Mike's? Palmolive? La Toja? Speick? HELP!

[Pedro Navaja]

I need some advice. I've already found by blade and my razors and now I begin the quest for my soap. Experimenting a bit I made my own shaving soap stick with the VDH soap and a container of glue stick, and I must say I really like the idea of the stick. Now, there is nothing really wrong about using VDH, but I feel I missing on something better. I intend to buy and test two sticks, so the idea of buying them all and then PIF-ing what I don't like is out of question. Arko is also out of the question (nothing personal).

What I have used:
William's- Meh...Not bad, but leaves my skin too dry. Not crazy about the smell, but not annoyed by it either.
Cremo- Love the slickness of it, but miss the lather and the brush. Smell is nice (citrus) for a few days, then it gets old.
VDH Deluxe- My favorite so far. I like the "almod-ny" scent and lathers pretty well. A bit dry no matter how much water I add.
Prorasso Green- ok? I really did not cared much for the menthol and was the least slick of the bunch. Not bad, not for me.

The suspects:
La Toja- I have a soft spot in my heart for products coming from Spain. I usually am in the same wave-length when it comes to their stuff.
Palmolive- Does it moisturizes well? Does it smells like dish detergent?
Speick- I always read of how great it is, but can't find a good description of the smell or it's moisturizing properties.
Mike's- Hear great things and I love the fact that it is made in independently in the U.S. Too many choices!!! Along with La Toja, Mike's catches my attention the most.

I'm not big on floral nor musky old scents. Something clean, fresh, and soft without being too "sweet".

Any advice on which would you recommend?

 

[rand77]

1. La Toja - wonderful and creamy lather, one of my favorites. You can't go wrong.

2. Palmolive - tallow based, an incredible value. It smells nice and clean like a soap, I wouldn't be too concerned about the scent.

3. Speick - tallow based, and a staple for me. I have the entire line of Speick products and love the scent.

4. Mike's - can't say I've never tried it.

If I was to order my favorites it would be Speick, Palmolive, and La Toja. It doesn't get much better than these products, and I think they are solid step up from the products you've tried. I prefer to grate these sticks into containers, which makes loading them heavily easier. There are ton of great products out there, what kind of scents would you like to try?

 

[Pedro Navaja]

...what kind of scents would you like to try?

Thanks for the great reply. I'm drawn to natural sweet-woody smells. Sandalwood, coconut, almond...Spice is cool, but not overly-powerful. Never tried Bay-rum, and menthol and citrus is a no-no.

 

[bassopotamus]

Thanks for the great reply. I'm drawn to natural sweet-woody smells. Sandalwood, coconut, almond...Spice is cool, but not overly-powerful. Never tried Bay-rum, and menthol and citrus is a no-no.

There is a ton of great soap out there. Of your 4, I've only used Mike's, but it is among the best soaps I have used. There are several woody ones, and the Vetiver smells great.

I also really like Barrister and Mann (which isn't on your list), but similar to Mike's. Stirling is good too, and they have a ton of scents. I'm sure there would be something you would like (plus, it is inexpensive)

 

[rand77]

Thanks for the great reply. I'm drawn to natural sweet-woody smells. Sandalwood, coconut, almond...Spice is cool, but not overly-powerful. Never tried Bay-rum, and menthol and citrus is a no-no.

One of the soaps I really liked is Strop Shoppe Special Edition in Teak Wood (its on sale too). It's a tiny bit sweet like an Italian almond, but has a woody backbone. One of my favorites soap makers is Calani from Germany, there are several scents that might be of interest. My favorite is Oriental plum (spicy and smoky plum scent), and Classic Havana (tobacco).

Sandalwood: I prefer Proraso Red for an authentic sandalwood (earthy sandalwood). Haven't tried anything else.

Coconut: RazoRock Caribbean coconut, Haslinger coconut (tallow), and Petal Pusher Fancies. I had a skin reaction to PPF, but the scent, performance and post-shave feel was excellent.

Almond: RazoRock R-160 comes to mind and there are quite a few others sold by Italian Barber.

 

[Edinburgh]

1. La Toja - wonderful and creamy lather, one of my favorites. You can't go wrong.

2. Palmolive - tallow based, an incredible value. It smells nice and clean like a soap, I wouldn't be too concerned about the scent.

3. Speick - tallow based, and a staple for me. I have the entire line of Speick products and love the scent.

+1 on all of the above.

In my opinion, Mike's Natural is an outstanding product and you could not go wrong with it.

I'm really surprised that the performance of Proraso was not to your liking. I tend to think that you might not have dialed in the lathering. Proraso is a high quality Italian barbershop product at an extremely reasonable price. I will never be without all of the the green, red (sandalwood) and white Proraso products. I would suggest further attempts at lathering. Should you succeed and still not care for the scent of the green, you could always give the red (sandalwood) and/or the white a try.

 

[Pedro Navaja]

...I also really like Barrister and Mann (which isn't on your list)...

Although I am interested in a shaving stick I do like the offerings of Barrister and Mann. First time I hear of them. Do you like thm better than Mike's?

 

[TonyJoe]

Q: Should I buy La Toja, Palmolive, Speick, or Mike's?

A: Yes.

Sorry, that wasn't too helpful. I've never used La Toja so I can't help you there, but it's a well regarded soap. Palmolive is a great bargain and has a nice clean smell. Speick has a sort of herbal fragrance that some don't care for, but I think it smells great. Mike's has a number of scents to choose from, including an unscented variety.

I can't fault the latter three for performance in any way. Any one of them should work well for you. I personally feel the Speick extract in Speick gives it a little something extra in the skin care area. It's not overly moisturizing, but very calming to the skin. Some folks have reported trouble lathering Mike's, but I've never had any and it has nice moisturizing properties.

To summarize, I think you've set yourself up with a win, win, win, win situation. If pressed, the two I would choose would be Mike's and Speick. Mike has a scent - Pine and Cedarwood - that smells exactly like sawing a branch off a pine tree. However, if you want to go with La Toja, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Barrister and Mann is next on my list to try.

P.S. I think VDH is just great. And I'm also one of the people who won't hold it against you for passing on Arko.

 

[shevek]

You're on the right track. I've tried 3 of the 4 (excluding Palmolive) and all 3 are great. You say you don't want old/musky so maybe stay away from Speick. I do like the smell of Speick quite a bit though. La Toja smells clean and soapy with a touch of sweetness, and is dead easy to create a rich creamy lather. I'd get that one first since it's probably the easiest to use. I bought the stick but milled it into a tin since i'm not really a shave stick guy.

 

[Pedro Navaja]

Thanks TonyJoe. I'm now more interested in Speick than before...

 

[Pedro Navaja]

You say you don't want old/musky so maybe stay away from Speick...

And back to square 1
Thanks Shevek!

 

[intotheforge]

Speick doesn't smell old and musky to me. I think it smells manly with a hint of lemon. The real star of their lineup is the AS splash though.

 

[intotheforge]

If you feel lucky, you should sign up for the latoja pif running now.

 

[kirkendol]

I would also add the tallow-based Wilkinson Sword stick to your shortlist. Performs well and nice clean scent. You can pick it up at WCS.

 

[aimsport]

The options being discussed are all great. Try samples, or get them all. Based on your scent preferences, you might move Proraso Red up on your list.

 

[dparish1952]

OP

I see several people have replied while I composed my response. Sorry for the duplications.)

Palmolive- Does it moisturizes well? Does it smells like dish detergent? Palmolive is a tallow based soap that IMO easily produces a good tallow lather.It doesn't smell like the dish soap yet has a clean soap fragrance; some users can detect a slight chemical smell. Neutral re moisturizing vs drying. Valued at B&B for being a very good bargain. Palmolive is to the EU as Arko is to the Middle East, but better in quality for less than a $1 more. A special bargain when several are bought from http://www.lifeandlooks.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7238h. I have a dozen sticks in my shave den.

Speick- I always read of how great it is, but can't find a good description of the smell or it's moisturizing properties.A tallow soap that IMO easily produces a thick creamy lather with a basil like scent that does not linger. Most users find it to be a fresh alpine masculine scent. More moisturizing than Palmolive. A much a better soap than Palmolive but also more expensive. Solid appreciation at B&B but few rabid fans.

La Toja- I have a soft spot in my heart for products coming from Spain. I usually am in the same wave-length when it comes to their stuff. IMO, this veggie based soap easily produces a very nice creamy lather without the typical tallow base note. I find La Toja slightly drying. Most smell a light ocean breeze while I and others smell cigarette ash. Contains mineral salts, which causes irritation in some users, including me. Comes with a very good stick holder. Generally held in very high regards on this forum

Mike's- Hear great things and I love in the fact that it is made in independently in the U.S. Too many choices!!! I have tried Mike's samples and found it to be the most moisturizing of your candidates. Mike's has a variety of scents, offers shave sticks, and has many devout fans on B&B while there are many who find his soaps hard to lather. I have not used his shave sticks.

Personally I would try the first three before Mike's. Also two more options:
1) Wilkinson Sword makes a tallow Shaving Stick that I rate between Palmolive and Speick.
2) Lea is a Spanish brand that has a tallow shaving stick I haven't used but which has gotten good reviews on B&B.

HTH.

 

[Dusty1]

Speick, old abd musky? I can see that, but to me it smells more like a classic late 70's early 80's aftershave. Its classic, enjoyable, and not monumental, the real magic is how it makes your face feel afterward. Enjoy the search.

 

[evnpar]

Speick is a must. Grate the shave stick into a bowl and use like a soap. You won't find a better lather anywhere, and follow up with the aftershave. There is a reason why Palmolive and La Toja are always for sale in nearly full containers--I'd skip on them. You won't find better soaps anywhere then Barrister and Mann and Mike's. You should get samples and find what works best for you, as you'd get so many varied opinions that your head will swim. I'd read Greg's Shaving Soap Reviews for helpful information:About | Greg's Shaving Soap Reviews.

 

[Valerius]

Do also consider the Valobra stick. This is a superb soap in all departments, with a clean soap scent.

 

[bassopotamus]

Although I am interested in a shaving stick I do like the offerings of Barrister and Mann. First time I hear of them. Do you like thm better than Mike's?

Toss a coin. I think Barrister and Mann might lather a little easier, but It could all be in my head