The last soap I'll ever need.

[ak1m]

I'm tired of swirling my brush into a hundred different soaps and creams searching for that perfect lather. You know, the one that whips up easily and gives me a nice slick cushion, and a nick-free shave! I'm looking to splurge on a single soap that I can stick to, toss everything else away. What is it?

I've tried Col Conk, which was pretty good actually. Williams was okay but seems to take quite a bit of work to whip up a decent lather.

Cream-wise I like CO Bigelow, have a tube of Real Shaving Co that I've been using (which is all right), but the best cream that I've ever tried was a croap commissioned by Bullgoose from Queen Charlotte Soaps called Notting Hill. Unfortunately, I must've been allergic to the cedarwood oil because it left me sniffling.

But is there a soap that will give me as good a shave as Notting Hill? A quick, easy to make lather and the protection I need, if I should be lazy with my prep some morning?

I don't care about the scent -- only the performance.

 

[OldGreyGuy]

I don't care about the scent -- only the performance.

Arko!

 

[ak1m]

Arko!

Dammit, how did I know this was going to be one of the first recommendations? I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger on a stick for $6 when I've seen it go for much cheaper, and I don't know if I want to go all in for a 12-15 pack...maybe if the price drops.

And is it comparable to all the top performers our there? QCS, AOS, Castle Forbes?

 

[noahpictures]

MWF (light soapy scent) preferably with dish if you are only going to stick with one.
Mike's Natural Shaving Soap in tin (any flavor; scents are bold).
Tabac with dish (the scent is polarizing).

All three soaps are tallow and are best performers.

 

[Deleted member 48987]

You could always go with any other scent from QCS... I'm sure whichever you choose will perform just as well as Notting Hill

 

[MightyPir]

Tabac is by far the easiest to lather...and the lather that you get is awesome. The scent is not for everyone, but you can leave the soap dish open for a few days and it becomes considerately less intense.

 

[rum]

I'm tired of swirling my brush into a hundred different soaps and creams searching for that perfect lather. You know, the one that whips up easily and gives me a nice slick cushion, and a nick-free shave! I'm looking to splurge on a single soap that I can stick to, toss everything else away. What is it?

There's only one soap IMHO that is likely to free you of all other soaps and that is Martin de Candre. My 'desert island' soap.

 

[PFP_Dad]

commissioned by Bullgoose from Queen Charlotte Soaps called Notting Hill.
I don't care about the scent -- only the performance.

Great soap and smells great to boot!

You could always go with any other scent from QCS... I'm sure whichever you choose will perform just as well as Notting Hill

This, though the consistency seems different (mine was a PIF so not sure if something affected mine prior to me getting it)

Tabac is by far the easiest to lather...and the lather that you get is awesome. The scent is not for everyone, but you can leave the soap dish open for a few days and it becomes considerately less intense.

Sacrilege, this is one of the best smelling/performing soaps out there and ought not be wasted.

 

[Elder Scrolls]

Arko , Tabac

 

[Acmemfg]

Cella..effortless to lather with any brush on the planet. Easy to find, inexpensive and long lasting.

 

[jaredsmith83]

I'll throw Tabac in there as well. Its been impressing me since I first put it on my face.

 

[Aschecte]

I'm a noob so take this with a grain of salt but I have tried Prosaro, Williams, van der hagen, TOBS, Pacific, Tabac etc. and by far the top 2 are TOBS sandal wood and Prosaro green. Both the TOBS and the Prosaro lather easily and stay for the duration. I happen to personally feel the TOBS may be a touch better and I also happen to be a fan of sandalwood.

 

[Paxaddict]

You could always try making your own batch.
Especially if you don't care for the smell, if you just don't include essential oils, it comes out to about like 30 bucks for a pound. Plenty for yourself and about 10 to give out as gifts to friends.

check out soapcalc.net for tutorials, and a calculator to find out what ingredients, and what ratios to use to get the right soap for you.

I'm working on a new recipe that's almost too soft to be called a soap. You'll go through it quickly if you try to load a brush like it's a hard puck, but it should be super easy to lather, very conditioning, and super protective.

Shoot me a PM if you want some suggestions on some of the cheaper ingredients that can go a long way to the soap you're looking for.

 

[Galengwath]

Martin de Candre IS pretty perfect in every way. D.R. Harris and Mikes Natural are great as well.

 

[christhach]

One word: Razorock.

At its worst, it is delicious smelling Cella. Let me say that again: IT IS DELICIOUS SMELLING CELLA (at its worst)!

Effortlessly lathers like a dream, slick, smooth, protective, thick, rich and cheap to boot.

At its best, it is sublime: La Famiglia Don Marco, King Louis Karite, Napolean's Violet, Muguet de France, Mudderfoker, XXX, S. Maria.

I could eliminate everything from my shave den and just have these, happily, ever after.

 

[joser]

Arko!

This is what I reach for when I'm in a rush for the morning. I've got some in a deodorant container which I'll smear on my face and another in a bowl that I'll use to lightly load my brush. Then after a couple fuss free minutes, I turn into the Arko man.

Dammit, how did I know this was going to be one of the first recommendations? I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger on a stick for $6 when I've seen it go for much cheaper, and I don't know if I want to go all in for a 12-15 pack...maybe if the price drops.

And is it comparable to all the top performers our there? QCS, AOS, Castle Forbes?

Cella..effortless to lather with any brush on the planet. Easy to find, inexpensive and long lasting.

As far as top performers, I've used Mike's Natural, MWF, AOS Cream, TOBS Cream, Proraso, Cella and IMHO Arko can and will keep up with the big hitters. For me, the one thing that Arko lacks compared to MWF, Mike's, Proraso (to a lesser extent) and Cella (also to a lesser extent) is the super moisturizing feel I get after the shave. MWF & Mike's are a bit harder to lather compared to Arko, Proraso and Cella though.

 

[k2clones29]

Another vote for Mike's Natural Soap. I would also recommend Mystic Waters and DR Harris. These three are the core of my rotation.

 

[shavefreak]

For clarification I have tried most of Mike's, a bunch of great razorock, Stroppe shop, just about all the TOBS, Sterling, Muhle, Proraso and some I can't remember.

If I was on a desert island the only one I would want so far is ADP (Aqua Di Parma) Razorock xxx is the same but discontinued so ADP.

Most of the soaps above are fanstastic (would not call proraso fanstastic) but ADP is in another league.

 

[mistercitizen]

Ah.... as usual.... there are many "perfect soaps" out there. But the real "perfect soap" is Tabac.

Ben

 

[Songwind]

If I had to pick one soap out of all the ones I've used to be my only soap, it would come down to a choice between 3:

RazoRock karite (I have the King Louis Lavender)
Provence Sante
Strop Shoppe special edition w/ tallow

Close on their heels would be:
Mystic Water
Proraso Red
RazoRock artisan line

MdC performs just as well as the first three, but pricing makes it fall back in the pack.