THE Best Soap, Period.

What is your opinion on fine shaving creams and hard soaps? Do you like Trumpers, Coates, Taylors, Truefitt & Hill? Post your reviews and opinions here!
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custom410
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Post by custom410 »

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.
Cheers,
Rob
Hugo
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Post by Hugo »

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.
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stuff495
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Post by stuff495 »

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
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rtaylor61
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Post by rtaylor61 »

Vincent,

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

Randy
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." J. B. Books
InjuryLaw
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Post by InjuryLaw »

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. :wink:

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
JackieMartling

Post by JackieMartling »

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
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Post by bernards66 »

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
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Squire
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Post by Squire »

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.
Regards,
Squire
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mike
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Post by mike »

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!)
Last edited by mike on Thu Feb 16, 2006 6:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mike

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lux
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T&H soap for USD 6 at www.ashford.com? Really? :?:

Post by lux »

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
SAbadshah
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Re: THE Best Soap, Period.

Post by SAbadshah »

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.
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drmoss_ca
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Re: THE Best Soap, Period.

Post by drmoss_ca »

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
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
CMur12
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Re: THE Best Soap, Period.

Post by CMur12 »

Welcome to SMF, SAbadshah!

- Murray
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jww
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Re: THE Best Soap, Period.

Post by jww »

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.
Wendell

Resident Wool Fat Evangelist & anglophile. Have you hugged a sheep today?
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drmoss_ca
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Re: THE Best Soap, Period.

Post by drmoss_ca »

Nice to see you, Wendell!
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
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jww
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Re: THE Best Soap, Period.

Post by jww »

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.
Wendell

Resident Wool Fat Evangelist & anglophile. Have you hugged a sheep today?
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