SMF

Brad,
further to John's recommendation, the red tube of Proraso is for sensitive skin and it is wonderful when whipped up on the green tub of soap.

Brad,
Might want to give this combo a try as well: Mitchell's Woolfat with Palmolive Lather.

Build a gentle lather over the Mitchell's soap, add a dollop of Palmolive into your cup, bring brush to cup and watch the lather explode. Very slick, smooth, and gentle.

To my surprise, the best overall shaving soap i've used is Col. Conk.

It is totally non-irritating to me, which is unfortunately very rare.
It is much more moisturizing and soothing to my skin because of the high glycerine content.
It smells nice.
It can be melted into any container.

My biggest complaint is that it is so soft it does not last long. But I have been unable to find a triple milled soap that works as well as it does.

--Vincent

Vincent,

Which of the Col. Conk soaps do you prefer, and why?

Randy

I've got to agree with the person who posted that the Surrey soap is boring. I never realized how important the fragrance is to the shaving experience until I tried Cremo Cream and now the Surrey soap. The CC was just vile - like a pina colada mixed with bleu cheese dressing. I tried the Surrey the other day and found the smell feminine and flowery - it reminded me of the little rose soaps my grandma used to put out around her sink. NOT GOOD. So I threw it out and took the $1.99 loss.

How does the Proraso soap compare to the cream? Which one provides a better shave? I have the red tube already, but I haven't used it in a while. It was pretty good but I found the Taylor Avocado to be superior in terms of lubrication and overall performance.

By the way, I should probably clarify what I meant when I said that I have extremely sensitive skin. I don't have any unusual sensitivity to products, per se, and I am able to use most without a problem. Even Taylor's Avocado cannot be said to be hypo-allergenic, as it has fairly strong fragrance, oils etc.

What I meant was that I am very susceptible to irritation, razor bumps and ingrowns from shaving unless I am very careful while shaving and use a top quality cream that really excels at providing a very slick lubricating layer of protection. Thus, I had some trouble with the Trumpers creams, which I found to be less lubricating than the Avocado. So when I'm asking for soap recommendation, please keep this in mind.

Finally, it is possible to enjoy a warm lather when shaving with a soap? I love to use the Avocado since I am able to keep the lather nice and warm by putting the mug in my hotpot. If you try this with soap, it will surely melt.

- Brad

Brad, have you tried Trumpers coconut cream? I found that to be a tad denser and more lubricating than the other Trumpers scents, about on a par with Taylors Avocado, only with a lighter scent. It's not my favorite scent, but it is a very nice cream.

Nathan

Brad, Thanks for the clarification, that helps. A word of caution. I'm of the opinion that no traditional hard shave soap provides quite the level of 'protection' that the finest creams, like Avocado do. If, even Trumper's creams were insufficent in this regard, it's possible that no hard soap will really quite do it for you. But, if you want to try it, the hard soaps with the richest most protective lather that I've used are: D R Harris's ( especially the Almond ), Joris, Truefitt & Hill, and the two from J. Floris. The lather from the Tabac was also very fine, but there is something in it that irritates my skin after a couple of shaves, perhaps the strong scent. The shave soap cake from Valobra I also thought was very good, protection wise.
Regards,
Gordon

The Surrey soap can be one of the most versatile when it comes to scent. Once the soap is melted you can add any scent you choose.

I've had particularly good results with D.R. Harris Sandalwood cologne.

stuff495 wrote:To my surprise, the best overall shaving soap i've used is Col. Conk.

It is totally non-irritating to me, which is unfortunately very rare.
It is much more moisturizing and soothing to my skin because of the high glycerine content.
It smells nice.
It can be melted into any container.

My biggest complaint is that it is so soft it does not last long. But I have been unable to find a triple milled soap that works as well as it does.

--Vincent

I agree. I've used many of the top end soaps and I still prefer Col. Conk Amber. It's inexpensive, very lubricating, and easy to use. I always get a great shave with this soap. The fact that it doesn't last as long as some others is more than compensated for by its low price. If I had to choose only one soap, this would be it! Not anymore! ARKO Soap would be the one now. (Until I find something better!)

Hello Randy,

Did I miss something at ashford.com?

The price looks like USD 25 to me:

http://www.ashford.com/family/index.asp ... dimoSearch

Greetings,

lux

I hadn't tried many soaps before. I tried a Kent shave soap and initially didn't think it was very good; however, this was largely based on aroma. I enjoy using floris, and it lathers well. I've been informed that the kent was a Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap or produced by them.

Welcome. You're right, Kent soap is MWF in a wooden bowl, and it certainly grows on you when you figure out how to lather it well.

Chris

Welcome to SMF, SAbadshah!

- Murray

Did someone say “Woolfat”??

I may not have been very active for some time on this forum, I continue to feel the love for the magical “Fat”.

Yes it takes some getting used to at first, but patience has its rewards with this soap.

None like it in my mind.

Nice to see you, Wendell!

drmoss_ca wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:09 am Nice to see you, Wendell!

Thanks Chris .... attention elsewhere the past while. I still drop in now and then to dabble. Good to see the crew is still active.