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Don‘t get me started on the Speick reformulation.
What is wrong with the Speick reformulation? I'm about to finish my tallow sspeick and I was hoping the reformulation would be similar.
Don‘t get me started on the Speick reformulation.
If a stearate isn't one of the first two ingredients, it's almost certainly going to be a **** shaving soap. I don't have to try the soap to know that. That goes for any shaving soap, veg or tallow.
Edit: To clarify, the soap might still be usable, but it won't be a 'superior' or 'first class' shave soap.
Like @Bogeyman said, I’ve not tried a reformulated tallow soap sans tallow that was as good as the original.What is wrong with the Speick reformulation? I'm about to finish my tallow sspeick and I was hoping the reformulation would be similar.
As it happens, I do occasionally use De Vergulde Hand. It's a decent soap, but for me it is very drying on the skin, likely due to the palmate in it, I realize now. I'd never paid attention to the ingredients before.That is an interesting analysis ...
It's right there in the data.
I've geeked out and compared the primary ingredient with my score out of ten across 90 soaps that I have in (Shit! I have more than 90 soaps???) to come up with:
Stearate 8.7 < Average deviated down by Speick (Tallow) which I really don't rate
Palmate 8.5 < Average deviated up by De Vergulde Hand and L'Occitane Cade, both of which I really rate
Tallowate 8.3 < Curious! Average probably brought down by Williams and DR Harris neither of which I'm right fussed with
Yeah, number of Palmate-first soaps that I have is very light - De Vergulde Hand, L'Occitane Cade & Bowl, Mitchell's Wool Fat, Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood, Godrej Shaving Round & LEA Classic. Maybe if I had a stack of "crap" Palmate-first soaps that I'd no longer use the average would be right down. As it happens, I have "the good ones".
Right from the off, I equated the new MWF with T&H.
It's right there in the data.
It's what creates a 'creamy and thick' consistency to a lather. Take it out, and you'll wind up with something thin and airy most of the time. As @pjgh alluded to above, there are some exceptions, but they are for the most part, exceptions, and not a typical result.@PLANofMAN
Great observation about stearic acid being one of the first two ingredients. I'd say it applies to most if not all of my favourite shaving soaps.
As it happens, I do occasionally use De Vergulde Hand. It's a decent soap, but for me it is very drying on the skin, likely due to the palmate in it, I realize now. I'd never paid attention to the ingredients before.
It's what creates a 'creamy and thick' consistency to a lather. Take it out, and you'll wind up with something thin and airy most of the time. As @pjgh alluded to above, there are some exceptions, but they are for the most part, exceptions, and not a typical result.
Copying a post from @Nav here:
"The biggest problem with these reformulations is that they generally replace the tallow with just stearic/palm/palm kernel/lauric acid.
They ignore the fact that tallow contains oleic acid, which is moisturizing for the skin whereas the ingredients they substitute in the veggie formula don't contain the oleic fatty acid.
They should add butters or oils high in oleic acid to the same amount of oleic acid in tallow (roughly 1/3rd) to get anywhere close to matching the tallow soap.
This is why NONE of the reformulated veggie soaps I've used have become better than their tallow versions!"
Are we soon going to be stocking up on tallow soaps before they die out.
Shaving soaps with Sodium Palmate & Potassium Palmate as the first two ingredients, like Pre de Provence, I'm less enthusiastic about.
What is this 'soon' you speak of? Just about the only tallow soaps left are artisans, and even there, the numbers are dwindling. Arko and Derby and a few British soaps are the only 'commercial' soaps left, and everyone expects the British tallow soaps to be dead within a year or two.Are we soon going to be stocking up on tallow soaps before they die out.
DR Harris has Tallow, which is one I like and recently started to use. Could they eventually follow the herd.What is this 'soon' you speak of? Just about the only tallow soaps left are artisans, and even there, the numbers are dwindling. Arko and Derby and a few British soaps are the only 'commercial' soaps left, and everyone expects the British tallow soaps to be dead within a year or two.
The best time to stock up was five years ago. The next best time to stock up is now. Five years from now might be too late to stock up.
Don't forget, there will always be vintage soap somewhere.
Likely ...DR Harris has Tallow, which is one I like and recently started to use. Could they eventually follow the herd.
Back on track with Mitchell's-watch!
MWF 8287 [purchased Summer 2020] - Dud ... absolutely incapable of a stable lather @pjgh (purchased by @NatJag)
MWF 8345 [purchased October 2020] - Good < confirmed by @jimmyc
Kent 8419 [purchased September 2020] - Good < confirmed by @NatJag
Kent 8923 [purchased December 2022 & January 2023] - Dudder than a dud thing from Dudville < confirmed by @Gairdner
MWF 9027 [purchased September 2022] - Dud. It's okay, but not up to usual standard @pjgh (purchased by @exists)
Kent 9029 [purchaed December 2022] - Good < confirmed by @donnie_darko @exists
Kent 9139 [purchased November 2022] - Good < confirmed by @NeilJ
MWF 9139 [purchased February 2023 - Shaving Shack] - Good < confirmed by @Blademonkey
MWF 9223 [purchased February 2023 - Executive Shaving Company via Amazon] - Good < confirmed by @mfurie2540
MWF 9223 [purchased February 2023 - English Shaving Company via Amazon] - Good < confirmed by @Zorro
MWF Veg 9265 [purchased May 2023 - Connaught Shaving] - Good < confirmed by @pjgh
I read somewhere that MWF batch runs are 10,000 pucks per batch, and from the batch number covering both MWF and Kent, they switched formulas mid batch. It's likely that the Kent soap got the last of the tallow formula.Well, at least we now know batch numbers can cover both brand names. Kinda makes it look like batches are larger, rather than smaller per run.