I enjoy the Proraso soaps as well as Razorock, but what is the main difference between a softer soap and a puck such as MWF, Col Conk, and Williams?
Soft Soap V. Pucks
- Thread starter cnichol3
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i swear by D.R. Harris's triple milled English soaps. last quite a long time, much more than proraso, but its different. I tried italian style soaps - (razorock Il pepino) and only keep the proraso red sandalwood cream in my rotation. rest is English though placing an order on some French soap this week, Provence or IK (institute Karatie or something)
. proraso is much better than williams and Col Conk in my opinion but MWF would probably top it. keep in mind I'm economcal but a $15-$20 soap is worth it. lasts quite a while and quality
. proraso is much better than williams and Col Conk in my opinion but MWF would probably top it. keep in mind I'm economcal but a $15-$20 soap is worth it. lasts quite a while and quality
Triple milled soaps are firmer so they last a long time. Soft soaps are a bit more of the consistency of creams and might not last quite as long. There are excellent performing soaps in both categories.
Soft soaps contain mostly water and the fats are saponified mainly with potassium hydroxide, whereas for hard soaps, sodium hydroxide is used.
I think generally the softer the soap the easier it is to lather, that's what I've found in my limited experience - ymmv.
I recommend trying them both. The popular Italian soft soaps are tallow based which, for me, provide a better shaving lather. Many of the hard soaps are vegetable or glycerin based. From the OP, MWF is a great soap. I can't recommend Col Conk or Williams. The popular Italian soft soaps such as Cella, P-160 or Vito's are definitely worth a try.
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Anyone tried the Edwin Jagger soaps that come in the tub? How does it compare?
Edwin Jagger shave soaps are HARD. I've only tried the EJ shave cream from a sample.... but I've been through a puck of the EJ Aloe Vera soap and it's about as hard as they get. I had trouble getting decent lather from it, but it can be done..... just takes a little more effort IMO. The Aloe Vera scent is awesome though.
Ben
Yes, they are hard but it's worth it IMHO. I have tried their three scents (Aloe Vera, Sandalwood and Seabuckthorn) and the one I like most is Seabuckthorn. Quoting SWMBO, it smells like "mmmmmmm". They also have matching ASB, which I like a lot, they leave my skin protected and moisturised especially in winter time (don't use them in summer time, too hot here!).
After a couple of shaves it gets easier to get lather from them. The brush must be not too dry, not too wet in my experience (no hard water here in Madrid). The lather is creamy and nice... and the smell...!!!
Not the best soap out there, but a very good one IMHO. Lathering Cella is a lot easier of course (even MWF for me!). Both categories (hard ones and croaps) have great soaps and I enjoy them in my rotation.
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THe the EJ sea buckthorn scent is my favourite scent of all the soaps I've tried.
Performance is pretty good too. Just not quite as good as my MW. Maybe I can convince Michelle to make a Sea Buckthorn scent.
Performance is pretty good too. Just not quite as good as my MW. Maybe I can convince Michelle to make a Sea Buckthorn scent.
"Mostly" is indeed the wrong word; water is just the main ingredient (it's usually the first item on the INCI list).
I have a couple and lathering is not a problem for me. What I suggest is, somewhat counter-intuitively, use quite a wet brush (boar works best for me, just at the point where it has stopped dripping if held upside down but not flicked/shook). Lather freely on the puck for at least a minute, transfer to bowl and work it some more - I find I get a lot of decent lather.
Not my favourite soaps however - and ultimately, not worth the effort (although I do lather most of my soaps this way - Tabac, Mikes, MWF).
A hard soap will take slightly longer to load the brush than Proraso or Razorock. However both can lather very well if you are careful on what brand you purchase. Tabac is excellent once it is aired out (fresh it stings on any weepers you may have), DR Harris, TOBS, Palmolive, Godrej are all excellent soaps. Williams, Caswell-Massey, Trumper's and Truefitt & Hill aren't so great. Take a look at threads here for more recommendations.
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