To Tallow or not to Tallow. Which is it?

[JHP]

Gents. I'm new. Been using a soap and brush for just a month. The first 2 soaps I ended up with are a Tallow based - RR Artisan, and a non-tallow based - Honeybee. I have gotten good lather out of both. I say good lather and not good shaves, because I'm still working on my technique, but that's another thread. From my very limited experience, the tallow soaps seam much more dense and smooth, but there must be a reason that some people like the non-tallow soaps. What is the benefit of not using Tallow? Allergies? Other? Do tell.
Thanks for your help!
Josh

 

[The Kiwi]

I get good lather and good shaves from both kinds. So far, I haven't been seriously afflicted by SSAD, SCAD, SBAD, just a little RAD, plus some DCAD (digital camera Acquisition Disorder). I "only" have 7-8 soaps right now, and roughly that same number of shave creams.

 

[gegarrenton]

To me, tallow is it. I do use some glycerin stuff from time to time, but the tallow is king.

 

[mmack66]

I don't do "melt-and-pour" type soaps, but I get good results, lather and shaves, with some soaps created with either fat from tallow, or fat from plant sources.

 

[noahpictures]

In my experience tallow soaps have consistently outperformed the others.

 

[takeshi]

What is the benefit of not using Tallow?

A good soap is a good soap. Tallow is overstated as the important variable at play for those that are oversimplifying matters and/or don't understand causality. My favorite soaps include those that use tallow and those that do not.

If you're curious then try the options out for yourself and see what works and what doesn't work for you. It's definitely far too early to be drawing broad, sweeping conclusions if you've only been using soaps for 2 months and you've only tried 2 tallow soaps. Don't judge what you haven't tried (regardless of topic) or you'll miss out on some good stuff.

To me, tallow is it. I do use some glycerin stuff from time to time, but the tallow is king.

Tallow and glycerin are not mutually exclusive. Glycerin's found in a lot of soaps, tallow or not. You're thinking of melt & pour.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Shave_soaps#Melt-and-Pour_Soap

 

[Niles]

There are good soaps and bad soaps in every category (tallow, vegetable, etc). But most of my favourite soaps contain tallow.

 

[JHP]

I don't do "melt-and-pour" type soaps, but I get good results, lather and shaves, with some soaps created with either fat from tallow, or fat from plant sources.

- and -

A good soap is a good soap. Tallow is overstated as the important variable at play for those that are oversimplifying matters and/or don't understand causality. My favorite soaps include those that use tallow and those that do not.

Tallow and glycerin are not mutually exclusive. Glycerin's found in a lot of soaps, tallow or not. You're thinking of melt & pour.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Shave_soaps#Melt-and-Pour_Soap

This is interesting. What you're saying is that tallow is just one source of slippery stuff, but there is slippery vegetable matter too. So maybe the issue is more a matter of how the soap is created. Do melt and pour soups ever contain tallow? Perhaps I better hit wikipedia and youtube to see how soap in general is made.

 

[gegarrenton]

Tallow and glycerin are not mutually exclusive. Glycerin's found in a lot of soaps, tallow or not. You're thinking of melt & pour.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Shave_soaps#Melt-and-Pour_Soap

No, I'm not thinking of melt and pour, and I do know that they are not mutually exclusive. I prefer tallow only is the point I am trying to make, along with the fact that some glycerin based soaps have done well for me, just not as well as something containing tallow.

There are good soaps and bad soaps in every category (tallow, vegetable, etc). But most of my favourite soaps contain tallow.

Agreed.

 

[Marco]

Josh, there are several high quality vegetable soaps that perform at the same high level as the best tallow ones. Among these my favourite are Martin de Candre, La Toja and RazoRock King Louis. I've heard excellent things also on the German Klar Kabinett, but have no experience yet with this one. The ingredients list is, however, only one of the key elements of a great shaving soap.

 

[nwjs]

There are good and less good tallow and non-tallow soaps. Since you ask for benefits of avoiding tallow, here may be some: Since not all tallow will be completely saponified, there might still be some tallow-y scent left that some find unpleasant. You might be a vegetarian and trying to avoid animal products. And finally, by avoiding tallow in a shave soap, you reduce the already minuscule and rather theoretical risk of contracting BSE from the soap to virtually zero.

 

[JHP]

The ingredients list is, however, only one of the key elements of a great shaving soap.

So many choices - and I haven't even looked at creams yet.

. . . there might still be some tallow-y scent left that some find unpleasant. You might be a vegetarian and trying to avoid animal products. And finally, by avoiding tallow in a shave soap, you reduce the already minuscule and rather theoretical risk of contracting BSE from the soap to virtually zero.

Thanks Matt. I'm realizing that it really isn't a Tallow issue. It's a soap by soap issue. Can't rule out an entire category.

 

[attime6]

I prefer tallow because i finds it gives extra lubrication, however i do use glycerin and vegetable based soaps.

 

[mmack66]

- and -


This is interesting. What you're saying is that tallow is just one source of slippery stuff, but there is slippery vegetable matter too. So maybe the issue is more a matter of how the soap is created. Do melt and pour soups ever contain tallow? Perhaps I better hit wikipedia and youtube to see how soap in general is made.

There is olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil, to name but a few.

 

[gegarrenton]

There is olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil, to name but a few.

Coconut oil is sublime!

 

[sixsixty]

My biased answer is 'not to tallow'.

 

[paladin252]

i like tallow triple milled soaps. tallow because i find it is more slick and i can get a closer shave with it without any irritation. triple milled because i like a nice hard soap that will last a long time.

 

[ODJ]

My two favorite products are QCS creams (tallow) and van Der Hagen Deluxe (non-tallow).

 

[edgerunner]

4 tallow soaps, 3 non-tallow soaps, and 3 creams make my top 10 list. So, I guess tallow is not a crucial ingredient.

 

[brother cavefish]

tallow it soaps nice and last years