Vinolia soap

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changabang
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Post by changabang »

druphus wrote:I only get a month. I'll bet Clive has nice soft water! :)
I only got two weeks out of mine. And the scent: it's almost a carbon copy of Ivory soap. Considering the price, I'd do just as well buying a dozen bars of Ivory.
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

it's almost a carbon copy of Ivory soap
dudester....it comes in a box with a picture of the tittanic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! carbon copy my ass :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

clive
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

any softer and i might have to kill myself......give me back my hard toxic chemical filled public water :lol: :lol: :lol:

clive
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

give me back my hard toxic
and feel free to keep the water bills that go with it :lol: :lol:
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drmoss_ca
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Post by drmoss_ca »

Scent is great, soap is - well, I do have hard water - underwhelming. If I hadn't already bough the entire North American stock of Sabon Gal Spanish Leather soap, I would buy even more. That one has a heavenly leather scent, lathers well in water, washes and rinses as advertised and is the very best bath/face soap I have come across. My stocks don't let me test it for hair washing, so at the moment Nancy Boy Sweetgrass is still in the lead there.
So my bulk buy of Vinolia is gradually being used in various washrooms around the house and some are being given away. As a disclaimer, I accept that tastes vary, water quality varies and so on. It is entirely possible that for some combinations of the foregoing variables Vinolia is the bee's knees.

Chris
I just checked and they have it in again! I bought 12 tins with two soaps in each.
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Post by EL Alamein »

Percy Snodgrass wrote:
druphus wrote:I only get a month. I'll bet Clive has nice soft water! :)
I only got two weeks out of mine. And the scent: it's almost a carbon copy of Ivory soap. Considering the price, I'd do just as well buying a dozen bars of Ivory.
Wow, that's a huge ymmv there. I've used Vinolia in the past and it smells nothing like Ivory to my nose. And when I was a bachelor many many years ago I split an apartment with a gent who used nothing, and I mean nothing, but Ivory soap for the bath. Unless they've changed the scent of Ivory I don't think I would find any similarities even today.

Chris
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Post by drmoss_ca »

Smells like Williams to me. Lemon verbena.

Sad news - Maja Soaps tell me they have no more Piel d'Espagna and it is no longer made. I shall have to ration my stock.

Chris
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Post by joe mcclaine »

drmoss_ca wrote:Smells like Williams to me. Lemon verbena.
+1

I also get Rose Geranium (if the Floris and D R Harris bath oils are anything to go by).
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

stock of Sabon Gal Spanish Leather soap
went on a little hunt for this earlier today but quickly found out its one of those: if you aren't a soap guy you dont deserve to know where the secret stash is kept :lol: :lol: :lol:

clive
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bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Vinny, Yeah, I agree: verbena and rose geranium are the two main scents that I pick up in the Vinolia bath soap. Very understated, old fashioned, and nice IMO. Back several years ago Vinolia was just one of my favourite bath soaps. My all time fav was the Floris Rose Geranium although it was always very expensive. And there were several others that I especially liked, but all of them, except the Vinolia have gone to all palm oil bases and that more or less ruined them for me. Not only do they not lather as well as they used to, but it's plain that my skin just doesn't like palm oil based soaps....but it doesn't seem to like 'cheap' soaps either, so, it's boiled down to Vinolia for me. I'm glad that it's still available and that it hasn't been changed ( much ). BTW, is Vinolia available in any actual stores in the UK or is it strictly mail order for you gents also?
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Gordon
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Post by joe mcclaine »

I have never seen Vinolia in any shops, but when I ordered it last time the postage was free so it was actually cheaper than driving to a mall and paying parking to fetch it (hypothetically).

I've noticed more on-line stores selling it now too.

Not tried Floris yet (bought my Mum some Edwardian Bouquet this year though), but I did get some D R Harris Almond Oil soap which works very well for me.

I know this has lanolin in it so it's a no-no for you, but the scent is brilliant. Rose Geranium with cloves. Actually goes really well with Czech & Speake #88.
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Post by bernards66 »

Vinny, Right, I thought that I remembered someone mentioning that; that is, that Vinolia wasn't available in shops there either despite, orginally, being an upper crust English soap. Well, if you can get free shipping, what the hey? My last batch cost me over $10 is postage fees....sigh. Yes, I also agree that the Harris's bath soaps are superb, especially their Almond. The lanolin was always a bit of an issue with me unfortunately, as it is with the excellent Mitchell's bath soap as well. Someone has reported here though that even Harris's have gone to palm oil for their bath soaps ( although not entirely for their shave soaps ) so I don't know how I would respond to them today. They, like Floris's, have always been devilishly expensive on this side of the pond. The old tallow Penhaligon's Hammam bath soap was also a fav but, of course, it's entirely gone now. Another very pricey one, it was, but beautiful stuff.
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Gordon
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Post by F.W. Fitch »

I know a dear lady from England who sent me many wonderful gems from her drives over to the shops in Bath. She is in her 50's ,and had never heard of, (nor seen) Vinolia in her entire life. She did use Floris because a local chemist stocked it. This was a little 'pleasure' that was not indulged-in too often though. I think she said for the better part of her life it was Lux, Dove & Cussons she had always used. Every bar I ever purchased was U.S. based. Caswell Massey usually when they used to offer it.

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Post by EL Alamein »

Blah! Enablers! I just received a batch of Vinolia the other day. Still good stuff though the scent is not quite the same. Close enough though even though I'm not a big fan of citronella.

Chris
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Post by bernards66 »

Chris, Yeah, that was my take as well...not entirely the same, but close enough that I'm still on board. And I don't see how we are enablers...we were just having a quiet little discussion over here in the corner....umm....

Fitch, Well, I can believe it, I guess. I don't know when Vinolia stopped being readily available in Britain. The latest ads that I've personally seen reproduced on the internet were from the 1950s I think. But it was widely used in more upper crust circles in England at one time. Originally it was an independent maker but it was acquired by a larger conglomerate pretty early on; around 1900 to 1910 I think.
Regards,
Gordon
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Post by rsp1202 »

Certainly its history is what lured me to Vinolia originally, then scent and lathering. An Olde English soap has a certain appeal, on both a tradition and scent level. And depending upon locale, it lathers well or not so well.
EL Alamein wrote:. . . Still good stuff though the scent is not quite the same. . .
Yes, it isn't. It's muted as compared to original. Something's different.

As for comparing Vinolia to Ivory, well, I hate to point out the obvious difference (and excuse my insensitivity): Ivory floats, whilst . . .
Ron
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Post by EL Alamein »

Alright, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I just noticed something. After two days of using this I just discovered some skin redness that usually doesn't happen with my regular soap. I thought to myself, this is the same type of thing I see with palm based bath soaps so I checked the ingredients of the batch I just received and, yep, Vinolia is now entirely palm oil based. Gone is sodium tallowate.

Well, that's it for me, can't use this stuff comfortably anymore. And it's a shame as I liked using this stuff every now and again as a treat.

My deepest condolences, Gordon. Another one bites the dust.

Chris
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Post by bernards66 »

Chris, That's REALLY bad news. The three cakes I just recently ordered were still the mostly tallow formula and they're fine. If Vinolia is now really going to be entirely palm oil based then I'm pretty well SOL. The less expensive tallow soaps; US Yardley, that British Knight's Castile, Original Green Mountain, etc. don't really work for me either, and I can't afford SMN. Honestly, I don't know what I will do.
Regards,
Gordon
Last edited by bernards66 on Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ken
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Post by Ken »

I just ordered Vinolia. I'll have to see what arrives.

Ken
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Post by EL Alamein »

bernards66 wrote:Chris, That's REALLY bad news. The three cakes I just recently ordered were the still the mostly tallow formula and they're fine. If Vinolia is now really is going to be entirely palm oil based then I'm pretty well SOL. The less expensive tallow soaps; US Yardley, that British Knight's Castile, Original Green Mountain, etc. don't really work for me either, and I can't afford SMN. Honestly, I don't know what I will do.
Regards,
Gordon
Gordon, I just received three cakes from Carbolic. My guess is that the switch was slowly made from tallow to veggie base and the cakes I have now are probably the final new formula.

I noticed the redness while changing into evening wear in the master bathroom tonight. It got my attention because it stood out and looked familiar. When I read the ingredients list I had to do a double-take as I know I saw the ingredients scan on the first page of this thread showing it was still tallow based. But it's all palm now, no mention of tallow anywhere. I am greatly disappointed. If anyone wants me to upload a scan of the ingredients I can do that in some time, just let me know.

I feel really bad for you, Gordon. At least I have something I can turn to in Yardley. Hopefully you'll discover something suitable soon.

Chris
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