For every palm oil soap that is sold they execute one orangutan. Did you know that?
Replacing the Fat
- Thread starter Balthazar
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
That should take care of the tallow availability issue, then.
Cella's "brick". Not a one to one "replacement", but in my shaving journey I find Cella is a worthy next generation favourite. Cella has the weight of time and tradition on its side, having proven its worth through generations. It's simple, also in terms of scent, super easy to lather, super slick, super cheap, tallow based. Just a suggestion.
How you keep it from going bad?
There is no need to. I just store it in a cool room in a plastic bag. The first 1 kg brick I went through lasted 5 years (aprox), and was sitting there all along, as I was working my way through. Not the slightest sign of anything going bad.
Thank you for the reply. The reason I asked was the Cella is one of the few soaps reported to go bad/rancid. It seems like sensible storage is all that needed.
Tanvir.
- Thread starter
- #47
Hard to believe it's been more than two months since my last update.
I've been meaning to write a summary of the third round for weeks now, but life always finds a way of interfering. The past months has been way too busy (luckily nothing too serious) and that doesn't seem to be about to change, so I think I'll skip the "round format" after this summary and rather deal with the soaps I try individually.
As always happens in stressful times, the least skillful members of the "committee of the mind" are at their loudest and the self-control muscles get a training opportunity. Mine failed spectacularly, and so I ended up getting a bunch of shaving gear I didn't really need. Luckily most of it is rather nice. The Zenith unbleached boar is one such item, and by now it's starting to get properly broken in. The Yaqi AC format razor I got is another example. I've come to understand that it's a copy of the Vector, so to avoid giving the copy version free advertising let's call it the Yaqi Voldemort. The Yaqi Voldemort is turning out to be an excellent razor, though it's my first experience of the AC blade format so maybe it's the format and not the razor that impresses. Getting the Voldemort shipped here took some time, and of course the aforementioned committee members took the chance to convince me to get an AC shavette as well ("since you already got all those AC format blades to try out"), so please welcome the Feather SR shavette as well.
In any case, the Fat has been a useful benchmark/anchor/centre from which to evaluate all these new toys.
On with the show.
Round 3 - The Sound of Silence
Or: Unscented soaps.
Is there anything more suited for the shaver interested in convincing himself that it's all about "keeping it simple" though he owns enough blades to last him three lifetimes and brushes and razors to convince everyone who knows about it that he's got some sort of personality disorder?
In any case, I like unscented. And the scents I like tend to be very mild (to my nose, obviously), e.g. MWF. The kind of scents it's hard to describe as anything but "mild soap scent". More important than the olfactory aspect is the skin reactions. I believe the fragrance ingredients are the main culprits of most of the shaving products I have had issues with.
Since it's been weeks since I finished this third round and I have the detail memory of a goldfish, I'm gonna keep the comments fairly brief here. However, my general ranking of these soaps remain very clear.
Haslinger Sensitiv - Good shaving properties (as have been the case for all Haslinger soaps I have tried) and truly without any discernible scent to my nose. But I'm not very impressed by the post-shave, not nourishing enough for my preferences.
Scheermonnik Puur - Very similar to the Haslinger in terms of performance and (lack of) scent. It's an excellent soap in many respects, but the post-shave properties (or lack thereof) are not for me. (Also, for the budget minded shaver I'd rather opt for the Haslinger which has a much better price per gram.)
Signature Soaps Capra (Unfragranced) - This is a very interesting soap base. I will start of by saying that I don't think I've ever experienced anything with as nourishing a post-shave feel as this has. Absolutely perfect post-shave for the dry winters we are having here now. With that being said... I couldn't get anything but a gooey lather out of this. Actually felt pretty tired in my right arm after lathering it. And I needed plenty of warm water to rinse the razor. These are first world problems (as are all shaving related problems, I guess) for sure, but the lathering and rinsing part took long enough that my total shaving time was about doubled from 20 to 40 minutes. The rich, fatty lather also had me nervous that the sink plumbing would need more frequent de-greasing than I have time for in mentioned "busy life".
in this post
It feels a bit like what @Mr. Shavington mentioned in this post, which immediately rang true to me as I read it while I was testing out this soap.
This soap reminded me of this Monroe quote which I've always found pretty awkward: "if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best". I don't think I can handle this base at it's worst, although that means missing out on its fantastic best (the post-shave).
That said, I haven't seen other people comment on these issues of mine, so maybe it's a me problem (at least the lathering part) and not a soap problem.
I should also mention that this thing smells like the goat's milk it contains. Or to my Norwegian nose, "brown cheese". I quite like that part of it.
Stirling Sheep - Good, but I don't find it as good as the tallow MWF in the post-shave compartment (though not falling very far behind). Less lanolin maybe? Kinda smells like chamomile to me, but a very, very mild scent that I enjoyed.
Stirling Unscented with Beeswax - Even better shave properties than the Sheep IMO, and an equally good post-shave. No clear faults with this one to me. Maybe not quite up there with MWF in terms of post-shave (though again not far behind). But overall I think I prefer this to Sheep, though both are very good soaps.
Shannon's Soaps Nil - Ended up buying a jar of this when I discovered that Maggard's shipping to Norway was really low. And I'm glad i did. This is the only soap besides the Capra that I feel actually outperforms MWF tallow in terms of post-shave. Perfect for the winters here, excellent shave properties too. A little gooey and like the Capra needs a bit warmer water to fully rinse, but nowhere near to the same degree as the latter.
Summing things up, "Nil" and "Unscented with Beeswax" takes the crown of this round, with "Nil" probably being my favorite (though I might have concluded otherwise if I was comparing them during the summer). Will either of these be able to dethrone the MWF? No need to, since the king has already abdicated. It's a bit like Magnus Carlsen voluntarily withdrawing from the World Championship cycle. But I will say that I am pretty sure that while I prefer the hard puck format of MWF to the two honorable mentions of this round, there really isn't many objective criteria by which I can say that it's a better soap than either of these.
Also, I went ahead and froze then grated the Capra, Haslinger Sensitiv and Scheermonnik Puur and combined them all to one soap. Felt like a kid at the soda dispenser, desperately trying to create something better by combining blends that are already skillfully crafted by masters at their craft, but the combination of the Capra's unbeatable post shave with the latherability of the two others at least has me thinking the end result is going to be decent at worst and excellent at best. Will report back.
I've been meaning to write a summary of the third round for weeks now, but life always finds a way of interfering. The past months has been way too busy (luckily nothing too serious) and that doesn't seem to be about to change, so I think I'll skip the "round format" after this summary and rather deal with the soaps I try individually.
As always happens in stressful times, the least skillful members of the "committee of the mind" are at their loudest and the self-control muscles get a training opportunity. Mine failed spectacularly, and so I ended up getting a bunch of shaving gear I didn't really need. Luckily most of it is rather nice. The Zenith unbleached boar is one such item, and by now it's starting to get properly broken in. The Yaqi AC format razor I got is another example. I've come to understand that it's a copy of the Vector, so to avoid giving the copy version free advertising let's call it the Yaqi Voldemort. The Yaqi Voldemort is turning out to be an excellent razor, though it's my first experience of the AC blade format so maybe it's the format and not the razor that impresses. Getting the Voldemort shipped here took some time, and of course the aforementioned committee members took the chance to convince me to get an AC shavette as well ("since you already got all those AC format blades to try out"), so please welcome the Feather SR shavette as well.
In any case, the Fat has been a useful benchmark/anchor/centre from which to evaluate all these new toys.
On with the show.
Round 3 - The Sound of Silence
Or: Unscented soaps.
Is there anything more suited for the shaver interested in convincing himself that it's all about "keeping it simple" though he owns enough blades to last him three lifetimes and brushes and razors to convince everyone who knows about it that he's got some sort of personality disorder?
In any case, I like unscented. And the scents I like tend to be very mild (to my nose, obviously), e.g. MWF. The kind of scents it's hard to describe as anything but "mild soap scent". More important than the olfactory aspect is the skin reactions. I believe the fragrance ingredients are the main culprits of most of the shaving products I have had issues with.
Since it's been weeks since I finished this third round and I have the detail memory of a goldfish, I'm gonna keep the comments fairly brief here. However, my general ranking of these soaps remain very clear.
Haslinger Sensitiv - Good shaving properties (as have been the case for all Haslinger soaps I have tried) and truly without any discernible scent to my nose. But I'm not very impressed by the post-shave, not nourishing enough for my preferences.
Scheermonnik Puur - Very similar to the Haslinger in terms of performance and (lack of) scent. It's an excellent soap in many respects, but the post-shave properties (or lack thereof) are not for me. (Also, for the budget minded shaver I'd rather opt for the Haslinger which has a much better price per gram.)
Signature Soaps Capra (Unfragranced) - This is a very interesting soap base. I will start of by saying that I don't think I've ever experienced anything with as nourishing a post-shave feel as this has. Absolutely perfect post-shave for the dry winters we are having here now. With that being said... I couldn't get anything but a gooey lather out of this. Actually felt pretty tired in my right arm after lathering it. And I needed plenty of warm water to rinse the razor. These are first world problems (as are all shaving related problems, I guess) for sure, but the lathering and rinsing part took long enough that my total shaving time was about doubled from 20 to 40 minutes. The rich, fatty lather also had me nervous that the sink plumbing would need more frequent de-greasing than I have time for in mentioned "busy life".
in this post
It feels a bit like what @Mr. Shavington mentioned in this post, which immediately rang true to me as I read it while I was testing out this soap.
This soap reminded me of this Monroe quote which I've always found pretty awkward: "if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best". I don't think I can handle this base at it's worst, although that means missing out on its fantastic best (the post-shave).
That said, I haven't seen other people comment on these issues of mine, so maybe it's a me problem (at least the lathering part) and not a soap problem.
I should also mention that this thing smells like the goat's milk it contains. Or to my Norwegian nose, "brown cheese". I quite like that part of it.
Stirling Sheep - Good, but I don't find it as good as the tallow MWF in the post-shave compartment (though not falling very far behind). Less lanolin maybe? Kinda smells like chamomile to me, but a very, very mild scent that I enjoyed.
Stirling Unscented with Beeswax - Even better shave properties than the Sheep IMO, and an equally good post-shave. No clear faults with this one to me. Maybe not quite up there with MWF in terms of post-shave (though again not far behind). But overall I think I prefer this to Sheep, though both are very good soaps.
Shannon's Soaps Nil - Ended up buying a jar of this when I discovered that Maggard's shipping to Norway was really low. And I'm glad i did. This is the only soap besides the Capra that I feel actually outperforms MWF tallow in terms of post-shave. Perfect for the winters here, excellent shave properties too. A little gooey and like the Capra needs a bit warmer water to fully rinse, but nowhere near to the same degree as the latter.
Summing things up, "Nil" and "Unscented with Beeswax" takes the crown of this round, with "Nil" probably being my favorite (though I might have concluded otherwise if I was comparing them during the summer). Will either of these be able to dethrone the MWF? No need to, since the king has already abdicated. It's a bit like Magnus Carlsen voluntarily withdrawing from the World Championship cycle. But I will say that I am pretty sure that while I prefer the hard puck format of MWF to the two honorable mentions of this round, there really isn't many objective criteria by which I can say that it's a better soap than either of these.
Also, I went ahead and froze then grated the Capra, Haslinger Sensitiv and Scheermonnik Puur and combined them all to one soap. Felt like a kid at the soda dispenser, desperately trying to create something better by combining blends that are already skillfully crafted by masters at their craft, but the combination of the Capra's unbeatable post shave with the latherability of the two others at least has me thinking the end result is going to be decent at worst and excellent at best. Will report back.
Is the coconut oil used in Kalifornia soaps obtained from Indonesian forests?
I agree with most of this, especially about the Stirling Beeswax and Sheep. The Shannon's Chupacrabra base is superior to MWF, but the scents are very heavy. It would be nice if she made a lighter scent for this fantastic base.
- Thread starter
- #50
... well I'll be damned, this might just be how things end up after all.
Though it's probably gonna be a slow road from babystep soap bars to something half decent for shaving.
Signature Soaps Capra is one of my best discoveries in the past year. I think it's fantastic, particularly in cold weather. Maybe you should have experimented with it a bit more. First off, you don't need very much soap to develop a good lather. Second, the soap can tolerate quite a lot of water, it just becomes slicker. I think this would help avoid the gooey sensation, also.
Signature Soaps has a slightly different base, without the goat's milk. The unscented version is called Indodorus. I have another version of this base called Coria which is scented with essential oils, but it is not strongly scented. Also very good.
- Thread starter
- #52
Thanks for the tips, and I do rather explicitly open for the possibility that (to quote my own post) "it's a me problem (at least the lathering part) and not a soap problem". I gave this one around five shaves just because the post-shave was so spectacular. But I did not experiment much in terms of amount loaded or amount of water added. I think a decade of using the same soap, for all the positives that's had, has also narrowed my metaphorical "lathering toolkit" or expectations of how soap should lather, to some extent.
It's entirely possible that I buy more of this later to try it out again. The grating with the Haslinger and Scheermonik turned out great too, so if I always have that option if I still can't quite dial in the lathering.
BTW, speaking of grating soaps...I grated equal parts of Haslinger Schafmilch together with Haslinger Sensitiv. That tones the scent down quite a bit and the soap still performs well.
In addition to @Mr. Shavington and his post...
"Every year it is estimated that between 1,000 to 5,000 orangutans are killed in Palm Oil concessions. That is a significant portion of the wild orangutan population which is lost–without fail–every single year".
"Over 50,000 orangutans on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra have died because of palm oil deforestation. Orangutans whose habitats have been destroyed often enter villages and oil plantations in search of food where they are captured or killed by farmers who treat them as pests".
"Every year it is estimated that between 1,000 to 5,000 orangutans are killed in Palm Oil concessions. That is a significant portion of the wild orangutan population which is lost–without fail–every single year".
"Over 50,000 orangutans on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra have died because of palm oil deforestation. Orangutans whose habitats have been destroyed often enter villages and oil plantations in search of food where they are captured or killed by farmers who treat them as pests".
Coconut oil comes from a different palm tree than palm oil. This is a good read.
How Environmentally Friendly Is Coconut Oil?TreeHuggerhttps://www.treehugger.com › how-environmentally-f...
Thanks, Huck!
- Thread starter
- #57
Hampshire Wool Fat - It was not easy to get a hold of this, due to regulations of a certain union which happens to apply to my non-union-member country of residence too. So I needed to find a friend on the British Isles to make the order and gift it to me. I did the only sensible thing, circumstances considered, and had him order nine pucks (three of each scent option). They conain tallow and lanolin, after all.
They're great. Well, at the least No. 2 and 3 (the lavender options which as far as I can tell differ only in the choice of essential oils, using tea tree oil and May Chang oil respectively). I haven't tried No. 1 yet but it's the same base.
I had an "uh-oh" moment when I first smelled these soaps, because they do indeed smell like, well, essential oil. And while the essential oil universe is one I'm not well versed in and the sample size that forms my opinion is limited, I believe essential oils are often more tasking than most synthetic stuff for my skin.
Well, no need to worry. The shaves have been great, no bad skin effects. In fact in addition to leaving my skin with that good lanolin feeling it seems to give it an additional smooth kind of glow/tightness (this description doesn't really make much sense to me as I'm writing it, don't think I know how to convey it properly, but it's a good thing) which I ascribe to the essential oils, placebo or a mix of the two.
Furthermore, these are pucks, which I much prefer. Not very hard ones mind you, but still. Criminally reasonably priced too, considering the (undoubtedly justified) artisan stamp and ingredient list.
Worth mentioning that the "lavender" scent smells like citrucy, with hints of lemongrass, galangal. And despite my notes above, it's really not an overpowering smell (it's just very pure/focused/... essential). I quite like it.
Lea stick - From the tallow artisan to the veggie industrialist. Well, this one contains lanolin too.
... and it's pretty great. The only stick I have any experience with is the (in)famous Arko, but it's been almost 15 years. I can't believe I never tried this before.
Performance is very good, as is the post-shave. Leaves my skin feeling better than any other veggie option I have tried so far (reformulated MWF included) except Signature Soaps Capra. Better than some of the tallow options.
The aqua cologne smell makes me straighten my back and reminds me that I need a haircut. While the scent can be a bit too much if I shave right before bedtime, I think this soap has its place. No-nonsense, reliable. We'll be travelling to China for a good month soon and I'm 99% sure this wil be the soap I bring.
They're great. Well, at the least No. 2 and 3 (the lavender options which as far as I can tell differ only in the choice of essential oils, using tea tree oil and May Chang oil respectively). I haven't tried No. 1 yet but it's the same base.
I had an "uh-oh" moment when I first smelled these soaps, because they do indeed smell like, well, essential oil. And while the essential oil universe is one I'm not well versed in and the sample size that forms my opinion is limited, I believe essential oils are often more tasking than most synthetic stuff for my skin.
Well, no need to worry. The shaves have been great, no bad skin effects. In fact in addition to leaving my skin with that good lanolin feeling it seems to give it an additional smooth kind of glow/tightness (this description doesn't really make much sense to me as I'm writing it, don't think I know how to convey it properly, but it's a good thing) which I ascribe to the essential oils, placebo or a mix of the two.
Furthermore, these are pucks, which I much prefer. Not very hard ones mind you, but still. Criminally reasonably priced too, considering the (undoubtedly justified) artisan stamp and ingredient list.
Worth mentioning that the "lavender" scent smells like citrucy, with hints of lemongrass, galangal. And despite my notes above, it's really not an overpowering smell (it's just very pure/focused/... essential). I quite like it.
Lea stick - From the tallow artisan to the veggie industrialist. Well, this one contains lanolin too.
... and it's pretty great. The only stick I have any experience with is the (in)famous Arko, but it's been almost 15 years. I can't believe I never tried this before.
Performance is very good, as is the post-shave. Leaves my skin feeling better than any other veggie option I have tried so far (reformulated MWF included) except Signature Soaps Capra. Better than some of the tallow options.
The aqua cologne smell makes me straighten my back and reminds me that I need a haircut. While the scent can be a bit too much if I shave right before bedtime, I think this soap has its place. No-nonsense, reliable. We'll be travelling to China for a good month soon and I'm 99% sure this wil be the soap I bring.
I can get Lea sticks dirt cheap where I’m from. Lea is pretty descent 
- Thread starter
- #59
Good thing I left a 1% uncertainty buffer, because I did end up bringing the Stirling Unscented with Beeswax in addition to the Lea stick. "Just in case"
I also ended up not bringing the Yaqi synth I had planned to take. Of the three random Yaqi synths I have (or had, I just passed two of them along to a local shaving rookie), it's the one I dislike the least. But I still find it a poor face lathering brush. So I ordered a DSCosmetics A2S brush from Taobao instead, the day before we boarded our plane, it being readily available locally and supposedly being a decent face latherer (which I can now attest to). It had arrived at my in-laws in China before we did, along with a new handle for the Yaqi Voldemort. Was a bit suspicious that the 13 9mm diameter would be too hefty, but the end result looks pretty good imo.
Having some great shaves here, despite the very hard water.
