What ingredients do you want your soap to have?

[Lather King]

I find the ingredient list on shave soap tells me a lot about what the soap is like, and how it will perform. If you have a preference, what do you like to see on the list of ingredient when you buy shaving soap? Obviously YMMV, and tallow doesn't guarantee a great soap. Do you prefer essential oils, natural pigments (or none at all), vegetable or animal based (or mixed)? Do you like the feel of shea butter, cocoa butter or lanolin? How about olive oil, bentonite clay or castor oil? What are your thoughts?

 

[Foyle]

All I know is that pretty much all "natural" soaps irritate the stuffing out of my face. I don't know enough about soap chemistry to answer your question with any real competence. Proraso and AOS work great for me. I'm about to find out how Arko works.

 

[the_edski]

Personally, I'm still looking for a soap with unicorn tears...

I'm still experimenting, as are most of us, I find that nothing really irritates my face except the heavily-mentholated stuff. I could live without EO's in a soap because that is the luxury of scent only, doesn't help the lather. I like shea butter for AS lotion, not soap. I like aloe in soaps (i.e. Proraso Green Tea and Aloe). This is a big YMMV area like everything else!

 

[brucered]

if it works, i don't really care if it has tallow, lanolin, shea butter or all of them.

i really couldn't tell you which soaps and creams i have contain which base, but i know they all work for me and that's all that matters.

i like to see fewer ingredients and ones that are natural and/or I can pronounce....as long as they perform and don't irritate my skin, they are keepers in my den.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

These.

In this vintage Williams.

 

[Johnny_Ludlow]

I've tried most well regarded tallow and non-tallow soaps. I'm aware that most people who understand the chemistry of a shaving soap thinks that there is no scientific reason for a soap containing tallow to be any better compared to non-tallow soap. For this reason it seems to be almost like a taboo here; it's criminal to think that tallow soaps in general are better.

I think tallow soaps in general are better

It could very well be a coincidence or whatever. Just my experience - nothing more and nothing less.

 

[takeshi]

Obviously YMMV, and tallow doesn't guarantee a great soap.

Precisely why I don't fixate on ingredients but the performance of the soap.

I've tried most well regarded tallow and non-tallow soaps. I'm aware that most people who understand the chemistry of a shaving soap thinks that there is no scientific reason for a soap containing tallow to be any better compared to non-tallow soap. For this reason it seems to be almost like a taboo here; it's criminal to think that tallow soaps in general are better.

That's a bit of hyperbole. There are plenty that seem to think that tallow soaps are better and it's not criminal to hold any opinion. In my experience tallow does not make or break a soap. There are both excellent and terrible soaps that both use tallow and don't use tallow. A good soap is a good soap. A bad soap is a bad soap. My favorites include soaps with and without tallow.

It could very well be a coincidence or whatever.

There are, however, a lot of people that don't have a good grasp of causal versus coincidental but if assuming that tallow soaps are better works for them then more power to them. I'd be missing out if I made such assumptions.

 

[gash]

I like for a soap to have at least two "special" ingredients. For me, those are coconut oil/acid/butter, shea butter, lanolin, and some kind of unusual oil (mango, avocado, rat, etc.). I'm much more likely to try a soap if it has two of those.

 

[Greyzer]

As of late I've migrated to more 'natural' products.

I like:
- (Saponified) Oils/fats/fatty acids: Coconut, Cocoa, Shea, Palm, Tallow, Stearate, Castor, Myristic
- Glycerin
- Lanolin
- Potassium Hydroxide
- Sodium Hydroxide
Bonus points for Fair Trade and Organic ingredients.

I'm Neutral towards:
- Water
- Aloe
- Clay
- Non-saponified oils/butters (in low quantities)
- Plant extracts like chamomille etc.
- Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E)
- Allantoin
- Natural Gums and Waxes

I Dislike:
- Fragrance/Essential oils
- Preservatives
- EDTA
- Colorings
- Any chemicals not listed above
- Olive/sunflower/safflower oil in large quantities

I'm not throwing out all my soaps if they have ingredients I dislike but I won't buy new ones either...

 

[Johnny_Ludlow]

Bit of a hyberbole, fair enough .

Still, I think there is this tendency to think that tallow lovers are the ones making assumptions. I could just as well argue that people who remain neutral on the issue are assuming that there is no difference and thus clouding their perception. Some people don't have a good grasp of true neutrality versus making this certain assumption . I, for one, am talking about my experience only. I find my perception of smoother shaves and less dry skin with tallow soaps curious. It might be a good idea for me to try some less appreciated tallow and veggie soaps side by side to get a better perspective of the field.

Most soaps I'm currently buying are non-tallow; three in mail as we speak - I'd love to love 'em!

 

[Teddyboy]

Love. Its gotta have Love.

 

[gearchow]

The first make it or break it point for me is scent. A citrus that is candy like or a scent that aggravates my asthma is right out. I work my way down from there. That may not be the ingredient that you are looking for, but don't over look it. That is one you will have to figure out for yourself by trying many soaps.

-jim

 

[Johnny_Ludlow]

Sorry for bringing the perennial tallow discussion to this thread. My bad. Especially since it's not even my answer to the question, really...

 

[mharris127]

The first make it or break it point for me is scent. A citrus that is candy like or a scent that aggravates my asthma is right out. I work my way down from there. That may not be the ingredient that you are looking for, but don't over look it. That is one you will have to figure out for yourself by trying many soaps.

-jim

I am currently airing out a puck of Derby in the medicine cabinet because when I had it out in the bathroom it aggravated my asthma. That is the first soap I have owned that caused that issue with me. If it is like most low-end shave soaps that problem will be taken care of with a good two month airing out in the medicine cabinet. At least nowadays I have a nebulizer, medicine and neb cup so I can take a breathing treatment at home instead of going to the hospital for one as I had to do frequently before 1987.

 

[mharris127]

I actually don't have any problems with linalool or limonene, however I can't discern much of a scent from them in the quantities that they are added to non US soaps (neither one is used in the US). I always thought they were added for other reasons.

 

[Toddy]

I can tell you an ingredient I don't want in my soap - olive oil!

 

[Rudy Vey]

No SLS or similar chemicals and parabens!! Several of shaving soaps contain these chemicals, and in a good soap, there is no need for!

 

[sir-nix-alot]

The only ingredient that I do not like to see is clay.

 

[cryhavoc]

Love. Its gotta have Love.

+1

 

[Lusitano]

The only ingredient that I do not like to see is clay.

I do love clay in soaps. My skin likes clay very much