What is the best of the best?

[dundak]

If your last experience with artisan soapmakers was a couple of years ago, you are missing out on a real treat. Stiff competition between the artisans have caused them to go back to the laboratory to reformulate their soaps trying to garner top honors. Some artisans who have made noticeable improvements to their formulas over the past year are: Ariana and Evans goat milk, Barrister and Mann Reserve and new Excelsior base, Cold River Soap Works Glide, Declaration Grooming Icarus, Grooming Department, Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations sheep milk, Wholly Kaw Donkey Milk and new Buffala base with water buffalo milk. There may be others I have not yet tried, but the ones listed are wonderful. These soaps are not inexpensive, but they provide a luxurious shaving experience.

I have friends on FB that send me a lot of samples of stuff so I have kept up. I've tried all the ones you have mentioned with the exception of Lisa's. TBH the only one that appealed to me was Declaration Grooming Lime. The scent was fantastic and I am a big citrus fan. It smelled like a lime orchard just not the pulp. Performance was good but nothing that blew me away compared to what I normally use.

Scents in soaps are not a big draw for me because they get tiring day after day, so I trend towards mild. Post shave I have covered in my routine because I like to rinse off every remnant of soap till it squeaks..then use a moisturizer

Plus I have a case of MWF and Tabac that I bought wholesale when a shop closed. I need soap like a hole in the head.

 

[RayClem]

Pretty much the only one I haven't tried from the above is Catie's Bubbles, but I have to say in the last few years I've found even inexpensive soaps have been very good, so artisan soaps (and old standards) have really come a long way. My particular favorites are Tabac, B&M, MWF, Stirling, CFG, Captain's Choice, Saponificio Varesino - and yes, even Trumpers, TOBS and DR Harris, in no particular order. I've also found the the brush and the water (a water softener) make a huge difference. Recommendations for those willing to explore - Dapper Dragon, Ogallala and Shannon's. Nice to have choices....

One soap you mentioned that does not often come up in these types of listings is Captain's Choice. However, I agree that it belongs. While I do not consider it to be quite as good as the elite soaps, it is well worth the asking price. I do place it above GFT, TOBS, T&H, and several others.

 

[RayClem]

I

Scents in soaps are not a big draw for me because they get tiring day after day, so I trend towards mild. Post shave I have covered in my routine because I like to rinse off every remnant of soap till it squeaks..then use a moisturizer

Plus I have a case of MWF and Tabac that I bought wholesale when a shop closed. I need soap like a hole in the head.

I have about 90 soaps in my den, so I have no issue with scent fatigue. I know folks who use the same soap for every shave, but I would find that boring. Each of us is different in our preferences.

My aftershave routine includes patting my face with a damp microfiber washcloth and applying plain witch hazel. The only time I use a moisturizer/balm is when it is bitterly cold and dry outside. If the moisturizer works for you, that is wonderful.

 

[Leverspro]

Thanks guys. I've ordered several samples based on the recommendations here and I look forward to trying them. Scent is also important for me but I find many to be way too strong and perfumy. Are there some that use essential oils instead of perfume?

 

[Clay S]

Are there some that use essential oils instead of perfume?

The artisans I have seen are EOs, and a lot of corps too.

 

[bluesman 7]

Thanks guys. I've ordered several samples based on the recommendations here and I look forward to trying them. Scent is also important for me but I find many to be way too strong and perfumy. Are there some that use essential oils instead of perfume?

If your like me and like more subtle scents, give Noble Otter a try. The have good sample sizes.

 

[Leverspro]

If your like me and like more subtle scents, give Noble Otter a try. The have good sample sizes.

Thanks! A lot of the lists of ingredients simply include 'fragrance'. I like sents but am definitely looking for subtle and natural.

 

[Clay S]

Thanks! A lot of the lists of ingredients simply include 'fragrance'. I like sents but am definitely looking for subtle and natural.

"Fragrance" does mean one way or another. Many do that so it is harder for EUs to make a "close Enough" version. I would check with the vendor in that case.

 

[dfoulk]

While many artisan makers use a mixture of essential oils and fragrance oils, some artisan's like Sudsy Soapery are committed to using just essential oils. Sudsy Soapery would be an excellent recommendation for a tier 1 soap that uses just essential oils exclusively. The only exception is when they do a guest collaboration for the scent.

With essential oils, the problem comes in that the scents are often much more simple having only one or two scents combined. This is good in some regards as essential oils are often less inclined to produce a negative skin reaction than their fragrance oil counterparts. This may be ideal for some but sometimes I'd rather have a more complex scent.

While the higher priced essential oils are often preferred, before committing to just essential oils do know that the higher quality fragrance oils are also kind to those with skin sensitivities. Therefore, I don't limit what I use to just essential oils. But again, that's just my personal preference.

Certain scents are more inclined to produce a negative reaction. Some of the more common ones that can cause a burning sensation for some are citrus, almond and cinnamon. What I'll do is when I try a new soap for the first time I'll often pull a small sample from the tub and lather it in a bowl. That way if I get a reaction I can sell or trade it as a new unlathered soap with a small sample removed as opposed to a used lathered soap which many here shy away from.

 

[Leverspro]

To the OP question of fav soaps, I've used a few dozen soaps over the course of about 4 years. I have three go-to tubs for 'shirt and tie' days where I need the lowest possible risk of nicks or irritation. I am a daily shaver. They are Tabac, WSP Formulas T Bay Rum (although I find the fragrance way too strong), and Porasso Red. For other days I also enjoy Momma Bear glycerine. Expecting to add to this list with others mentioned here.

 

[OldSkoolMillennial]

I would encourage you to check them out. You can find 2-ounce sample sizes of their soaps for very little money, and the containers they come in are big enough to load your brush in.

Even their regular sized soaps are fairly priced. I need to check them out.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have my top tier favorites, but the best of the best is a tall order. Many of the reasons have already been well stated and explored.

Probably somebody has tried every soap and given it an adequate trial and all that, but it would be very hard to list every currently manufactured soap much less use them all. I've used a lot of soaps but I keep finding interesting soaps I've not tried. Some of them I just have to try.

Neglecting scent which is largely subjective there are many, many, many soaps which I consider to be only a half notch off the perfection of my top tier soaps. That half notch is just about meaningless. There are also soaps I've not used which could knock all my top tier soaps off their perch.

My top tier soaps?

• MdC
• Wholly Kaw King of Oud DM (and not other WK soaps because of scent issues)
• Wickham 1912
• SV

These are not in any particular order and a great many soaps I've tried are so close to these that it would be wrong to say they are less deserving of a great ranking.

This is the golden age of shaving soaps.

It's tempting to rank very highly some of the expensive soaps, but there are a good many inexpensive and sometimes cheap soaps which are in the running for the best of the best. In a similar vein, I tried a sample of an extremely expensive soap and considered buying a puck until I realized it really wasn't any better than a similar soap which sells for about $10 or less; in fact I wouldn't be surprised if the two soaps are actually the same except for the scent and the container.

There are some bad soaps out there, too, but most soaps (even the bad ones sometimes) have their fans proving that much of the question is very individual.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Michaelp]

Best I've ever had is WSP Formula T. From my limited experience, I don't know how it could get any better but, that doesn't mean it can't, I just haven't experienced it.

 

[MVD1]

It has also been a few years since I have tried a new artisinal soap.

Yesterday, I used Grog by Tallow & Steel. It must be 1-3 years old now, but worked wonderfully, so I checked out the website and found that their line has changed-

Anyone know how T&S are holding up against these other "best of the best" like WK and B&M? Have they improved their formula? Based on a few years ago soaps, I would have put them right beside B&M.

 

[Bogeyman]

The limitation with essential oils is the range of fragrances to organic items that can be distilled or extracted. Fragrance oils are synthetics to replicate the aroma of other things (or to make less expensive version of an essential oil). You won’t find an essential oil for leather, or one that smells like the ocean.
You’d be hard pressed to find a major men’s cologne that didn’t use synthetics.
Limiting soaps to only those using essential oils is like limiting the menu to only food made with oats.

We have a winner. Excellent summary. Too many people believe that scents are akin to free ranging chickens or some other nonsense. Chanel, Guerlain, etc., have been using synthetics for ages. I've yet to find a bush or shrub that smells like Aramis!

 

[HiPowerRon]

From my experience you just cannot get any better than Tabac and Haslingers. I'd be surprised if you could.

 

[DCP]

Ok, so this is a difficult question, not because it's difficult to answer but more so because of the way you asked it. The problem is that you've asked for everyone's favorite soap but you've asked the person who has tried three soaps as well as the person that's tried three hundred. So with everyone here wanting to be kind and helpful you'll get recommendations from the person that's tried three soaps for the very best one of the three they've tried as well as the person who's tried three hundred. So if someone has tried Proraso, DR. Harris and MWF you'll likely see them say that MWF is the very best soap available. I can assure you that it's not. While it is a very good soap, by my standards I'd rank it about average. The soaps that you've tried are good workhorse soaps that'll get the job done, but there are a lot of soaps out there that are substantially better. By substantially better I mean it's not even close.

It's best to phrase questions like this as "For those that have tried over 100 soaps what is the very best one you've found?" That way you'll get more meaningful results.

I've tried well over 600 soaps and most everything out there. I've done formula testing for several vendors and I oversee a soap sample passaround here on the forum. I like to think that I know a bit about shaving soaps and I'm pretty critical in evaluating them. My assessments are done without taking scent or price into consideration. My reviews are completely honest and based solely on performance.

Shaving soaps have come a long way in the past few years with substantial improvements by many of the makers. The very best soaps out there can even give me trouble hanging on to the most deeply knurled stainless steel razor handle. Some seriously impressive soaps are now available. It's not hard to find a formula on the internet that'll create an excellent shaving soap with no obvious flaws. This is prompting the introduction of several new soap makers flooding the market with a bunch of really good soaps. Taking it to the next level is what separates the excellent from the truly outstanding.

That being said I can certainly share what my preferences are and why.

So for me the very best soap ever made is Grooming Dept. It's a very thirsty soap that's packed full of things that are great for your skin. Outstanding slickness, great lather bit most importantly, I prefer this soap because the effect it has on my skin us unmatched. After using is for about 4 to 7 days my skin feels the best it's felt since I've been a newborn. It hydrates my skin like no other and after I use if for a week or so it makes every other soap that I own perform better. Simply outstanding stuff to the point where it's just about the only soap that I want to use. It's quite a bit better than everything else (in my opinion) if you don't believe me just commit to using it for two weeks straight and see what happens. The scents are usually inspired my niche fragrances but not exact copies, often complex and very luxurious. A definite improvement to the point where I wonder if shaving soaps actually need to get any better than this.

Second best for me is Tallow & Steel. It has the same effect on my skin that Grooming Dept does but it gets me there a bit slower. Still an outstanding soap with no obvious weaknesses and a very positive effect on my skin. The scents with this one are bold and complex but the more I use them the more I like them. Those that smell them and skip using them are missing out.

These two and to a lesser extent Lisa's are what I've been narrowing my shave den down to as to me they are a good deal ahead of everything else out there.

Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations (new Premium formula) would rank third for me as it's another that will have a positive impact on your skin. It's not enough to make a soap that's slick with great lather as I'm looking for something over the top in performance. Something that leaves a lasting impact on my skin. A positive, very noticeable change for the better. Like Grooming Dept and Tallow & Steel Lisa's Premium version does just that. Definitely something that I'd highly recommend. The scents are a bit less complex but they are definitely very enjoyable. Have a look at the ingredients and you can tell that this is an outstanding soap.

After these, I have a noticeable gap in performance but the remaining soaps in my tier one are still what I'd consider to be tier one soaps by most people. You'll find many of these as people's top recommendation.

PannaCrema Nuavia
Wholly Kaw Donkey Milk version
Declaration Grooming
Sudsy Soapery
Barrister & Mann Reserve formula

You wouldn't go wrong with any of these as they'd all be very, very impressive compared to what you've been using. We're talking top 1% of the over 600 soaps I've tried.

Price wise the PannaCrema soap is the most expensive at around $65 for a really nice ceramic crock and a good amount of soap. The scents are expensive and very high end. To me it's worth the asking price but to some others it may be outside their comfort zone. The others all range in the $15 to $25 range so you can be using the very best soaps on the planet for about what you'd pay for a pizza.

Thank you for such an informative post. I'll be heeding your advice for my next soap purchase.

Sent from my Nokia 7.1 using Tapatalk

 

[steffenapelz]

OP. You asked a tough question and I will reiterate some of what has already been said here...while there are definitely some soaps that are better than others, in general, what works for you will be very subjective. Please don't let anyone, whether they have sampled 3 soaps or 300 or 1000 tell you what works best. Merely use it as a guideline, but not as a rigid standard.

I find that what has worked best for me has been dependent on several things...

1) My wetshaving level of experience: when I was new to wetshaving 3 years ago, my technique sucked and my equipment was sub-par so the soap selection was critical to get me to not cut myself badly. At that time, the single most important characteristic of a soap for me was "cushion" because THAT was what prevented me cutting myself and/or irritation. As my technique got better and my equipment better suited for me, the importance of cushion decreased and other characteristics became more important. Nowadays, the three most important characteristics for me in a soap are slickness, post-shave and scent/fragrance. And I am currently in the stage where slickness is becoming less important and only post-shave and scent matter for the most part. This dramatically changes which soapmakers will work best for you.

2) The available soap options: believe it or not, but even just 3 years ago, the available soap options were nothing like what is available now. As someone else already said, this is the Golden Age of shaving soap making and there is little reason to believe things won't remain competitive for years to come, so what may be tops today, may be supplanted tomorrow as "the best".

3) My equipment and products: I started with a DE89 razor, feather blades, boar brush and alcohol after-shave splash. The razor was wrong for me, the blades way too sharp, the brush to harsh and the splash too drying. Add all that and you get a terrible shave. Nowadays I shave with much smoother and efficient razors Razorock Mamba and GC), smoother blades (AstraSP, Personna Reds, Rapira, GSB etc), softer brush (Synthetic) and super moisturizing AS balm (Eufros) and this equals such a great shave that the choice of soap simply matters less.

4) My skin type: I always thought I had oily skin, but through wetshaving, I found out that the opposite was true. Namely that I had rather dry skin. Accordingly, a soap that moisturizes well will give a better long-term result, and soaps that dry out the skin give me a terrible result. But there are also soaps that OVER-MOISTURIZE my skin to the point where it gets greasy, and those soaps are also no good for me. So I try to find soaps that give me just the right amount of moisture. And THAT will be different for each one of us.

5) The situation of the moment: some soaps will work better in some situations or settings than others...case in point, I am in NJ for work weekly for two days, so I need to be able to shave with a soap that I can leave at the hotel for a week without being able to air/dry it out for 24 hours. So super soft soaps are out of the question because they will get moldy. Instead, in NJ, I use hard soaps I can wipe dry. At home, I don't have that constraint, so I can use very soft soaps like Eufros for example. When I travel otherwise, I like to use soaps that will lather well with a variety of water conditions. Hard water, soft water, and everything in-between. So there, a super easy lather soap like Eufros may make sense. Or if I am traveling somewhere super cold and drying, I would reach for one of my more moisturizing soaps.

6) Your willingness to chase the unicorns: sometimes, when soap makers are the latest and greatest, their soaps can be unobtainium. Or their quality control can be a mixed bag. Or they require you to pre-order. Or they require you to sign up to their twitter feed or whatever. Ask yourself how willing you are to jump through hoops to get the latest and greatest. The answer to that question may get rid of one or another artisan in the soap choice department. Or some artisans are very expensive...how much are you willing to pay? That, too, will allow you to narrow the field.

So where does all that leave you? I think rather than me telling you what soaps are the best, let me tell you which ones have worked FOR ME. No, I have not tried 600 soaps, but I am probably approaching 50 and that includes most of the ones mentioned here multiple times. With where I am today, which is to say that slickness, scent and post-shave are most important to me, my three primary soap bases are Eufros Tallow, Oleo Canard and Noble Otter. They effectively share the following characteristics:

- Ease of availability
- Excellent slickness
- Just the right post-shave feeling
- Easy to lather
- at least one scent I love and 2 more I really like for each artisan

I am currently trialing Siliski, Storybook and Australian Private Reserve to see if those artisans can be added to my soap rotation, but it is too early to tell. I also know there are DOZENS of great soap bases that I have yet to try and that could very well make my den without issue. But as of today, with the three new makers I am trialing, I have nearly 15 tubs of soap with between 4oz and 5oz that I want to finish before buying anything else. Even though I shave daily, this may take me several years.

Your journey is yours. Use some of what you were provided here as a springboard, but run the race your way, do your research to gradually improve on soap selections for you. Yes, there are some soaps that are objectively better than others, but when you get to the tippy top, absolutes will be difficult to establish. Enjoy trying stuff and don't hesitate to throw out soaps that don't work for you.

Much luck and have fun!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

OP. You asked a tough question and I will reiterate some of what has already been said here...while there are definitely some soaps that are better than others, in general, what works for you will be very subjective. Please don't let anyone, whether they have sampled 3 soaps or 300 or 1000 tell you what works best. Merely use it as a guideline, but not as a rigid standard.

I find that what has worked best for me has been dependent on several things...

1) My wetshaving level of experience: when I was new to wetshaving 3 years ago, my technique sucked and my equipment was sub-par so the soap selection was critical to get me to not cut myself badly. At that time, the single most important characteristic of a soap for me was "cushion" because THAT was what prevented me cutting myself and/or irritation. As my technique got better and my equipment better suited for me, the importance of cushion decreased and other characteristics became more important. Nowadays, the three most important characteristics for me in a soap are slickness, post-shave and scent/fragrance. And I am currently in the stage where slickness is becoming less important and only post-shave and scent matter for the most part. This dramatically changes which soapmakers will work best for you.

2) The available soap options: believe it or not, but even just 3 years ago, the available soap options were nothing like what is available now. As someone else already said, this is the Golden Age of shaving soap making and there is little reason to believe things won't remain competitive for years to come, so what may be tops today, may be supplanted tomorrow as "the best".

3) My equipment and products: I started with a DE89 razor, feather blades, boar brush and alcohol after-shave splash. The razor was wrong for me, the blades way too sharp, the brush to harsh and the splash too drying. Add all that and you get a terrible shave. Nowadays I shave with much smoother and efficient razors Razorock Mamba and GC), smoother blades (AstraSP, Personna Reds, Rapira, GSB etc), softer brush (Synthetic) and super moisturizing AS balm (Eufros) and this equals such a great shave that the choice of soap simply matters less.

4) My skin type: I always thought I had oily skin, but through wetshaving, I found out that the opposite was true. Namely that I had rather dry skin. Accordingly, a soap that moisturizes well will give a better long-term result, and soaps that dry out the skin give me a terrible result. But there are also soaps that OVER-MOISTURIZE my skin to the point where it gets greasy, and those soaps are also no good for me. So I try to find soaps that give me just the right amount of moisture. And THAT will be different for each one of us.

5) The situation of the moment: some soaps will work better in some situations or settings than others...case in point, I am in NJ for work weekly for two days, so I need to be able to shave with a soap that I can leave at the hotel for a week without being able to air/dry it out for 24 hours. So super soft soaps are out of the question because they will get moldy. Instead, in NJ, I use hard soaps I can wipe dry. At home, I don't have that constraint, so I can use very soft soaps like Eufros for example. When I travel otherwise, I like to use soaps that will lather well with a variety of water conditions. Hard water, soft water, and everything in-between. So there, a super easy lather soap like Eufros may make sense. Or if I am traveling somewhere super cold and drying, I would reach for one of my more moisturizing soaps.

6) Your willingness to chase the unicorns: sometimes, when soap makers are the latest and greatest, their soaps can be unobtainium. Or their quality control can be a mixed bag. Or they require you to pre-order. Or they require you to sign up to their twitter feed or whatever. Ask yourself how willing you are to jump through hoops to get the latest and greatest. The answer to that question may get rid of one or another artisan in the soap choice department. Or some artisans are very expensive...how much are you willing to pay? That, too, will allow you to narrow the field.

So where does all that leave you? I think rather than me telling you what soaps are the best, let me tell you which ones have worked FOR ME. No, I have not tried 600 soaps, but I am probably approaching 50 and that includes most of the ones mentioned here multiple times. With where I am today, which is to say that slickness, scent and post-shave are most important to me, my three primary soap bases are Eufros Tallow, Oleo Canard and Noble Otter. They effectively share the following characteristics:

- Ease of availability
- Excellent slickness
- Just the right post-shave feeling
- Easy to lather
- at least one scent I love and 2 more I really like for each artisan

I am currently trialing Siliski, Storybook and Australian Private Reserve to see if those artisans can be added to my soap rotation, but it is too early to tell. I also know there are DOZENS of great soap bases that I have yet to try and that could very well make my den without issue. But as of today, with the three new makers I am trialing, I have nearly 15 tubs of soap with between 4oz and 5oz that I want to finish before buying anything else. Even though I shave daily, this may take me several years.

Your journey is yours. Use some of what you were provided here as a springboard, but run the race your way, do your research to gradually improve on soap selections for you. Yes, there are some soaps that are objectively better than others, but when you get to the tippy top, absolutes will be difficult to establish. Enjoy trying stuff and don't hesitate to throw out soaps that don't work for you.

Much luck and have fun!

Stellar post! Informative and wise.

 

[Ringer]

I'd also have to give the edge to GD. I wouldn't say there is a huge gap between GD and other that are considered top-tier soaps, such as WK and DG, B&M Reserve, etc., but it does leave my skin noticeably better than anything else. Looking at all of the skin food in the ingredients you will see why. As much as I'd like to drop some coin on a MdC, I don't see how it's possible that it can achieve those kinds of results with the minimal ingredient list. Still, I'm sure some people enjoy the minimalist ingredients, and if it gives them a great shave and they don't need the extra moisturizers, more power to them. I personally just like the added benefit on top of the BBS shave.