type of soap comparison questions

[jcummins]

Of the different types of soap - Glycerin or Tallow (which I belive is the wool fat - correct me if wrong please).

1) Which is generaly easier to build a good lather?

2) Which generaly has a better slickness/cusion for better shaves?

3) Which lasts longer (given same soap size)?

By what I can gather by reading, I would say that for #1, the Glycerin soaps are easier to build lathers; #2 - I can't rightly get an idea on that one; and #3 - I think the Tallow/wool fat soaps last longer.

But, with that said, I am curious as to other peoples thoughts and opinions.

 

[Bertilak]

Can't answer your questions as I think they are either a matter of opinion or at least more specific to a particular soap as opposed to type of soap.

But I can give you a correction. From Wikipedia:

Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet.

Suet is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys.

Lanolin [...] is a yellow waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Most lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep.

 

[cymric]

Of the different types of soap - Glycerin or Tallow (which I belive is the wool fat - correct me if wrong please).

Tallow is simply rendered ('cleaned') beef fat. 'Wool fat' is something else entirely: this is not a fat but a wax, and is not made from the flesh of dead cattle, but from pressing wool. You can't make a soap from mere wool fat alone, but have to add 'genuine' fat or oil like, for example, tallow; but you can easily select palm oil, shea butter, castor oil, and a host of others.

There are several kinds of soap, and as with any classification the boundaries tend to be a bit vague. A tallow-based soap will probably contain a lot of glycerin; but whether or not this makes it a glycerin soap is up for debate. Usually what is meant with a glycerin soap is that it has been very strongly enriched in glycerin or something with similar properties (like sorbitol), and that it is possible to melt it in the microwave. You can't do that with a fat/oil-based soap: these will 'burn'.

1) Which is generaly easier to build a good lather?

About equal.

2) Which generaly has a better slickness/cusion for better shaves?

Depends on the make of soap. Glycerin-based soaps tend to do better in the slickness department, fat/oil-based soaps tend to be better for cushion.

3) Which lasts longer (given same soap size)?

It isn't really a difference between glycerin or fat/oil, but rather non-milled vs. triple milled.This means that they are compressed and broken up three times in succession to squeeze out air pockets and to firm up the soap. You get 'more soap' with a triple milled product so to speak.

In the end, proper soaps and creams will still last you much longer than the canned stuff, so don't worry about it .

 

[SiBurning]

1) I don't notice a serious difference. Doesn't mean there isn't one.
2) Some people use opposite terms for these things, so good luck getting an intelligible answer. I find glycerin soaps wet best, and tallow soap worst, and that lubrication is opposite wetness.
3) Seems like you need 3 times more glycerin soap by weight compared to a triple milled soap, and about 2 times as much compared to other soaps. Have no idea about soft soaps.