How Many Soaps?

[razorhead63]

Ah I’m glad to see that this thread I started has gotten this many replies! Even though I’ve been trying to minimize my gear, reading your responses opens a can of worms for me.... I gotta try some new soaps! There are so many to choose from... I want some with strong scents...I fear I’m gonna get SAD if I’m not careful. What a fun hobby.!!

 

[razorboi]

Be careful!
As you can see from the responses, it's a cold-blooded rabbit hole.
Also, be highly selective in your choices, especially if you like strong scents.
Many of these lamentable chaps will never go through even a small fraction of their soaps before the scents fade away.
I've only about 30 soaps and creams, and I haven't even opened most of them yet.
Considering that it takes me many months, if not nearly a year to go through just one puck, my paltry collection should still last me over two decades!
How long does the average puck last for you?
Finally, with Covid-19, working from home, and retirement, many of us no longer feel the need to shave every single day.
Consider these things and, if you're honestly trying to minimize your gear, perhaps it's time to take a good look in the mirror...and I don't mean for shaving!

 

[vtmax]

Be careful!
As you can see from the responses, it's a cold-blooded rabbit hole.
Also, be highly selective in your choices, especially if you like strong scents.
Many of these lamentable chaps will never go through even a small fraction of their soaps before the scents fade away.
I've only about 30 soaps and creams, and I haven't even opened most of them yet.
Considering that it takes me many months, if not nearly a year to go through just one puck, my paltry collection should still last me over two decades!
How long does the average puck last for you?
Finally, with Covid-19, working from home, and retirement, many of us no longer feel the need to shave every single day.
Consider these things and, if you're honestly trying to minimize your gear, perhaps it's time to take a good look in the mirror...and I don't mean for shaving!

Wise advice here.

Tell me about a gent with 50-100 soaps in his den who says he is happy with that number of perishable goods and I will gently ask him to be honest.

I keep it down to around 5 jars at a time. Fresher soaps and I can be honest with myself when looking in that mirror above.

 

[RayClem]

Wise advice here.

Tell me about a gent with 50-100 soaps in his den who says he is happy with that number of perishable goods and I will gently ask him to be honest.

I keep it down to around 5 jars at a time. Fresher soaps and I can be honest with myself when looking in that mirror above.

I have over 150 soaps. Honestly, I do not consider them to be perishable goods. Yes, they do become firmer over time and the more volatile scent notes do tend to fade over time. I have some soaps in my den that I have had for about five years. All of them are still usable. However, I do not use the older soaps as often as I use newer ones. The issue is not that the old soaps are not as good as they once were. The issue is that the newer ones are a lot better than the old ones to start with. I have a system of evaluating soaps. I have not found a deterioration in performance over the years, but the older soaps evaluated lower even when new.

Since I have enough soaps to last me over ten years, I know that some of the soaps might eventually go bad. So far I have not experienced that.

 

[SHAVEWIZARD420]

I have sold quite a few soaps over the years as well as trades and PIF's but still have way too many, couple hundred perhaps counting samples. Have enough samples to shave for a few years and enough soaps to shave the whole block for life. Variety is the spice of life and love sniffing and picking out which one to use. Having too many soaps is not a problem in my eyes since they are here already it adds to the fun of shaving IMO.

 

[razorhead63]

Today I opened an early Xmas gift from my sister. It was totally what I had asked for: PdP Bergamot Thyme and another tin of the 63. I just shaved with the Bergamot Thyme and noticed the scent is much lighter than the 63. However the performance and lather is the same. This is a great soap. I love it! I also received the 63 body wash and aftershave balm. Ah this is fantastic, my favorite gift so far! With my kilo of Cella still in the freezer and this soap I am set for a long time. No more buying!!!I must overcome the AD... if possible!

 

[Mathieu76]

I have a total of 14 soaps. 4 full tubs of stirling, 4 samples of stirling, 2 MdC's, 1 SV, 2 Barbieri di figaro, 1 extro cosmesi.

 

[Captain Whiskers]

I have 9 creams/soaps at the moment. I'm aiming to 3017 my creams, then rotate 3/4 soaps as the seasons change.

 

[Paul Bearer]

arko stick, la toja stick, speick stick, MWF, haslinger schafmilch, reserve cool, and mike's barbershop.

but i have a TON of aftershaves.

 

[jj_sharp]

One kind.

 

[Eben Stone]

I have approx 60, maybe half are samplers. I like buying samplers as long as I can get a good deal, I like the variety and being able to try out the performance and scent before paying for the full tub.

I participate in the shave roulette game and am currently playing with 51 soaps. I'm only excluding the SV samplers because I only want to use one at a time.

I don't have a most used or least used because my setups are chosen randomly. But my favorites for performance are Southern Witchcrafts and The Body Shop maca root, and my favorites for scent are Muhle sea buckthorn and SV Opuntia.

 

[Eben Stone]

I've owned several hundred soaps and I've tried well over 600. Got my personal collection up to a couple hundred then whittled it down to around 50 or so repeating this process several times. I've gotten very particular after trying just about everything. At this point maybe forty some soaps on hand but I really only use soap that I make myself and sometimes Ethos.

That is quite impressive. Says a lot for Ethos if that's what you landed on after taking a trip around the known universe of soaps.

 

[Esetter]

Six soaps and two cream, including one of each currently in use. Well, the opened cream is in my travel bag so it hasn't been used in a while.
I tend to 3017, so my favourite is the one I'm currently going through. Right now, RR Alchemy, Two shaves in, and I'll definitely buy again.

 

[dmshaver]

I have under 15. I’ve been weeding out what I don’t like or use. I used to have at least 50.

Top 3 soaps in my den are all by Ethos. #4 is Zingari Man, 5 is MdC, 6 is SV.

 

[ChipNWedge]

Simple answer here: waaaaaay too many. Had a bad stretch of SAD a few years back and again more recently when Fine’s triple milled soaps went offline.

Top 5 Used:
- L&L Grooming / Declaration Grooming Trismegistus... I prefer the early base as the scent was better
- D.R Harris Windsor
- Mike’s Hungarian Lavender
- Sudsy Soapery Sandalwood & Myrrh
- Mickey Lee Soapworks The Kraken

Least Used:
- TOBS Sandalwood
- Mickey Lee Soapworks Grand Havana ... it appears I’m sensitive to Tobacco
- Ginger’s Garden Havana Cognac ... the Tobacco is an issue

 

[gsurko]

I deserve nothing but the best, so it’s 1, Arko.

 

[razorboi]

I deserve nothing but the best, so it’s 1, Arko.

Ah, spoken with the confident false courage of a man about to face a firing squad!

 

[McBlade]

MWF, Arko, Tabac, 3P, Vitos red.

I think I'm doing alright

Only new soap I'm really curious to try is Muhle Sea Buckthorn.

Well maybe a really strong menthol number as well. But that's definitely it.

Except for the PAA Cube. And Dr Harris Windsor. And...

 

[beardlyboy]

Holy crow! Some of you have a ton of soap! My wife’s giving me a hard time for only 4 soaps(and 4 aftershave). Waiting for a sale on stirling or razorock. Two more and I’ll call it quits. Wink wink

 

[Ruva]

I only have 5 soaps/ creams at the moment. I think I had up to 10 soaps at one point. Besides Williams, the rest were bought recently. They are listed by favorite scent. They all perform well.
1) Proraso blue cream
2) Proraso red cream
3) B&M Hallows soap
4) Proraso white cream
5) Williams mug soap