Need help with shaving soap

[Minas]

In my opinion whatever Barrister & Mann soap you choose is worth trying and see if you like it. Otherwise if you already feel better with the Nivea gel and don't want to spend too much money keep using Nivea that or try looking for some simple shaving cream, even in supermarkets.
Up until a couple of years ago you could find samples of the soaps and shaving cream on Shavedash (UK) allowing you to try multiple soaps and evaluate them before making a purchase.

There was a bit of shipping cost to bear and they charged for the service of repackaging the soap in small packages, however they allowed you to try different soaps without spending too much money on whole soaps that you might not like. I think after Brexit they were forced to close down.

That's a great advice, I didn't know I can buy samples. I just check the stores in my city and some of them offer some soap/cream samples!
Thank you very much!

 

[Minas]

I’ve got a lot of artisan soaps, and honestly, the difference in experience is pretty minimal. Unless you’re allergic to it, the stinging sensation is probably down to your technique or your skin condition. If it’s the latter and something you’re born with, well, that’s not easy to change.

Thank you very much for the info!
Do you use only soaps or creams too? If so, do you find any difference between soaps and creams?

 

[Minas]

Following up on the previous post, I just wanted to point out that spending a lot doesn't necessarily result in higher performance. That goes for soaps and creams. It might be good to try a few of each.

Haslinger and Cella are both good soap choices, IMO (Cella also has the Extra Extra Bio formula in the green tub that is good for people with sensitive skin or who want a veggie based product).

People accustomed to shaving creams often do not load enough soap when they first try it. This gives a thin lather without enough slickness. Something you might like to try with Haslinger is to rub the soap directly on the damp face/scalp, like a shave stick. Then, take your brush and build the lather directly. Plenty of soap and plenty of water should give you good lather.

Thank you very much! I will definitively try your advice!

 

[verysmooth]

Thank you very much for the info!
Do you use only soaps or creams too? If so, do you find any difference between soaps and creams?

Yeah, but I only use it for shaving, and honestly, I don’t notice much of a difference—except with AE’s cream! After using it, my face was really dry, and this happened during the summer. AE’s soap didn’t have this problem!

 

[om2000]

I have heard good things about Cremo but I can't find it in Greece

You can get it form Notino online shop.

https://www.notino.gr/cremo/?f=1-1-23235-23257-23290-94966

 

[verysmooth]

But my friend loves using the Gillette Fusion 5 to shave his head. He has a Razorock Lupo 95, but in the end, he still chooses the Fusion 5 for head shaving, paired with artisan soap. You might want to consider using a pre-shaving oil first.

 

[Minas]

You can get it form Notino online shop.

https://www.notino.gr/cremo/?f=1-1-23235-23257-23290-94966

Thank you! I just check it and the price goes to 20€ with transportation cost

 

[Minas]

But my friend loves using the Gillette Fusion 5 to shave his head. He has a Razorock Lupo 95, but in the end, he still chooses the Fusion 5 for head shaving, paired with artisan soap. You might want to consider using a pre-shaving oil first.

Thank you for the reply! I used gillette mach 3 for many years, the prices are way too high but most important is that the shave is better with DE in my opinion.

 

[KW Driver]

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice and your time!
With Cella I was able to build really good lather most of the times. Maybe I didn't give hasslinger enough time I was too new to all these at the time, I still am but you know what I mean.
I will try everything you say on the days I am not on a rush! And maybe I can use soaps not every time I shave but only the ones I have time and I want something different.
I was using a synthetic brush (Yaqi) easy to clean and smooth on my head.
Again, thank you very much!!

Synthetic brushes are the easiest and simplest brush to use, so you’re set there too

 

[Lane101]

Hello guys, I need some help!
I've been shaving my head for about 5 years, the last 2 with SE (Leaf Thorn) and DE (recently bought a Rockwell 6S). In the past I was using a Mach 3 and Nivea sensitive gel, when I got the thorn I tried 2 soaps (Haslinger & Cella) Cella worked better for me but none of these made me believe that it was worth changing the nivea gel (mostly because of extra time to lather, cleaning bowl + brush etc).
So now I am thinking of buying a Barrister and Mann soap just to try something "better".
Does it worth the extra money?? Is it SO much better than the Nivea Gel??
I know the ingridients are better but will for example be more slick and protective? Will it give a better post shave experience?
Thank you!

Hi Minas, First as others have posted if you prefer gel there is no reason not to use it. When in a rush I'll occasionally break out my Barbasol or Gillette Foamy.

That said the quality of the lather you generate depends on use of the ideal technique for the product in use as in the quality of the product itself. Additionally one needs a good quality brush. Recommend you share how you have lathered your soaps and the type of brush that you use.

I've found that one has to tailor the lathering technique to the product type for ideal results. The two soaps you tried include a hard puck (Haslinger) and a soft Italian soap that work best for me, and many others, with different lathering techniques that are outlined in the thread linked below. The thread also discusses shaving creams. The key is to get enough product loaded so that you have an ideal soap to water ratio. I've found that good lather is available from most shaving soaps ranging from 1-2$ Arko sticks and Williams pucks to $10-$20 per puck soaps like PdP, D.R. Harris and Mitchell's Wool Fat.

Finally let us know what type and size of brush you are using. There are plenty of under $15 quality synthetic or boar brushes available today.

Once you are creating the best possible lather from your shaving soaps you can then better decide if you prefer them over shaving gel.

Can Great Lather be Generated from Any Reasonable Quality Shaving Soap or Cream?

At their core most shaving soaps and creams consist of saponified fatty acids. Can any reasonable quality shaving soap or cream generate great lather with the right technique? Over the past two years I've added a number of good commercial shaving soaps and creams to my rotation. This rotation...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[ButterfaceX]

If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.

Bruce Lee

 

[Phil Harmonica]

IMHO, the only thing that expensive soap will do is lighten your wallet. I doubt that you will see a big difference in the quality of the lather or post shave feel.

 

[Minas]

Hi Minas, First as others have posted if you prefer gel there is no reason not to use it. When in a rush I'll occasionally break out my Barbasol or Gillette Foamy.

That said the quality of the lather you generate depends on use of the ideal technique for the product in use as in the quality of the product itself. Additionally one needs a good quality brush. Recommend you share how you have lathered your soaps and the type of brush that you use.

I've found that one has to tailor the lathering technique to the product type for ideal results. The two soaps you tried include a hard puck (Haslinger) and a soft Italian soap that work best for me, and many others, with different lathering techniques that are outlined in the thread linked below. The thread also discusses shaving creams. The key is to get enough product loaded so that you have an ideal soap to water ratio. I've found that good lather is available from most shaving soaps ranging from 1-2$ Arko sticks and Williams pucks to $10-$20 per puck soaps like PdP, D.R. Harris and Mitchell's Wool Fat.

Finally let us know what type and size of brush you are using. There are plenty of under $15 quality synthetic or boar brushes available today.

Once you are creating the best possible lather from your shaving soaps you can then better decide if you prefer them over shaving gel.

Can Great Lather be Generated from Any Reasonable Quality Shaving Soap or Cream?

At their core most shaving soaps and creams consist of saponified fatty acids. Can any reasonable quality shaving soap or cream generate great lather with the right technique? Over the past two years I've added a number of good commercial shaving soaps and creams to my rotation. This rotation...

www.badgerandblade.com

Thank you very much for your reply and the suggestions!
I like nivea gel but it dries quickly and I also enjoy using a brush and trying new products or better products.
I recently bought a Razorock Big Bruce which is great for the head as it is bigger than my last Yaqi, I soak the Haslinger in to warm water for some minutes, I load the brush and I lather on my head adding slowly water on my brush until I have a good lather. I am quite happy with the lather, maybe it's not perfect but I am sure it's good. As I said to an other member I will do some tests without shaving by adding water until it "collapse" so I will know the limit.
Many head shavers told me to invest to Phoenix Cube as a preshave, so I placed an order last night, I was using a proraso preshave. I also ordered a Stirling Scots Pine Sheep to try. So I have new things to test and try.

 

[Lane101]

Thank you very much for your reply and the suggestions!
I like nivea gel but it dries quickly and I also enjoy using a brush and trying new products or better products.
I recently bought a Razorock Big Bruce which is great for the head as it is bigger than my last Yaqi, I soak the Haslinger in to warm water for some minutes, I load the brush and I lather on my head adding slowly water on my brush until I have a good lather. I am quite happy with the lather, maybe it's not perfect but I am sure it's good. As I said to an other member I will do some tests without shaving by adding water until it "collapse" so I will know the limit.
Many head shavers told me to invest to Phoenix Cube as a preshave, so I placed an order last night, I was using a proraso preshave. I also ordered a Stirling Scots Pine Sheep to try. So I have new things to test and try.

The Razorock Big Bruce 26mm plissoft brush is excellent. I use one in rotation with a Razorock Monster (same 26mm knot, different handle) and a boar brush.

The Big Bruce knot can lather almost everything. For softer hard soap like my Arko and Tabac I can load with a damp brush and face lather while repeatedly adding small amounts of water (this is an evolution from my singular hard puck method in my linked thread above). For rock hard triple milled soaps like my Williams, Mitchell's Wool Fat, Razorock What-the-Puck or D.R. Harris I use my "mug soap" method noted in the linked thread where I build lather directly on the puck with a much wetter brush.

You have a great brush for lathering so you just need to keep experimenting until you get the lather you desire.

 

[Minas]

The Razorock Big Bruce 26mm plissoft brush is excellent. I use one in rotation with a Razorock Monster (same 26mm knot, different handle) and a boar brush.

The Big Bruce knot can lather almost everything. For softer hard soap like my Arko and Tabac I can load with a damp brush and face lather while repeatedly adding small amounts of water (this is an evolution from my singular hard puck method in my linked thread above). For rock hard triple milled soaps like my Williams, Mitchell's Wool Fat, Razorock What-the-Puck or D.R. Harris I use my "mug soap" method noted in the linked thread where I build lather directly on the puck with a much wetter brush.

You have a great brush for lathering so you just need to keep experimenting until you get the lather you desire.

I find it excellent too, big improvement from my Yaqi.
It lathers easily Hasslinger and it's so soft on my head/face, I really love it! I will try it on Stirling soon too.
I will experiment more, I just recieved Phoenix Cube preshave so I hope it will make the experience better.
Thanks again!!!