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Clark said:
Can anyone make some suggestion on hand made soaps?


Thanks

Clark

Clark,

I have been on the search for good handmade soaps myself. I used the Nancy Boy soaps for several months and really like the lather and moisturizing properties of them but decided I wanted a more 'manly' smell in my soaps. I am currently using soaps from 'The Blue Ridge Soap Shed', located in Spruce Pine, NC, just along the Blue Ridge Parkway. They ship nationwide and have one of the largest selections of handmade soaps I have found. They can be found at: http://www.soapshed.com/store/Manly-Soap-c-281.html

And the soapmaker is a man! And he produces some really nice 'manly' soaps such as Stud Bubbles, Dirty Old Man, Masculine Musk, Gentleman Caller and the list goes on and on. He also makes three scents of goat milk shaving soap. I really, really like the scents of his soaps and they lather nice too and don't dry out your skin like commerical soaps. My bathroom has never smelled so good; the fragrances of sandalwood, bay rum, masculine musk and oakmoss now linger. No more 'girly' soap smells for me!

The Blue Ridge Soap Shed

Manly Soap for Men

Traditional 'Masculine' Scents for Men

Welcome to Man Soap Central!


With a male soapmaker, and a business located in the Blue Ridge Mountains where whole families - not just women - come to visit, our mission was clear from the very beginning. Make Soap for Every Body in the family!

The Soap Shed has developed the best selection of soap for men that you'll find anywhere on the Net. We know that handmade soap is not just for women, and that handmade soap doesn't have to be scented with roses, gardenia and magnolia.

Handmade soap for men is simply about good skin care.

We make our soap for men in fragrances men like, using traditional favorite men's scents like bay rum, bayberry, spice, lime, musk, sandalwood, patchouli, and oakmoss. And we've created some special combinations, like our Avocado, Birch and Eucalyptus Shea Butter Soap for a facial soap, hand repair soaps for Hardworking Hands that are dry and cracked, and Goat Milk Soaps with a lot of lather for shaving. We've got a great selection of gifts for men here too. Just one man soap after another man soap, after another man soap.

We even have an entire line of soaps that are completely unscented for those men who have sensitivities to scent, or just simply don't like fragranced products.

I have two of the shaving soaps but have not really had the time to evaluate them yet; I just received way too many creams and soaps in the last two weeks. I know that some of the other soapmakers on the board make some handmade soaps as well, but I have not yet tried them.
 
I assume you are referring to bath soaps. SaintCharles makes some very nice soaps. I have tried Sue's Spring Soaps. I have also tried Nancy Boys various soaps and they are also nice.
 
Claus Porto makes some great soaps. They're a bit pricey at $14 a bar, but they weigh over 12 ounces and are milled seven times, so one bar should last you a very long time. You can find all of them at http://www.lafcony.com.

Shane
 
I second the Indigo Wild. My mother bought (and forgot about having) the Patchouli and Sandalwood & Citrus bars. I decided to just take the Sandal/Citrus bar because I was too lazy to go to Whole Foods on the other side of town and get a KMF Olive bar. Wow, the scent is very good...and very strong! Not only does my bathroom still smell nice like the soap, but the scent still lingers on my skin even. I'll be buying more when this runs out. I think the Frankincense & Myrrh is their best seller, and what I'll be trying next.

Only drawback is that these are kind of expensive, over 5 dollars for a 3oz bar. Which ones have you tried KC?

BTW: They make my skin feel good, but I noticed glycerin wasn't listed in the ingredients. I don't know though....the KMF Olive Oil bars don't list glycerin either, and they are supposedly very moisturizing. Only time and continued use will tell if this proves to be drying for me, which so many other soaps are.
 
javyn said:
Which ones have you tried KC?

Frankinfetti, Frankincense & Myrrh, Lavender-Mint(my favorite), Patchouli-Mint, and Zar.
Their "Zar" line a bit too citrusy for my tastes, actually, anything of theirs with a citrus theme is too citrusy for me (very strong oils).

I'll be sure to take some photos next time the SWMBO and I visit their factory (when our supply runs out)

Dave
 
The NB bars are the best thing going from an efficacy point of view, but I would agree the scents are not hard-core masculine (though I like them). There are a zillion soapers selling stuff out there; try a bunch and see what you like.
 
Scotto said:
The NB bars are the best thing going from an efficacy point of view, but I would agree the scents are not hard-core masculine (though I like them). There are a zillion soapers selling stuff out there; try a bunch and see what you like.

I agree NB bars perform great. I have been using the Tea Rose [the only NB scent I care for in a bar] but I probably won't reorder for just the reason you indicated...I'm looking for something with a more masculine scent. Some Bay Rum, Oakmoss and other similar scents. I'm currently using some soaps from The Blue Ridge Soap Shed that are 'hard-core masculine' and I really enjoy them. I plan to try some of the Olivia soaps as well as some C&E soaps.
 
I'd like to add my comments in regards to bar soap. It seems that there are a whole bunch of soap makers out there that have pretty much come up with every flavor one could possible think of. And names that read like flavors at a Baskin Robbins ice cream store.
Then there are those soaps that give a little more insight to there make up.
" And we've created some special combinations, like our Avocado, Birch and Eucalyptus Shea Butter Soap".
Yet the frustration remains when it comes to bath soaps.
For example, If I use Trumper Rose shaving cream, followed by some Rose Hydrosol, why would I want to start out with a strong citrus soap or a Bay Rum flavored bar for example, or Avocado, Birch and Eucalyptus Shea Butter Soap? I hardly think that these would compliment the final result, if it's Rose I'm after. Oh, I'm sure I'd smell like the "Horn-Of-Plenty" as far as the scent factor goes!
I like to use products that compliment one another from start to finish!
If I were a soap maker looking to make sales, I'd align my offerings more along the lines of those colognes found in the Decant Club and make a soap that compliments those items. For example, a brief search of past months shows that the Penhaligon's products are popular. The Hammam Bouquet, Blenheim Bouquet and Endymion are a few. How about the Geo. Trumper products, etc.
So how about a Spicy Rose in a bath soap for gents, that would compliment a Rose shaving cream and Rose Hydrosol if one is leaning towards the Rose scent?
If the soap maker included in his/her description that the soap would go nicely with Blenheim Bouquet or Trumper Bay Rum, then we could consider with confidence, adding this to the morning line up because we now know it goes hand-in-hand with the other products we're using.
I just feel that soap makers are running in a whole different direction and if they could more closely match there soaps with what's being asked for in the Decant Club, I think it could be a win-win for both.
One last point I'd like to make, and that's on soap shapes. We all like a good manly bar of soap that lasts for days and doesn't melt away after three or four days.
I'm sure we all like a good hefty bar that if one drops it, the result isn't several small pieces that now become useless. I know that some soap makers like to market there soap in various cute shapes that appear to have the cookie cutter look. I know my wife has some of these cute little bars out on display on the bathroom counter. But I really doubt that one could say that they're very practicable in the shower after the third day!
That's it folks, my 2 cents!
 
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