Hello all, I've been wet shaving for about 1 month now and love it. I bought some vdh soap to start with and am thinking about getting a different soap. I've been looking at Trumper's rose scented soap and also MWF. I know this is a ymmv thing, but would either one of those be a decent choice, or is there something else out there I should consider? Also, is it worth it to buy the soaps with the wooden or ceramic bowl they come in, or just buy the refill? Thanks for your help!
Next Soap Please
- Thread starter dak83
- Start date
Either of those are nice, but you might also want to consider an Italian soft soap like Cella, Vito's, or something from the RazoRock line as well.
Been shav'in a month? It is about Arko time dude.... Time to get past the rite of passage soap. Arko... You're either man enough or not. Now's the time to find out.
D.r. Harris, calani and klar kabinette are all excellent soaps
There are so many choices when starting out which makes it very tough to steer somebody new to wet shaving. I would start by saying, have you picked a scent or have any preferences - floral, woody, spicy or maybe cologne. Since you have been using a glycerin based soap do you want to stay with the same or try a tallow or vegetable base soap. Preference to any particular brand or country.
As you try things your tastes and preferences will get established, scour through some reviews, watch out for the "flavor of the month" and pick out some tried and trues to get started.
As you try things your tastes and preferences will get established, scour through some reviews, watch out for the "flavor of the month" and pick out some tried and trues to get started.
I have the Trumper's Rose soap and it's one of my favorites. However Trumper has reformulated their soaps several times and some of the pucks are duds. If you do buy it, I would get it from a reliable vendor. Before I bought mine, I checked with the vendor to see if they were getting complaints and returns on their GFT pucks. As for the wood bowl, I have 4, but don't buy them anymore. If you get the Trumpers go for the wood bowl as there seems to be fewer complaints on those. A cheaper recommendation would be to buy a refill puck of DR Harris and find your own bowl. I have some in 1-cup Pyrex bowls and others in $1 bowls I got at Walmart. Harris is probably my #1 soap as I have all 5.
I would recommend an Italian soft soap such as Cella or Proraso or a soap such as Tabac or MWF - or one of each 
I've been DE shaving for a good while and recently switched from cream to soap. I already had a clue as to how to lather soap but only ever tried it once or twice a few years ago. Now that I've started on soap I began with VDH Deluxe. I've been looking at other soaps but I'm not rushing to buy anything just yet. I will let the VDH run out and get my lathering down well. From my research I think I may end up trying Tallow next for a few reasons. But with that said, I am still hanging on to the VDH until it has worn away so I can hone my soap lathering skill before moving to Tallow. I say this because from what I read it may be a little...well let's just say..."different," lathering Tallow.
Now, I have also read that MWF is even more "different" and a little technique tweaking may be in order (?).
So for a relative neewbe of only 1 month is MWF a good choice?
Just askin'
Now, I have also read that MWF is even more "different" and a little technique tweaking may be in order (?).
So for a relative neewbe of only 1 month is MWF a good choice?
Just askin'
I think the cheap shave sticks should be tried, instead of getting a single fairly expensive soap you can have a couple of different for about the same price!
Arko has already been pushed so how about adding LEA, la toja and perhaps a stick of palmolive while at it? 4 different soaps for ~ the price of a single "famous" soap.
Arko has already been pushed so how about adding LEA, la toja and perhaps a stick of palmolive while at it? 4 different soaps for ~ the price of a single "famous" soap.
Been shav'in a month? It is about Arko time dude.... Time to get past the rite of passage soap. Arko... You're either man enough or not. Now's the time to find out.
+1
I say jump the curve and go right for a puck of Haslinger.
Mike's, mwf, and Harris Arlington are all awesome.
Get the refills and save some loot.
Get the refills and save some loot.
I see a lot of mentions of shave sticks and English soaps, but it's also worth considering the excellent artisan vendors. Mikes, Mystic Water, Strop Shoppe, etc., all make excellent soaps that you'll probably be very pleased with, and without spending very much.
Italian soft-soaps! My favorites are Valobra and RazoRock King Louis.
Arko for a month or so. Then you can quickly move to Cella. Two great, affordable, classic performers you should at least try. Most folks have absolutely no trouble whipping up great lather. If you don't like the scents or if an ingredient in either soap irritates your skin, you can toss it (Arko - it is pretty cheap!) or sell it on BST (Cella). I'd recommend moving through the small sticks, either in their original form or grated into a container. This should give you a good feel for how good to very good soaps perform. Each stick should give you a month or two of shaves to optimize their performance. I wish I had started this way and avoided stockpiling SO many soaps. Plenty of time to move on to more expensive, longer lasting products.
Mike's Natural Soaps
Definitely get hold of Trumper's Rose. It's a very gentle soap.
But also look at the likes of Tabac and the humble Palmolive (European) Shave Stick.
But also look at the likes of Tabac and the humble Palmolive (European) Shave Stick.
