How much for soap?

[PreachTheWord]

When will we see the first $100 artisan shaving soap? Will it have the success of MdC?

I think within the next 2 years, and it will sell very well, with waiting lists and angry posts why they can't meet the demand. And no, there will be no refill pucks.

Nuavia did this, breaking the price barrier of $50.

There is already an artisan post-shave serum that is over $100, so a soap over $100 will soon follow.

 

[musicman1951]

That lather he got from MdC looks dismal. I'd have to go out of my way with MdC to get poor results like that.

I agree that MdC is incredibly easy to lather. Sometimes I wonder if the quickness/easy of lather causes people to stop a little too soon in the lather building process.

But I do notice that MdC does not appreciate an overabundance of water. Of course most shavers are bright enough to realize it takes at least a few tries to get the water/soap ratio perfect. Thin, bubbly lather obviously means you missed the mark on the wet side (hard to believe the other possibility - not enough soap loaded - with MdC).

In any event, if you've created thin lather don't blame your soap - anyone can make poor lather with any soap using poor technique.

 

[FarmerTan]

Hello. I am fresh retiree here too (early retirement) and our pensions aren't stellar either. Small tip to boost any cheap soap, as long as you don't use it as stick: 1) You can add 2 drops of glycerine to your brush or, 2) "taint" your soap with a runny, glycerine hand cream. In the italian wetshaving forum, most members who tried it, preferred it over Proraso preshave, me included. They are very cheap and work on more fronts than the simple preshave. They have glycerine which helps glide and they have many emollients, that make the skin softer both during the shave and in the post shave. Just apply some on your face just before lathering (don't rinse it off) and lather over it. Creams that have "aqua" as first ingredient and glycerine within the first 4 ingredients, should do the trick.

Just avoid those that are very dense. You want "soft", runny creams. To be able to still use Arko with such technique though, you will have to put Arko in a bowl. Because if you try to use Arko as stick, the cream will have made your face too slippery to effectively transfer soap to it and your lather will have trouble. I do not know what brands of creams you have in the US, but i am sure you have Nivea Soft hand cream and that one certainly works. But you can do it even with the cheapest of hand creams you have in the US, as long as it's not dense and it has high enough glycerine. In the italian forum people have discovered this unexpected success with EUR 1.50-2 creams that are sold in the supermarket. These are even cheaper than Proraso preshave and work even better...

In this way, you can use more cheap soaps or creams, rather than being limited to Arko. Variety helps with shave. I am not familiar with prices in the US, but i can tell you, that by using this odd preshave routine, you can try without hesitation cheap creams like Lea, La Toja, Nivea, Arko, with surprisingly good results. Probably your own american Williams Mug soap, which i know is very cheap, would be boosted by this. Right now, performance wise, i am having a hard time distinguishing the glide between Haslinger (which several members here rank in their first 3 soaps) and Lea cream. I can see the difference in consistency, but the performance is very similar. And the secret is in the preshave cream that "taints" the lather, for the better.

Thanks for the info. Yes, my retirement came about 5 years before I desired it, thanks to my cardiologist, lol.

 

[naughtilus]

The last thing Arko and Williams need boosting is slickness.

 

[Boar Fighter]

The last thing Arko and Williams need boosting is slickness.

Arko is tallow. I haven't seen a tallow soap that's bad to this day. I haven't used Williams. It's tallow too? At any case, after some point it becomes a habbit. It doesn't hurt the lather, it doesn't hurt the skin, so i just do it without thinking twice.

 

[naughtilus]

Arko is tallow. I haven't seen a tallow soap that's bad to this day. I haven't used Williams. It's tallow too? At any case, after some point it becomes a habbit. It doesn't hurt the lather, it doesn't hurt the skin, so i just do it without thinking twice.

Slick as anything. Boring clean scent like Arko. Good for washing your hands.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Slick as anything. Boring clean scent like Arko. Good for washing your hands.

Thanks. You learn something new every day... No wonder it has been around for so long. It's just hard to fail with a tallow based soap.

 

[FarmerTan]

Never tried Williams, but if I ever run into it I'm sure I'd just rub the puck on my face.

 

[naughtilus]

Thanks. You learn something new every day... No wonder it has been around for so long. It's just hard to fail with a tallow based soap.

The puck is rock hard, needs regular use and hydration. Arko is play-doh consistency.

 

[FarmerTan]

The puck is rock hard, needs regular use and hydration. Arko is play-doh consistency.

I guess I'll have to SCRUB it on to my face!

 

[naughtilus]

I guess I'll have to SCRUB it on to my face!

It works right out of the box, just load heavy. Or in your case scrub hard.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Thanks for the info. Yes, my retirement came about 5 years before I desired it, thanks to my cardiologist, lol.

I am sorry to hear it, but i understand your position... We plan things one way and they come in another way.

I didn't plan it either, but, i did it as precaution, because i started having many small problems, that with time could get worse and the doctor advised a more quiet, comfortable life, home made mediterranean diet, etc. I was more worried about arthritis on one knee and on lower back, that over time could lead to much worse problems and eventually surgery. So i decided i should start a more conservative and healthier life style. I have made some good money, i have saved enough to live reasonably well for the rest of my life and leave something for my children, as long as i continue applying "golden moderation" to my lifestyle, because pensions are what they are... So i thought to lay down and "rest", before my arthritis, blood pressure, travels or irregular food habbits get me into worse troubles...

The thing about cheap soaps/creams is... You can really seriously "boost" them, very easily and at very low price. I 've used TOBS, Truefitt, and scent aside, i didn't see any miracle compared to "boosted" cheap creams.

 

[FarmerTan]

I am sorry to hear it, but i understand your position... We plan things one way and they come in another way.

I didn't plan it either, but, i did it as precaution, because i started having many small problems, that with time could get worse and the doctor advised a more quiet, comfortable life, home made mediterranean diet, etc. I was more worried about arthritis on one knee and on lower back, that over time could lead to much worse problems and eventually surgery. So i decided i should start a more conservative and healthier life style. I have made some good money, i have saved enough to live reasonably well for the rest of my life and leave something for my children, as long as i continue applying "golden moderation" to my lifestyle, because pensions are what they are... So i thought to lay down and "rest", before my arthritis, blood pressure, travels or irregular food habbits get me into worse troubles...

Sounds wise.

I am finally beginning to embrace being retired. I had an exiting job, and miss the rush.
I was a community psych nurse. Visited clients in the home or community, often unsafe-ish. Drug houses and the like. Never knew what I'd see. But I now have a pretty good relationship with the family, that I had no idea was so lacking before. I'm just now realizing I was a workaholic!

 

[lancre]

I'm now retired, so I'm a cranky old toot! Income about 40% of what I thought it would be, so I voted "as cheap as possible." But in reality, I've always been generous toward others and cheap with myself. A lovely gentleman here on B&B gifted me 2 sticks of Arko not long ago, and I fell in love. I doubt I will buy anything but Arko, but I will be entering PIF's, lol, as my mother may have raised some homely children, but she didn't raise any dummies!

Were you an only child? I always said my mother raised 3 dummies but not 4.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Sounds wise.

I am finally beginning to embrace being retired. I had an exiting job, and miss the rush.
I was a community psych nurse. Visited clients in the home or community, often unsafe-ish. Drug houses and the like. Never knew what I'd see. But I now have a pretty good relationship with the family, that I had no idea was so lacking before. I'm just now realizing I was a workaholic!

We tend to think we are invincible and indestructible... And so we become workaholics... The problem on my back started after an unfortunate landing after slipping while trying to catch a flight (i was traveling a lot, both inside and outside the country). Now i have a frequent reminder that it wasn't worth it... My knee on the other hand, seems has suffered premature damage after years that i was amateur cyclist and according to the doctor, i strained it too much (hit it too, once too much).

Now i just can't wait for the weather to stabilize (we have some crazy weather for this time of year) and just go out more, walk, read in the open...Wife's also would like to drag me to shopping spree, but i will feign severe knee pain.

Take care and enjoy your shaves.

 

[FarmerTan]

Were you an only child? I always said my mother raised 3 dummies but not 4.

Lol! No I'm the prettiest of 4.

 

[FarmerTan]

We tend to think we are invincible and indestructible... And so we become workaholics... The problem on my back started after an unfortunate landing after slipping while trying to catch a flight (i was traveling a lot, both inside and outside the country). Now i have a frequent reminder that it wasn't worth it... My knee on the other hand, seems has suffered premature damage after years that i was amateur cyclist and according to the doctor, i strained it too much (hit it too, once too much).

Now i just can't wait for the weather to stabilize (we have some crazy weather for this time of year) and just go out more, walk, read in the open...Wife's also would like to drag me to shopping spree, but i will feign severe knee pain.

Take care and enjoy your shaves.

Thanks, I do enjoy my shaves!

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

With regards to Chris at Iamcdb channel on YouTube.... I honestly think he could be happy shaving with anything. His lather is very thin and he has even shaved with a soap bar from Irish Spring. His face and hair must be the envy of people with coarse hair and sensitive skin. How does he go that fast against the grain... Is that the norm? I feel like I am the exact opposite of him where particular products can make a world of difference.

 

[JeffJ]

How's $79 for 100ml of shave cream? Closer to that $100 mark, without some hand made ceramic pot to hold it.

Antica Barbieria Colla Shaving Cream, Almond Oil

View attachment 979073

I’m generally under $20/puck. I have had the opportunity to try a number of expensive soaps through BST lots and samples (MdC). Currently a day or two away from finishing a puck of ABC. Prior to starting I had no idea what is was or how expensive it is. For me it’s the best I’ve used by a pretty wide margin. Not sure that I would pay the premium. If I wanted the best regardless of price, this is it.

 

[mrdoug]

I got a tub of DG Bandwagon. Let me know how you like your sample of Cuir Et Epices.

So I finally shaved with the DG's Cuir Et Epices. It was a very good soap. The scent is a bit off-putting from the sample. If I sat and sniffed it too long, I would probably get sick. The minute you add water, the spices come out and it really is a great scent. Still not my favorite, but quite good. The scent really is simple... Leather and spices, they named it well... Lol.

The lather built well enough. Not as easy as some but no problems to report. The lather sustained well, both in the bowl and on the face. My 10 minutes cool down after initial lathering yeilder very little loss.

It provided some great slickness and may be the best I have used. It was really protecting.

The post shave feel was good. It wasn't drying, but really wasn't too moisturizing either. I've gotten better, especially from the likes of Dr Jons (and probably others, too).

I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you like leather scents. It's a good, top tier soap IMO.