Most protective soaps for fragile skin?

[TheKman]

In attempting to find the most comfortable DE shave experience there have been several revelations since the beginning of this year. Chief amongst then has been finding the right razor for me, then the right blades, then the correct prep routine and post shave routine. It's time to start finding the right soap/cream for the job.

Here's a quick run down of the process as it stands now for reference:
1) Short warm shower, less than 4 minutes. (It's winter in the southern hemisphere and I discovered long hot showers are bad for my face).
2) Fill the sink with warm water and soak the brush in warm water inside the shaving bowl separately.
3) Quick face wash with a soap bar at the sink, rinse, leaving the face wet. Wet a face cloth and put it aside.
4) Lather up and first pass. Rinse and repeat for three passes.
5) After the last pass I remove excess soap with a warm wet face cloth rather than rinse. Somehow the slightly cool face cloth feels better than another rinse.
6) Alum and air dry. Clean up gear.
7) Finish with balm or moisturiser.

This has proved to be most successful for me in preparing bristles for shaving, soothing the skin afterwards and preventing on-going irritation during the day.

Now, I've tried a couple of TOBS and found them to be average, T&H 1805 has been quite good and protective, and Proraso green has proved to be a favourite likely because the menthol feels nice rather than being particularly protective. Others I've tried and didn't like include Proraso white and red.

On Thursday I received a Mitchell's Wool Fat puck and I've now used it twice. On both occasions it has surprised me with it's level of protection. The reading I've done has suggested the Fat can be pretty hit and miss, maybe you'll get a good lather, maybe not, works for some, not for others... all over the place really. For me it's been a minor revelation; lathers pretty well, doesn't dry out too fast, slick and ultimately quite protective. Post shave feel is nice, very little irritation with a known razor/blade combination, don't mind the fragrance, it may just be the new favourite.

I'm sure there are members here who have dried dozens of different soaps and creams. So which ones do you find the most protective?

 

["6"]

I have been and will continue to preach the greatness of SMN. Best soap/croap I have in my den.

 

[1Vader]

When I saw the title my immediate thought was MWF.

Try also the Saponificio Varesino line, and don't forget to load heavily. These soaps can take it.

 

[TheKman]

@"6" Wow, that's more than twice as expensive as anything I've tried. Seems to be held in pretty high esteem.

The Saponificio Varesino line seems pretty pricy too. This is rather a costly hobby, idnit? I suppose I've spent hundreds on a razor, not that different really.

 

[drwevil]

Try Uncle Jon's Shave soaps too his Pipe Smoke is wonderful


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Esox]

Try some Captain's Choice samples. I recently tried the North cream. Incredibly slick and having that much slickness I found it gave very good protection and a really nice post shave feel.

 

[psfred]

The slicker the better -- Arko, Haslinger, Williams, SV, MdC. Good lather helps enormously with sensitive skin.

 

[Slick&Smooth]

Try swapping to cold water for shaving. I still take a hot shower first, but I do a cold water rinse before I lather up and between each pass. This was a game changer for me.

Soaps: L&L grooming,
Tallow & Steel, Sudsy Soapery

 

[DEdestroyer77]

In attempting to find the most comfortable DE shave experience there have been several revelations since the beginning of this year. Chief amongst then has been finding the right razor for me, then the right blades, then the correct prep routine and post shave routine. It's time to start finding the right soap/cream for the job.

Here's a quick run down of the process as it stands now for reference:
1) Short warm shower, less than 4 minutes. (It's winter in the southern hemisphere and I discovered long hot showers are bad for my face).
2) Fill the sink with warm water and soak the brush in warm water inside the shaving bowl separately.
3) Quick face wash with a soap bar at the sink, rinse, leaving the face wet. Wet a face cloth and put it aside.
4) Lather up and first pass. Rinse and repeat for three passes.
5) After the last pass I remove excess soap with a warm wet face cloth rather than rinse. Somehow the slightly cool face cloth feels better than another rinse.
6) Alum and air dry. Clean up gear.
7) Finish with balm or moisturiser.

This has proved to be most successful for me in preparing bristles for shaving, soothing the skin afterwards and preventing on-going irritation during the day.

Now, I've tried a couple of TOBS and found them to be average, T&H 1805 has been quite good and protective, and Proraso green has proved to be a favourite likely because the menthol feels nice rather than being particularly protective. Others I've tried and didn't like include Proraso white and red.

On Thursday I received a Mitchell's Wool Fat puck and I've now used it twice. On both occasions it has surprised me with it's level of protection. The reading I've done has suggested the Fat can be pretty hit and miss, maybe you'll get a good lather, maybe not, works for some, not for others... all over the place really. For me it's been a minor revelation; lathers pretty well, doesn't dry out too fast, slick and ultimately quite protective. Post shave feel is nice, very little irritation with a known razor/blade combination, don't mind the fragrance, it may just be the new favourite.

I'm sure there are members here who have dried dozens of different soaps and creams. So which ones do you find the most protective?

The better quality soap you use the better the shave will be. Most soaps just get the job done and that's it. Saponificio Varesino may seem expensive but the pucks are triple milled and last forever, they are also 150g vs the normal 100g pucks so take that into account. That being said, here's my list of the best soaps available, scent removed, just based on performance, post shave, cushion and moisturization (all good for fragile skin):
Wholly Kaw (especially donkey milk versions)
L & L
PannaCrema
Tallow & Steel
B & M (especially reserve luxury line)
Saponificio Varesino
Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations (original & premium line)
Sudsy Soapery

 

[BigJ]

MWF is excellent IME, once you figure out how to use it. I also suggest trying some of Haslinger's options.

 

[TAM340R]

I have been and will continue to preach the greatness of SMN. Best soap/croap I have in my den.

Like "6"said !
Tam

 

[TAM340R]

@"6" Wow, that's more than twice as expensive as anything I've tried. Seems to be held in pretty high esteem.

The Saponificio Varesino line seems pretty pricy too. This is rather a costly hobby, idnit? I suppose I've spent hundreds on a razor, not that different really.

SMN is not cheap ....but here in Europe it is around 40$ and I do 120 three pass shave with one tub.

Tam

 

[kingfisher]

Try switching to SE shaving.

Soap-wise, many great choices. Mike's Natural, Obsessive Soap Perfectionist, Stirling, Dr. Jon's, Cold River Soap Works, Mystic Water, etc., etc.....

 

[Galhatz]

Mike's Natural is my favorite soap: especially Pine & Cedarwood and Rose & Cedarwood.
As for MWF - I never liked it much, not the smell and not anything about it.
After many soaps and creams, including some of overhyped once like MDC (mediocre, but smells nice) or LPL (doesn't even smell nice), I settled on a few favorites.

My current pick is actually the humble Ingram cream which is just fantastic any every aspect. If you like the cooling effect then you definitely need to try it.

 

["6"]

@"6" Wow, that's more than twice as expensive as anything I've tried. Seems to be held in pretty high esteem.

The Saponificio Varesino line seems pretty pricy too. This is rather a costly hobby, idnit? I suppose I've spent hundreds on a razor, not that different really.

You can get good shaves with most products which have been around forever, just like the Arkos of the world.

But SMN is the best of the best for my sensitive skin, it easily sits above the rest. This stuff is so good that it has spoiled many other products for me.

The way I look at it is I get about 1 years worth of shaves from 1 tub if I use it almost exclusively. At £45 tub from the SMN store in London (less if I pick it up in Italy), its not an unreasonable annual cost.

 

[TheKman]

Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to pay for quality, and the whole point of this DE exercise was to find a better way. It would be foolish to seek advice and not follow it. I suppose I'm apprehensive because I've tried some creams and soaps that I consider expensive, and the two that I currently like most cost AUD $10-20. So what amounts to ~$70 plus freight locally seems like a pretty big gamble.

Unfortunately a great number of the products recommended simply aren't available in Australia, so even the inexpensive one like Ingram become pricey anyway. Quite a few of the recommendations are held in high esteem, but I'm also reading a lot of 'Next to SMN, what's good?' type threads too. I'll start with this one I think.

Thanks for your help, All.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I've had very good luck with Mitchell's as well as Pre de Provence. Both lather very well but I think some people who have problems lathering them either much have very hard water or simply don't load enough on the brush. As a very fair skinned person, both offer good protection for my face.

 

[Snurgblat]

Williams Mug Soap is quite slick, but you have to feed it lots of water and effort. Van der Hagen Luxury is similar.

 

[Slick&Smooth]

Hard water or soft water, Haslinger and Tabac are the king of under $15 soaps. They are both triple milled meaning they will last forever. They offer nearly the same amount of slickness and protection as $50+ soaps, but lack in post shave. But you've got a stellar post shave routine so you shouldn't worry. In my eyes, the difference in $15 soaps and $50+ soaps is better scent and post shave feel. I prefer L&L grooming and Tallow & Steel soaps to SMN, ADP, ABC. The only expensive soap that I kept was pannacrema Nuavia.

 

["6"]

The American artisan shaving soap scene is so good. Envious.

I think "if not SMN..." for me would be Proraso Green for a good balance of performance/price. I am also a fan of the humble Palmolive shave stick available in many pharmacies in the UK - Made in Germany. I think Priceline carry Palmolive sticks, but not sure if they are the same version (as I know Palmolive produce many versions of their products for different markets).

I'm surprised more haven't chimed in with Tabac - it gets really rave reviews performance wise and polarising reviews for scent.

PS. Depending on where you are based in Oz, there's a menswear store called Up There Store in Melbourne which carried SMN (this was around 2015 when I went in there). They have a few stores around the city, but the one I went to was in South Melbourne, near the market. So if you are ever in the area and want to be tempted...