This past weekend I purchased a puck of shaving soap made from a small soap vendor. She described how it had been formulated, and I thought I would give it a try. When I read through the list of ingredients I realized it was missing one of two critical components Glycerin or a Tallow product. It had clay in it. It was slick and smelled good but unfortunately it didn't have any cushion when lathered. I tried multiple times hand lathering to get it to work; still no dice. It also had sugar in it which my wife told is used to aid in exfoliating, hopefully my brush wasn't damaged. Now it will become an expensive shower soap. The lesson, read the label if your not buying a well known brand.
Small Vendor Shaving Soap-Read those labels!
- Thread starter montroseman
- Start date
I would change the recommendation to: "Don't try any artisan soap that hasn't been highly regarded already unless you are willing to take a chance at getting a sub-standard product"
Most of us would have no clue what combination of ingredients and in which proportions make for a good soap. So don't think that because you find an artisan soap with tallow or glycerine that the maker knows what they are doing.
I have bought one shaving soap from a local artisan (Camamu) and it's only redeeming quality was its scent. The lather was super airy and dissipated into nothingness after seconds of application. I have seen and even talked to other local soap makers but won't be wasting any more of my money because I have a drawer full of soaps and creams that work great.
Most of us would have no clue what combination of ingredients and in which proportions make for a good soap. So don't think that because you find an artisan soap with tallow or glycerine that the maker knows what they are doing.
I have bought one shaving soap from a local artisan (Camamu) and it's only redeeming quality was its scent. The lather was super airy and dissipated into nothingness after seconds of application. I have seen and even talked to other local soap makers but won't be wasting any more of my money because I have a drawer full of soaps and creams that work great.
sad to say that probably 90% of artisan soapmakers have ZERO clue how to make a shaving soap. Literally zero. They must have stock recipes for "shaving soap" in their soapmaker kits and go "Hey! I'll add goat's milk/olive oil/clay and it'll be GREAT!" 99% of the time it's a slippery mess that burns your face because of the clay or the heavy scents. Aside from the highly-regarded vendors here, I have encountered only one worthwhile soaper on Ebay that produces good soap for shaving. That's not to say there aren't others but I've only found the one. Most make really good smelling shower soaps and that's it.
To add...it really is a shame that it's like shooting blind. You come across these soaps on Ebay and they sound great, the scents alone sound awesome and you think "Talk about variety! For $3 a bar I can have a bunch and never have to buy expensive soaps again!" But you get them and all too often they don't work. So it ends up being a disappointment.
I truly wish it were different.
I truly wish it were different.
Quite honestly, use caution even with those that have been highly regarded. Even still, many are hit or miss.
Not only that, but some products just don't work for some people. I have two great special edition soaps from Strop Shoppe. I ordered special edition Baker Street from them but found when I got it that it made my face feel like I was losing a fight with a belt sander as soon as I started applying it. I found someone near me that was interested and swapped that tub for some Tabac and Razorock and we both seem to have ended up with products we loved.
I still love my Strop Shoppe but that one scent apparently won't work for me. Great soap for most people though.
