SMF

Hugo and I are currently discussing his recommendation of Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap on another thread. However, before I run out and plunk down $55 for the soap and ceramic bowl, I'm wondering if someone can save me a lot of trial and error (for once in my shaving life) and just tell me which soap is the best.

I realize that any responses to such a question will be inherently subjective, but I would imagine that there must be a consensus to some degree with soaps, just as I've never read a negative comment about my shave cream of choice, Taylor's Avocado, other than a few people saying that the scent is nothing special.

In other words, I need a fool-proof soap. I have very sensitive skin and the only cream that I am able to use is Taylor's Avocado. Any soap I would use must provide an extraordinary level of comfort and protection during the shave.

Any suggestions?

- Brad

Brad, Chris is right. There is no easy answer. I have tried several soaps and some are better than others. Personally, I like Tabac and Floris.

i had not tried soaps much. i tried a kent shave soap and thought it was not impressive - wrong, it was , i was just going on scent. i like floris and it lathers great. i am told the kent was a mitchells wool fat soap or made by them

sam

Sorry to ask for the ultimate answer, guys. I was just hoping that I could save a lot of trouble and money, like I am able to do for others when it comes to recommending Taylor's Avocado.

- Brad

Brad,
It might help if you told us any soaps you have tried before, if any, and whether or not they bothered your skin.

I like Williams, some don't. I call it "idiot proof" as almost anyone can learn to lather it well, within the first couple of tries. The secret is to add water gradually as you twist it up and keep the lather wet through all passes.
Lately, I have been using Taylor's Sandalwood soap. I find it to be an excellent soap. It is creamy in consistency, the fragrance is not too strong and feels almost "powdery" if that is descriptive enough. It lathers quickly and feels great on the skin. I think it would be gentle enough.

I am looking forward to trying St Charles Soaps from Sue. From what I have read so far, they appear to be at least as good as the ones I mentioned above, maybe better, but as of today I cannot endorse what I have nopt used.

Hope this helps you.
Whaen I get Sues soaps and try them for a couple of days I will post my opinion as well.

- Gramps

I'm mostly concerned with the "slickness" of the shave. Does Williams provide a thick layer of protection?

- Brad

Has anybody ever tried this Surrey stuff? Am I going to tear up my face with these drugstore soaps?

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product. ... rod1074103

- Brad

InjuryLaw wrote:I'm mostly concerned with the "slickness" of the shave. Does Williams provide a thick layer of protection?

- Brad

Well, it does for me Brad.
I can use a str8 razor without a problem and I would say I have fairly sensitive skin. You have to make sure you keep the lather wet. It takes a bit more work than cream does, but is very doable, if you take the time to modify your lathering technique. Lots of guys find soaps a bit harder to get a good lather at first.
I haven't used Surrey, so I can't help you there.

As for "drug store" soaps.... most of them are more than adequate and lots of men have used them for years (although I do not like the Wilkkinson soap in a bowl). I think it is a good place to start, if you've never used soaps before as they are quite inexpensive and should give you a very good idea of what soaps are like. Williams is a 'tallow' soap. Classic Shaving and Conk soaps are glycerine and QED soaps are glycerine (and VERY good, but you may find the fragrances strong and they take a bit of work to twist up a good lather).

Hope this helps.

- Gramps

I've gotten good results from Surrey. It's hypoallergenic, lathers well (for me anyway), provides good razor glide, and rinses off clean. It's a quality product, in my opinion. There are three versions: a clear glycerin, a white hypoallergenic one and a pink one that contains trace amounts of lanolin.

Send me a PM. I can send you a cake of it, if you like.

Dave

Thanks for the info and kind offer, Dave. Before I bug you for a cake, I'm going to Walgreens to see if they carry it. At least on their website, they carry one that comes with a ceramic bowl.

Any thoughts on which variation provides the best, slickest lather?

- Brad

To be honest, I've not noticed much difference. Some guys don't like clear glycerin soap; the lather tends to start out as large bubbles and require some work to get a thick lather. I suppose the safest bet is the white stuff, which I bet is just like the pink stuff without any lanolin. But I think you'd get good results from any of them.

That said, opinions of Surrey do vary quite a bit, so your mileage may vary.

Dave

Walgreens only had the pink stuff. It seems to be made by a different company now:

http://vdhent.com/mensline.php

- Brad

The brand is Surrey and the company is Van der Hagen Enterprises. Marty van der Hagen's dad started the business a generation ago. I think they may have gone public or something, and then taken it private again, so perhaps the company name changed over time. But it's the same folks who've always made it.

Marty said that his father had sensitive skin and couldn't use the available shaving soaps way back when (Williams, Burma Shave, etc.). So he started the company to make hypoallergenic shave soaps.

Dave

the best hard soap= DR Harris

for sensitive skin, you'd probably want the almond scent (which doesn't smell at all like almond, but has a nice clean scent).

There ya have it. Case closed!

Drew

I would suggest the T&H Shaving soap. You can pick it up at ashford.com for $6 bucks!

Randy

for me? the best is either Classics or Rivivage.


Jeff

Brad,

I have used both Surrey and Williams for years and both work well. Williams is the traditional tallow based and Surrey is a glycerine type. An advantage to Surrey is it can be easily melted to form to the shape of the cup or bowl and in its melted state scent of your choice can be added for a custom touch. I've tried a wide range of scents from Old Spice to D.R. Harris Sandalwood. If the experiment doesn't pan out you can always use it up as a kitchen or bath soap.

Mitchell's Wool Fat, or at least the Kent version is between the entry level and top three in its performance.

My current choices of use are Trumpers Sandalwood and Lime, also D.R. Harris' Almond.

These represent a wide spectrum and all work well though each has an adjustment curve

Brad, Your question is inherently very difficult. Simply picking a 'best' shave soap would be highly challenging, but when you throw in the heavy sensitivity issue, well..... Mitchell's might be problematical due to the significent lanolin content, I can't use it for that reason, as I have some lanolin sensitivity. I too have used many hard shave soaps over a many year period, and if I had to make one recommedation, it would probably be D R Harris's Almond. The Joris soap also has an unusually rich lather, is very high quality, and doesn't have many potentially problematic ingrediants. I guess those would be the two that I'd suggest you try, but no promises on the sensitivity issue, that's a very personal thing, that I have no way of predicting. Best of luck in your search.
Regards,
Gordon

The Surrey soap lathers and lubricates well, but I find the fragrance--a generic, milky fragrance--just so...boring. I mean, after shaving with this soap you want to go back to bed...

Maynard

Brad: To confuse further, Proraso in the green tub is a nice, creamy soap. Best, John.