, Arko, and VDH at times because they all work. Currently, I have two sticks of Arko smushed into my Old Spice mug and it's my usual Monday shave.

Samples are the crack cocaine of the shave soap industry The first time I smelled GFT from a Trumper's sampler I knew I was doomed.

I am quite visual and research tempted. Like by this forum lol. How ever knowing my kids and wife have needs helps keep my wants in check. But it ain't easy