Handmade shaving soaps?

Tony.T

Tony.T

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Location
Cornwall
I've just been looking on the 'bay (purely for research you understand) and discovered there is loads of artisan shaving soaps available- and most at very good prices.

Has anyone here bought and used any of these and if so can you give us some recommendations? A lot look very nice for little money.

ATB

Tony
 
Tony.T said:
I've just been looking on the 'bay (purely for research you understand) and discovered there is loads of artisan shaving soaps available- and most at very good prices.

Has anyone here bought and used any of these and if so can you give us some recommendations? A lot look very nice for little money.

ATB

Tony
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The only ones I've used are Professor Blightys which are excellent, also Nannys Silly Soap, which are also excellent. They are both members here also so you can ask them questions about their products.
 
Just check if they have olive oil in its composition : if so, discard them immediately. Most of artisan soaps claimed that they are suitable both for bath and shaving purposes, and that is not true: olive oil is a big enemy for a creamy lather.

Cheers
 
Scent from Heaven is a lot of quality for not so many pennies if (like me) you like glycerine soaps. Prof Blighty is my usual go to in the morning . I was also given a couple of glycerine based ones which I believe came from the Bay & were from some "Witchy Supplies" supplier. They had herb sounding names like "Sage & Camomile" or similar & were nice performers.

JohnnyO. \:icon_razz:
 
calani-seifenmanufaktur in Germany has some amazing handmade soaps, there are some that are however more suited for those that prefer stronger scents. I've tried most of them and like them very much.
 
Sir_eider said:
Just check if they have olive oil in its composition : if so, discard them immediately. Most of artisan soaps claimed that they are suitable both for bath and shaving purposes, and that is not true: olive oil is a big enemy for a creamy lather.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I don't think it's impossible to have a good shaving soap with a significant component of olive oil, and indeed I am working on one right now. F/b so far has been very encouraging. But I agree that the attributes for a shaving soap and a bath soap are very different.
 
I have tried a few artisan soaps,most quite expensive. All had something good about them (nice smell, well packaged etc) but never found one which lathered well. They all seemed more like soft hand soap with a few added ingredients rather than proper shaving soaps. The exception being Nanny's Silly Soaps which are excellent as well as being reasonably priced.
 
I made a batch of shaving soap, and it didn't really turn out as planned - Useable as a bath soap, but virtually no lather as it appears there is too much oil in it, and it is too soft. Sharon (from Nanny's Silly Soaps) has offered some help and advice, for which I am really grateful. Better luck next time! On the plus side, my home made pre shave oil and post shave moisturiser have come out really well, so I'm not totally despondent.
 
doheuk said:
I made a batch of shaving soap, and it didn't really turn out as planned - Useable as a bath soap, but virtually no lather as it appears there is too much oil in it, and it is too soft. Sharon (from Nanny's Silly Soaps) has offered some help and advice, for which I am really grateful. Better luck next time! On the plus side, my home made pre shave oil and post shave moisturiser have come out really well, so I'm not totally despondent.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you got the bug! :)
 
Sir_eider said:
Just check if they have olive oil in its composition : if so, discard them immediately. Most of artisan soaps claimed that they are suitable both for bath and shaving purposes, and that is not true: olive oil is a big enemy for a creamy lather.
Click to expand...

Actually, not _quite_ true. The advise is, although incomplete, usually correct - most 'artisan' shaving soaps listing olive oil as one of their ingredients are worthless; but not necessarily because they were made with olive oil. I could make a decent, if soft, shaving soap with only olive oil. Thing is that 'using olive oil' usually indicates that whomever made the soap hasn't got a clue what _does_ define a shaving soap, so it generally IS a good indication that the soap will be hopeless. But there's always a theoretical possibility that someone out there would offer a shaving soap with olive oil that would in fact be a decent shaving soap. Although that is _not_ very likely...

Henk (crawling out from under his rock) ;-)

Edit - I notice that I have to severely update my avatar... the numbers have changed. Some for the better, some for the worse
 
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