Need soap recommendation: Slick and protective for neck

[pdillon]

I have been surprised by how much of a difference quality lather makes in my shave, especially regarding efficiency. I can use the same shave setup two days in a row but get very different results if my lather is subpar.

Barrister & Mann Omnibus base with a synthetic brush works best for me.

 

[dmshaver]

For slickness & least irritation, I suggest Ethos. Unscented if you have highly sensitive skin. For me, nothing better!

 

[Zora]

Nancy Boy cream

 

[JCarr]

The soaps I own that I consider to provide the best slickness and protection are:

Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements CK and CK-6
Mike's Natural Soaps
Stirling Mutton Tallow soaps
Tabac (tallow base)
Mitchell's Wool Fat
Moon Soaps
Wet the Face soaps (tallow base)

 

[StewB]

Thanks for all of the recommendations.

I was able to get a puck of Williams mug soap and I grated it into a storage container. I tested this and it produces a nice lather. I don't seem to feel a significant difference in the slickness of the 3 soaps I have tried (Proraso white, Col Conk almond, and Williams).

Thanks to a gracious PIF I will soon be receiving some Arko and I am excited to try it, as so many here on B&B like it and have recommended it. It doesn't make sense to me to invest in any expensive (to me, expensive is > $15-18 USD) shave soaps if they just don't create the slickness I need. I am willing to accept that this might be because my technique just isn't good enough yet to use soap alone.

 

[RAD patient]

Solid advice. I don't stretch my neck skin when shaving and use an extremely light touch. Even with a mild razor soap just doesn't seem to be protective enough.

I am starting to suspect that shave soap is a product that just doesn't work for me, no matter how good it is. I will keep experimenting, but the results I get from using the cream shave product is like magic: Smooth and irritation-free.

Maybe somebody already said it but have you tried a sharper blade?

 

[Snurgblat]

Maybe use some WD40 as a preshave?

 

[H4nk]

Consider a cream like Art of Shaving or Body Shop Maca. I get the best results from Arko soap-wise.

 

[StewB]

I was able to get a jar of Proraso white pre-shave cream. This product works well for me, and I like the menthol-like cooling feel. Very nice shave this morning under the Proraso white shave soap.

 

[shavefan]

For me, slickness and protection, Santa Maria Novella. Wholly Kaw tallow is another one. Speick superlather with their cream and tallow soap is pretty awesome too. I find that Saponificio Varesino 4.3 to be excellent as well.

 

[Possum092]

Add extra water to your lather to increase slickness of just about any soap, it’s a SR shaver’s stable trick. Anything sold nowadays as shaving cream or soap will work. Even the cheapest drug store and big box soaps work well.

 

[sknz]

I hesitate to add anything because I'm so new to wet shaving. But............ you know how it is, right? We pass on the things we've learned.

Based on the recommendations of more seasoned wet shavers, I purchased some Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream extra dry skin... for an after shave balm. I have a few places on my face that sometimes burn after a close shave. The Hydro Boost calms those places down immediately.

So just something to consider. My technique has improved dramatically over the past 6 weeks of wet shaving. I found the perfect razor for me, personally... and using one razor has been a good thing for me. I know "YMMV", obviously. I'm still playing around with which AC blade works best,.. and based on some recommendations here, I'm trying a new cream that will show up today (Baume.be cream).

Still, the Neutrogena Hydro Boost has been amazing. I was using a great product from Executive Shaving Company as an after shave balm. I wasn't really looking for a new product, but a thread came up here, started by CzechCzar so I decided to give it a try. I couldn't be more pleased. New best-in-class: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream - an absolute game changer - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/new-best-in-class-neutrogena-hydro-boost-gel-cream-an-absolute-game-changer.613733/

+1on the Hydro Boost!

 

[couch_potato]

@StewB hope you're getting some progress with new products. My humble opinion (as I did get a lot of iritation on neck as well) is that you try (or even push) more WTG approach at least for the 1st pass. I did mostly N->S on the cheeks, and S->N on the neck, depending on shave cream/razor blade results were so-so. After getting some "better" tools and creams, I noticed that nothing helped me more but shaving "downwards" for first pass, needed some time to get used to and to fix things in the second one. My hair is bit springy so it kinda pulls razor like a bow and makes tiny bumps on my skin surface, so reducing the stress over the skin did helped me. I took 2 passes, both moderately-mild and graduatelly reduced my beardage. Now with this technique if it may be called that way, it seems that I do not get any neck iritation with any razor (mild, agressive) or any shave cream or soap (proraso, nivea, stirling, cella, arko...) seems that everything works now

Also, just to be sure that your lather is not misleadingly thick (happened to me a lot of time) please find my post on water content, as it seems that you're using lot less water than me (if it works for you - great) but just check anyhow. I also have Razorock brush and it's a great painter and should give you a lot of slickness with any soap/cream to help with neck iritation.

 

[HXCnikka]

Any Cremo shave cream. I use Cremo with a bowl and brush. It can take a good minute to get the right consistency for a perfect lather. But when you get it, it is sooo smooth and slick. It takes forever to just clean it off. It is designed to be applied with just your fingers, but using a brush gives a more even covering.

 

[StewB]

Cremo is easy to come by - haven't tried it yet, but once I run out of other products I will probably give it a try. Thanks!

Another B&B member PIFfed me a small bottle of Head Slick mentholated shave cream. This stuff can work as a pre-shave, as shave cream by itself, or mixed with a soap to create really good slickness. I like it.

 

[pipskicks]

Have you worked on your lathering method and you're confident it's good? I found my lathering methods and quality of my lather made more of a difference than the soap.
For me nicer soap just smells better, and might be easier to lather. It might feel more moisturizing, but I'm not sure if they're really more protective, as long as the soap is decent of course.

 

[kingfisher]

It's not cheap, but Blue Devil Soap Company shave soap produces the most protective lather I have ever used. It's just amazing.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I know they are a bit controversial here, but I have seen a decrease in razor burn, irritation, etc. by using Baume.be's Pre-Shave. I know others have had good luck with the Grooming Department's Pre-Shave.... but others should comment.

To make sure I wasn't just having confirmation bias, I tried a couple soaps with and without the Baume.be Pre-Shave and it made a huge difference for me. As always, people's opinions can vary along with their experiences.

 

[Captain O]

This is the best I have found. It is on Etsy.com and it will solve your problem.

This is handmade and it comes from Ohio, It costs $5.50 + shipping. You'll like this and will eventually buy more. (I know that I will).

Others have said it before, but a sharper blade will alleviate a lot of your irritation. Heat your race with a hot, moist towel before you lather up. Lastly, use a less aggressive razor and you'll suffer less razor burn.

 

[StewB]

Thanks for all of the recommendations

Since writing this post initially, further investigation sheds more light. I have fairly hard water (7-8 gpg) and this definitely influences soap effectiveness.

I traveled recently with a DE razor and noticed thar achieving good slickness is easier with soft water.

With my hard water, I have found so far that getting appropriate slickness (particularly for my neck) is difficult to achieve using shave soap alone. When I use Shave Secret oil or Proraso pre-shave, my irritation disappears.

This morning I didn't use shave soap at all. I used alba botanica shave cream mixed with Head Slick mixed and applied with my synthetic shave brush and got an outstanding shave.

Soap is great. I have plenty, and I enjoy the scents. But so far I just can't seem to use it by itself without getting irritation. My pre-shave products work so well that I don't see a need to keep trying different soaps.