How long does shave soaps last?

[PrincessMari]

Hey everyone, How long will shave soaps like proraso green last someone?
I'm just looking for something that last longer than a can of shave gel and has less of a environmental impact.
It's like all part of the process of me becoming a very green lady.

 

[Snowman94]

Hi there! Are you talking about how many shaves a given puck/tube will last, or how long it will keep in storage?

If the first, I would say a tube or puck of Proraso should last around 90 shaves. I think that would be a lot longer than something in a can. Usually, the harder/more concentrated a soap is, the longer it will last. A triple-milled soap like Saponificio Varesino will last a lot longer Even that Proraso (I've never used so I don't know exactly how long).

 

[PrincessMari]

Hi there! Are you talking about how many shaves a given puck/tube will last, or how long it will keep in storage?

If the first, I would say a tube or puck of Proraso should last around 90 shaves. I think that would be a lot longer than something in a can. Usually, the harder/more concentrated a soap is, the longer it will last. A triple-milled soap like Saponificio Varesino will last a lot longer Even that Proraso (I've never used so I don't know exactly how long).

Basically how long it will last with using it.

 

[Tanuki]

A tub of Proraso should last at least 90 face shaves for me. I am a light user of soaps. I hate to waste lather.

Check out Italian Barber for their inexpensive hard pucks and sticks with minimal packaging. Low cost, long lasting, a variety of pleasant scents. From Italy, just like Proraso. Just unwrap and pop into a mug.

 

[Toothpick]

You’re lady so assuming you are shaving your legs not your face. Which is a bit more surface area than a face. I don’t think anyone here can say how long it will last. Buy one and give it a try. Let us know your results.

 

[kingfisher]

Buy a hard soap puck and one container. After you go through the first puck of soap, you can buy more soap packaged in paper. No more plastic.

I have been tracking the number of shaves I get from my soaps and it varies from about 50 to about 130, depending on the size and hardness of the puck. IME, it would be unlikely that any commercial shave soap would last less than 50 shaves; most are closer to 70 or 80.

 

[OkieStubble]

My wife uses a tube of Proraso cream, but she also has a couple of other creams she rotates in and out so I don’t know how long just the use of a single tube would last.

I do know she doesn’t shave her arm pits and legs everyday or even every other day. Probably more like once a week. She only uses like a pea sized dollop of cream on a wet brush and is able to lather both her legs and armpits. She also doesn’t shave multiple passes and is usually one and done.

Having a small rotation of two or three soaps or creams must will last like forever, because she’s had hers for years now and I haven’t heard her say Anything about them getting low and she needs more….

 

[sarimento1]

Hey everyone, How long will shave soaps like proraso green last someone?
I'm just looking for something that last longer than a can of shave gel and has less of a environmental impact.
It's like all part of the process of me becoming a very green lady.

Welcome to B&B, Lady PrincessMari!!
Indeed, a puck of Proraso Green will last you several months!
Two or three times a common can of shave gel!
But, to be really green, would you consider shaving with a straight razor?!
Enjoy your journey!!

 

[NorthernSoul]

Shave soaps can be had in soft form (like Proraso) or hard milled soaps. The hard soaps tend to last longer and you can just get refills, then put them in your own container.

For instance, one really hard wearing hard soap is Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme. A 150 gram hard soap might last me 250-300 shaves. I'm not sure about shaving the legs, etc. but probably similar. That one comes in a metal container you can re-use for something else.

 

[Old Hippie]

Seems like it takes me about two or three months to use up a puck of my soap.

I've been making most of my own shaving soaps for a while. Three years? Heck, I don't know. Long enough to know what to do and that I like the results.

I have one pretty basic recipe that makes enough soap to partly fill an old Pringles potato-chip tube. Once it's set up I simply peel off the tube, slice the soap into five or six pucks and wrap them in wax paper before storing them in an old freezer container under the sink in the Shave Cave. Evidently soap is a once a year thing for me.

I've been making a recipe from Silver Fox, but I lately picked up a copy of Carrie Seibert's How to Make Shaving Soap: Charting Your Course to the Land of Lather. Interesting formulas, and I may try one next batch but the old Silver Fox recipe is good enough that I'm a bit leery of making a change.

I'm using up the last few molecules of my next-to-last puck of the batch I named "Peppermint Trip Groovy Shave Soap" so I'm starting to consider what scent I want next. Grapefruit, I think.

O.H.

 

[Snowman94]

Buy a hard soap puck and one container. After you go through the first puck of soap, you can buy more soap packaged in paper. No more plastic.

I have been tracking the number of shaves I get from my soaps and it varies from about 50 to about 130, depending on the size and hardness of the puck. IME, it would be unlikely that any commercial shave soap would last less than 50 shaves; most are closer to 70 or 80.

I would love to see that data; any chance you could share it?

 

[Ron R]

Hard soaps can last a little longer possibly than a soft soap or cream, it all depends on the brush load a person wants for his shave. I do face lather and use a lather bowl every day and enjoy the bowl more. I usually just use a few slivers I cut off the puck or shave stick and press in the bottom of the bowl. Bowl lathering has advantages than over face lathering but it's user preference.

You will enjoy brush lathering over just using your hands when applying lather on your face, it's a Zen moment of total relaxation massaging your face with a brush IMO.
I use to just use gel when cartridge shaving for 35+ years and when I went into traditional shaving I found the shave brush is superior for scrubbing and painting lather. If your in a hurry to get to work a synthetic 24-26mm brush is what I recommend, they dry quicker and work well for lathering needs. Never store a wet or damp brush in a enclosed area (might mold).

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

I'm starting to consider what scent I want next. Grapefruit, I think.

They'll revoke your hippie card if it's not Patchouli. You might get a special dispensation for sandalwood, so long as it's one of the varieties that smells like Nippon Kodo Morning Star incense.

 

[Guido75]

Welcome to B&B Mari!

I can echo the others in that Proraso gives me about 3 months of shaving (90+). Haslinger is a nice soap as well. But to your question I think any hard(er) soap will outperform a can anytime.

I don’t know if she discusses longevity but you might want to check out Jill’s journal: here for more information.

Cheers and enjoy!

Guido

 

[@ngel]

Soap or cream. Whichever route you want to take you will definitely be greener than going the can route. And you get more for your money when you make the math.

It really doesn’t take much to make a practical/useful lather. Especially with soaps/creams like Proraso.

You might’ve seen some of the videos of people making this yogurt like lathers that look like ice cream almost and people doing the “snowman” effect. Is really not necessary to come to that. As long as you have enough to have stable suds and keep moisture on the area to be shaven is more than enough.

Once you achieve that balance you can find a tub serving you months. Some people even go as far as competing who can finish a soap faster using it consciously. One soap famous for this is a puck of Tabac. Triple mill soaps are known to last what it seems to be an eternity