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Recommend me - Bath Soap

I've enjoyed Dr. Squatch a good deal.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Bourbon and Oak soap from Cremo that came in a set with body wash.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
I decided to go with the Caswell-Massey Honeysuckle bath soap. Somewhat pricy but it’s very good soap so far. I’ll be trying the other scents they offer.
 
Yes Sir, the 4 names given are almost identical in formula and performance. They all lather very well and create a rich, creamy lather that can be used to wash your entire body, hair included. These soaps are ideal for every skin type, even the most sensitive ones. And during winter months the very high content of 72% of extra virgin olive oil makes them extremely moisturizing.

There are several great names for Italian bath soaps. Among these my favourite is Nesti Dante from Florence. His soaps are of high quality, with great scents and are reasonably priced, too. These are not extra virgin olive oil based, though. Therefore, while they won't dry out your skin at all, they are certainly not as moisturizing as the French savon de Marseille.

What I like to do is to use Nesti Dante and other Italians during hot months (when moisturizing properties are not so important to me) and the 4 French Marseille soaps during cold months (when moisturizing properties play an important role to prevent skin dryness and consequent cracks).

Marco-
Yes Sir, the 4 names given are almost identical in formula and performance. They all lather very well and create a rich, creamy lather that can be used to wash your entire body, hair included. These soaps are ideal for every skin type, even the most sensitive ones. And during winter months the very high content of 72% of extra virgin olive oil makes them extremely moisturizing.

There are several great names for Italian bath soaps. Among these my favourite is Nesti Dante from Florence. His soaps are of high quality, with great scents and are reasonably priced, too. These are not extra virgin olive oil based, though. Therefore, while they won't dry out your skin at all, they are certainly not as moisturizing as the French savon de Marseille.

What I like to do is to use Nesti Dante and other Italians during hot months (when moisturizing properties are not so important to me) and the 4 French Marseille soaps during cold months (when moisturizing properties play an important role to prevent skin dryness and consequent cracks).

Marco - I bought a cube of the Marius Fabre 72% olive oil soap. I cut off a bar sized piece and used it during a shower. It suds easily and is moisturizing, but the scent is stronger than expected and has a medicinal/chemical smell- unpleasant to me. Do the traditional Marseille soaps from the other companies you mentioned smell similar?

are you aware of other olive oil soaps that offer similar performance with more pleasant scents?
Thanks.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
Marco-


Marco - I bought a cube of the Marius Fabre 72% olive oil soap. I cut off a bar sized piece and used it during a shower. It suds easily and is moisturizing, but the scent is stronger than expected and has a medicinal/chemical smell- unpleasant to me. Do the traditional Marseille soaps from the other companies you mentioned smell similar?

are you aware of other olive oil soaps that offer similar performance with more pleasant scents?
Thanks.

All TRUE Marseille soaps are the same in terms of ingredients list, performance and scent.

Some other companies offer olive oil based soaps, but honestly I do not know them - probably they add fragrances to them and probably the amount of true olive oil is much less than the famous 72% offered by the originals.

Try to stick to your Marius Fabre and see if you get used to that "ash" scent. Your skin will thank you later...
 
My wife and I love Valobra bath soaps... A little expensive, yes, but they are wonderful in every way. I would also recommend MWF bath soaps.

Also, for years I have been using Turkish olive oil bar soaps as a substitute of hair shampoo. They are very cheap, 100% natural and contain only Water, Olive Oil, Sodium Chloride and Laurel Oil. Not sure if they are easy to find in EU / USA
 
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Good recommendations. I use Earth Essentials pure castille bar soap. Great bath soap and hair wash as well. Similar to Dr. Bronner but I found the bar lasts longer.
 
All TRUE Marseille soaps are the same in terms of ingredients list, performance and scent.

Some other companies offer olive oil based soaps, but honestly I do not know them - probably they add fragrances to them and probably the amount of true olive oil is much less than the famous 72% offered by the originals.

Try to stick to your Marius Fabre and see if you get used to that "ash" scent. Your skin will thank you later...

As a Marius Fabre convert (I like the packages that are a kilo brick cut up into like seven soaps, maybe less cost effective, but I can't cut soap for love or money), figured I'd piggyback onto this.

Pre de Provence makes a "Marseille" soap that is more widely available and less expensive in the US. It's not a true Marseille soap; ingredients are as follows:

SODIUM PALMATE, SODIUM PALM KERNELATE, AQUA, PARFUM,
BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER, PALM KERNEL ACID, GLYCERIN, SODIUM
HYDROXIDE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, BENZYL BENZOATE, LIMONENE,
EUGENOL, LINALOOL, COUMARIN, HYDROXYCITRONELLAL, HEXYL
CINNAMAL, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE,
CITRONELLOL, GERANIOL, ISOEUGENOL, CI 77266

Marius Fabre, OTOH, has the following ingredient list:

Sodium olivate, Sodium cocoate, Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium chloride, Sodium hydroxide.
 
I'm a shower guy, and usually keep 2 bar soaps in my shower. One bar is always a pine tar for my hair & dandruff issues. Grandpa's pine tar works ok in warmer months, but Packer's is better in cooler months. A pine tar soap and diluted apple cider vinegar (with Mother) rinse works better for me than any dandruff shampoo. I don't have a favorite body soap, as long at it's not off a store shelf. Right now, my shower has Grandpa pine tar for body & Packer's pine tar for hair. One of my favorite body soaps in winter and which I need to reorder is Stirling Rosemary Mint. Since I like Stirling MITA shave soap, I plan on ordering some MITA bath soap. I also like using Ogallala BR shave soap in the shower. Shaving with Ogallala is average, but the clove soap in the shower is great.
 
Marlowe No. 102 and No. 105 are my go-to soaps. Iv tried all you have tried and beyond and have settled on these currently.
 
Go to an Indian store and get you some Mysore Santal. Scent is strong, authentic sandalwood. Inexpensive.

I recently bought a twelve-pack of this soap online. It's my current favorite, but Stirling, Lisa's Natural and Sudsy Soapery also make nice soaps that I also use. Mysore has an amazing scent.
 
I recommend the mother of all soaps. Just use Aleppo soap from Syria. It is made the same way it was made when the Roman Empire was in the lead there. They just cook it from olive oil, laurel oil and sodium hydroxide, cut by hand and dried for at least six months.

I think a product that is on the market for more than 2,000 years is worth a try.
 
Picked this up the other day and used it for the first time this morning. Excellent lather and just the right amount of exfoliation. Nice scent that might not be powerful enough for what you want. A bit pricey in the supermarket at almost $5 a bar (compared to what I normally use), but if I continue to like it I'll see if I can find it cheaper somewhere else.
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steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I’m a sucker for bath soaps.

I’ve used the mass market type soaps - Dove, Dial, Irish Spring, etc.
I’ve used the “step up” varieties such as Pre de Provence, Duke Cannon, D.R. Harris (above a step up really!)
I’ve used the body wash type of soap, *shudder*
I’ve used a few local artisans here and there.

I’ve never found one that WOWED me.

What I don’t like about the mass market type is it’s just bland. Scent is bland, lather is bland, it’s just.....soap. Cheap, effective, soap.

What I don’t like about the step up varieties is...speak of Duke Cannon mainly, I don’t want a soap bar the size of my head. And Pre de Provence never excited me either - take away the 20 different scents and it’s just another mass market.

What I don’t like about the body wash - *shudder*...never mind

So what are y’all using that falls in to the WOW category for you?

I don’t mind shelling out some dough for a good soap considering i use it daily.
Grandma’s Pure Lye soap from Amazon. No fancy ingredients - just pure soap. Great for the skin.
 
Mitchell’s Wool Fat bath soap - great pricing and shipping from the good folks at Connaught.
 
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