The Art of Shaving soap

chris1978 · Post by **chris1978** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:52 pm

I call The Art of Shaving at the mall and I ask him if the shaving cream and the shaving soap has any prarbens and he say that shaving creams has small amount of parabens which was last thing on the ingredients and the shaving soap has NO parabens at all which is good. I want to try the unscented or lavender but I don't know yet.

I noticed that The Art of Shaving has been remodel the whold sections which closed for two weeks and reopen again. it look different because I was in a hurry to go the L'Occitane and The Body Shop for return things for refunds. I didn't pay any attention to the Art of Shaving store but quick look that all.

Having you had any experience with Shaving Soap? Are they good for Sensitive skin? Are they better than the 3 T's?

Chris A

LouisIII · Post by **LouisIII** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:25 pm

chris,
The AoS soaps are, reportedly, made in Italy by Valobra, and are very similar-identical, performance wise, to Valobra's own shaving stick. I think the stick is very good and prefer it to the 3T's hard soaps. I wouldn't put these soaps in my highest echelon (Tabac, Wilkinson Sowrd, Palmolive, Speik), but its in the group right behind, and lots of gents think its as good as anything. Well worth a punt.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:31 pm

Chris, the AOS soaps are made (presumably) by Valobra, and they are very good. They are hard tallow soaps, and in my case, I didn't care for the fragrances, not because of the fragrances, per se, but because the AOS soaps have an undertone of fragrance that reminds one of clay or something. They are $26 or so, making them one of the more expensive soaps. There is a strong consensus that the AOS soaps perform very well. I think they perform as well as any of the other soaps, and the make or break issue is usually the fragrance, obviously some folks like them and some don't. Of course also they offer an unscented version which seems well received, but I've not tried it an have no opinion about whether or not it's truly fragrance-free.

CMur12 · Post by **CMur12** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:58 pm

Chris, as has already been stated, it is generally accepted that Valobra makes the AOS hard soaps. I have used the Valobra Shave Stick (grated up and compressed into a cake) and I have used AOS soaps. They are my favorite soaps of all. (My next favorite is Cella, such that Valobra/AOS and Cella are the only soaps I use now, with very rare exceptions.)

I don't think there is any underlying fragrance in AOS soaps, though there does seem to be an underlying scent of the natural ingredients. This doesn't bother me at all, and the Unscented is my first choice.

I'm very sensitive to fragrances (any sort of perfumery), so I can't use any of the popular English soaps (with the exception of Mitchell's Wool Fat). I tend to do well with soaps and other products scented with essential oils (natural scents, as opposed to fragrances). The AOS Lemon and Lavender are scented with essential oils, which is very unusual among hard soaps. The Lavender I am using right now is really too strongly scented for me. The one Lemon that I have opened has almost no scent, which I'm guessing isn't typical of the product.

If you're sensitive to fragrances, the AOS Unscented would be the safe way to go. If you're okay with scents from essential oils, you will probably be fine with the Lemon and Lavender. If you get the Valobra Shave Stick, I have found that it varies a lot in the strength of its fragrance. When I get a Valobra shave stick that is too strong, I unwrap it and leave it out in the garage for a couple of months to allow the fragrance to dissiplate. (This, by the way, doesn't seem to work with most fragranced soaps.)

- Murray

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:16 pm

As all have said above, the AoS hard shaving soaps are of very high quality. They are also even more expensive than some other of the top shelf soaps. I'm another who doesn't care over much for the fragrances, preferring Trumper or D R Harris's shave soaps.
Regards,
Gordon

Flash G · Post by **Flash G** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:16 am

I'm another fan of the AoS Lavender soap. I think the AoS soap is better than the Valobra stick and love the lavender scent.

whitebar · Post by **whitebar** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 1:12 am

AoS Lavender is my #1 daily go to soap. It is easy to lather and the performance is top notch. This is the soap that replaced the old tallow Pen's soaps in my den after the reformulation. That statement speaks volumes about the quality of AoS soaps. The scent isn't as nice as Pen's but the performance holds up to that lofty standard.

joe mcclaine · Post by **joe mcclaine** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 1:51 am

If AoS soaps are made by Valobra, and Valobra makes Czech & Speake soaps then I think you'd struggle to find a better performing soap.

Scent?

Horses for courses.

I'd take a slight dip in performance for a nicer scent somedays, others it won't bother me.

drumana · Post by **drumana** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 6:08 am

I think AoS soaps are OK, nothing special. They are overpriced for what they are, but if the performance is good enough for you it's worth it. For me, it isn't.

Ranking the scents from best to worst I'd put it as sandalwood, unscented, lavender, lemon.

goose · Post by **goose** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:34 am

The scents of the AOS soaps are just ok. I actually prefer the plain Valobra shave stick in the scent department, but the lather agrees with my face better than the 3T's for whatever the reason. They are pricey but definitely worth checking out and one puck will last 4-6 months.

Nitrox · Post by **Nitrox** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:33 pm

The performance is pretty decent as they are tallow soaps.
The only one with a scent that stands out for me is the sandalwood. The lemon and lavender barely have any scent and therefore it is a toss up for me which one to use. I don't have the unscented soap but do have the Valobra sticks which I've mashed into a container. It just smells like a tallow soap which is nice in my opinion.

jww · Post by **jww** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:46 am

Never tried the AOS, but if they are made by Valbora, then I can't think of them not being a very good product. They are quite pricey, though - but hey, it's your face!

TRBeck · Post by **TRBeck** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 7:45 am

I have been a big proponent of these soaps for some time. I love them, and I don't find the scents weak, though they are not as bold as the English soaps tend to be. The sandalwood is quite potent; the lavender less so; the lemon least of all. Still, all have distinct aromas that are very "true," being EO-based.
I have always believed the performance was superior to the English soaps; however, I now think I may simply get easier lather from them as they are not as hard-milled as the 3 Ts or Harris. I'm retesting Harris starting tomorrow, but recent experiences with Trumper and Taylor have led me to conclude that - while tallowate lather is still IMO preferable - AOS is not inherently "better" in terms of its lather. It's softer, which leads to more ready generation of lather (and a shorter life for the soap, as it gets used up more quickly).

I have sold off my AOS soaps in every scent but sandalwood, and if I can get AOS-caliber lather from Harris, the sandalwood will be gone too. I think. I do love the scent.

The soaps are pricey, though...

Regards,