What vintage soaps are good to use?

[ctakim]

I've noticed that some old soaps are still terrific performers. I've used an old Old Spice soap in my rotation and it is a lathering demon. Must be the tons of tallow that is in it. I also tried a very old puck of Williams that was clearly a different formulation than the modern version because it lathered twice as easily.

So now I am wondering what other vintage soaps have folks used and liked. I see that some old Burma Shave soap is plentiful on da Bay. The problem with vintage Old Spice is that it can cost over $40 for a NOS refill puck!!

 

[thirdeye]

I really enjoy using my vintage Yardly Soap. Great lather, nice glide and protection.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Old Spice, Yardley, Wrisley, Colgate's Barber Soap, McConnon, and Baker's. All are very excellent soaps.

 

[Johnny Dale]

The only vintage soap I have had the pleasure to try is Williams. I use it when I go home and visit the fam. I have a Burmashave brush there that is so stiff I could sand an oak board with it. However it and the Williams work great together.

 

[beginish]

I really enjoy using my vintage Yardly Soap. Great lather, nice glide and protection.

+1. It is really the benchmark for me. I must use judiciously though, as it can be tough to get one's hands on.

 

[Evbo]

Yardley is amazing stuff. Beats out anything else I own. However, I recently acquired a puck of DuBarry SilkaShave shaving soap from ebay. I'm not sure how old it is -- based on the packaging my guess is ~1930s -- and the stuff just blew me away. I mean, we've all had that rich, tallowy experience to one degree or another but this stuff was ridiculous. Picture the most sumptuous, cushioning, moisturizing lather you've ever experienced & X's it by 10. So yeah, vintage soaps are well worth using.

 

[scoopster]

Perhaps not quite vintage but definitely on the way to becoming extinct is the tallow based Raplh Lauren Safari soap. If you can get it cheap it's worth a shot.

 

[DogHair]

I have a couple pucks of vintage Old Spice. Absolutely amazing stuff. Gobs of thick, rich, tallowy porn star type of lather with a great scent. In fact, now that I think about it, I'll need to use it tomorrow. Maybe Friday too.

 

[beginish]

Yardley is amazing stuff. Beats out anything else I own. However, I recently acquired a puck of DuBarry SilkaShave shaving soap from ebay. I'm not sure how old it is -- based on the packaging my guess is ~1930s -- and the stuff just blew me away. I mean, we've all had that rich, tallowy experience to one degree or another but this stuff was ridiculous. Picture the most sumptuous, cushioning, moisturizing lather you've ever experienced & X's it by 10. So yeah, vintage soaps are well worth using.

Was there any discernable scent left?

 

[Evbo]

Was there any discernable scent left?

No. It just smells soapy and, well, a little bit old (if that makes any sense at all). But that has absolutely nothing to do with its performance.

When I first received the soap it did smell a little less than stellar. So I washed it off as well as I could & then let it sit & dry in direct sunlight for a few hours (per Jim's suggestion). It smelled just fine after that -- and shaved better.