Who's afraid of Virginia Woolfat?

[PLANofMAN]

...Apart from glycerin - that plays the ultimate part of post feel of a shaving soap - what else can provide a better "positive effect on the skin" when concerning shaving soap?

Lanolin.

Thought we covered that already.

It's a topic that probably deserves it's own thread. Saponifico Verisino adds unique ingredients to some of their soaps specifically for skin care, and so do a few other manufacturers. I've never seen a thread detailing a complete list of skin friendly soap ingredients. Sounds like a good homework project for you.

 

[pjgh]

Lanolin.

Lovely lanolin!

It's a topic that probably deserves it's own thread.

Which soaps contain lanolin?

We've had a few MWF threads of late and it got me wondering ... for folks that can't or if Mitchell's have finally stiffed us all with an ingredient supply change that has rendered our favourite soap now useless, which other soaps contain lovely lanolin? Obviously MWF, but what else? 1. LEA...

www.theshavingroom.co.uk

 

[Craig1984]

Lanolin.

There's hardly enough of it in there to be objective (Lea has the same percentage) P&B has shit loads in by comparison but the post shave feel isn't objectively any better, if it were, then logically lanolin fans would go with the most in a formulation such as P&B and Stirling?

It's a topic that probably deserves it's own thread. Saponifico Verisino adds unique ingredients to some of their soaps specifically for skin care, and so do a few other manufacturers. I've never seen a thread detailing a complete list of skin friendly soap ingredients. Sounds like a good homework project for you.

Unique? Skin friendly? They're buzz words.

 

[Ian5]

Do you use the new Lea Stick? I'd say MWF is like a vegan version of the new Lea Stick in some ways.

This is fascinating. I have often thought of asking what you guys thought would be the closest vegan/veggie soap you could get to MWF. I've got to get some Lea!!!! (I'm veggie as opposed to full vegan so I'm OK with lanolin I think.)

 

[donnie_arko]

This is fascinating. I have often thought of asking what you guys thought would be the closest vegan/veggie soap you could get to MWF. I've got to get some Lea!!!! (I'm veggie as opposed to full vegan so I'm OK with lanolin I think.)

The Lea stick is very good, produces a nice slick thick lather. It's not in stock at Connaught Shaving right now, but I'd recommend picking one up when you can.
The new Haslinger Sheepmilk is supposed to be excellent and quite like MWF from what I hear, it's not vegan. It has sheep's milk and lanolin, but no tallow. Connaught sell it.

 

[Drew71]

The Lea stick is very good, produces a nice slick thick lather. It's not in stock at Connaught Shaving right now, but I'd recommend picking one up when you can.
The new Haslinger Sheepmilk is supposed to be excellent and quite like MWF from what I hear, it's not vegan. It has sheep's milk and lanolin, but no tallow. Connaught sell it.

I was always a big fan of the Haslinger Schafsmilch. Never got a bad shave with it. Have they improved it?

 

[donnie_arko]

I was always a big fan of the Haslinger Schafsmilch. Never got a bad shave with it. Have they improved it?

It's been reformulated a few times. First it was tallow, then palm oil and now coconut oil. The most recent one is supposed to be a bit better than the one before it.

 

[Craig1984]

Sounds like a good homework project for you.

I could melt down Mitchells and add a good amount lanolin to it and make a proper lanolin shaving soap?

I dont have high hopes because P&B have loads of the stuff and it dont feel any better than other good post feel shave soaps.

 

[pjgh]

The new Haslinger Sheepmilk is supposed to be excellent and quite like MWF from what I hear, it's not vegan. It has sheep's milk and lanolin, but no tallow. Connaught sell it.

I'm using it at the moment ...

It's NOT up there with MWF, not by a long stretch. It is very much akin to, say, T&H current formula but with a bit extra in the post-shave. After my first use (for which it was picked for 'Milky May' what with it containing sheep milk) I thought the post-shave particularly good ... and then the penny dropped. Duh! Lovely lanolin.

 

[Craig1984]

Whats your reason for not championing P&B due to the shear amount of lanolin, may I ask pjgh?

 

[pjgh]

Whats your reason for not championing P&B due to the shear amount of lanolin, may I ask?

Me? Never used it ... doubt I will. Not my kinda thing.

How do we know it's got loads in? Lanolin is waaaaay down the ingredient list, like MWF or Hampshire Wool Fat. Haslinger has probably more at a guess given the ingredient list. I do see Potassium Lanolate higher up the list of ingredients and take a guess that it might be related to lanolin but I can't actually find a clear definition of what it actually is (aside from a surfactant of some kind) ... suffice to say it is saponated/saponified < I'm not a soap-maker and so don't know the correct term. Maybe that's the difference? Maybe it's nowt to do with lanolin. From the scant information I can find, it appears to be lab-made. What soap makers do seem to agree on (again from a scant and cursory glance) is that lanolin has so few saponifiables that it can generally be regarded as unsaponifiable.

I'm not saying P&B isn't as good ... as I've not used it.

 

[donnie_arko]

I'm using it at the moment ...

It's NOT up there with MWF, not by a long stretch. It is very much akin to, say, T&H current formula but with a bit extra in the post-shave. After my first use (for which it was picked for 'Milky May' what with it containing sheep milk) I thought the post-shave particularly good ... and then the penny dropped. Duh! Lovely lanolin.

Thanks for the info Paul. IMO, few things are equal to MWF. I'd read some good things about the new Haslinger though, the old tallow one was supposed to be great.

Btw, I think I finally worked out why you aren't too keen on soaps with shea butter. I found I can use soaps with them now and again, but with regular use I'd pick up little spots. I still really like a few soaps with it though, but I couldn't use them day in day out.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I could melt down Mitchells and add a good amount lanolin to it and make a proper lanolin shaving soap?

I dont have high hopes because P&B have loads of the stuff and it dont feel any better than other good post feel shave soaps.

Me? Never used it ... doubt I will. Not my kinda thing.

How do we know it's got loads in? Lanolin is waaaaay down the ingredient list, like MWF or Hampshire Wool Fat. Haslinger has probably more at a guess given the ingredient list. I do see Potassium Lanolate higher up the list of ingredients and take a guess that it might be related to lanolin but I can't actually find a clear definition of what it actually is (aside from a surfactant of some kind) ... suffice to say it is saponated/saponified < I'm not a soap-maker and so don't know the correct term. Maybe that's the difference? Maybe it's nowt to do with lanolin. From the scant information I can find, it appears to be lab-made. What soap makers do seem to agree on (again from a scant and cursory glance) is that lanolin has so few saponifiables that it can generally be regarded as unsaponifiable.

I'm not saying P&B isn't as good ... as I've not used it.

Potassium lanolate is made by combining lanolin with potassium hydroxide, which is an alkali that is commonly used in soap making. The resulting product is a water-soluble salt that is often used as an emollient or moisturizer in skincare products. It can help to soften and soothe the skin, reduce dryness and roughness, and improve the overall texture and appearance of the skin.

In the case of shaving soaps, such as Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap, potassium lanolate can help to create a smooth and comfortable shaving experience by lubricating the skin and reducing friction between the razor and the skin. It can also help to moisturize the skin and reduce irritation and inflammation caused by shaving.

In short, MWF has plenty of lanolin in it. Probably more than most soaps that have lots. It's in the name.

William's had a shave cream with lanotrate25 in it. They broke the lanolin molecule to make it. Without breaking the molecule, the lanolin would separate out of the rest of the ingredients and create a runny mess. I imagine MWF does something similar using potassium lanolate, and for very much the same reason.

Edit: Craig, you're quite the contrarian, and I really do suggest you use MWF/Kent for a week or two before arguing about it with people who have used it for years. You haven't even gotten into the puck yet. You're still working on the oxidized outer layer, which isn't even the best representation of the soap.

 

[pjgh]

It's P&B with the Potassium Lanolate. Thank you for the explanation - my googling failed me.

In terms of amount of ingredient, we're guessing the amount is very little, given how far down the ingredient list it is and what it's next to/between - for MWF, it's after Parfum, AlphaIsomethyl Ionone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool & Hydroxycitronellal none of which I can imagine are in anything like amounts you'd call major.

 

[PLANofMAN]

It's P&B with the Potassium Lanolate. Thank you for the explanation - my googling failed me.

In terms of amount of ingredient, we're guessing the amount is very little, given how far down the ingredient list it is and what it's next to/between - for MWF, it's after Parfum, AlphaIsomethyl Ionone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool & Hydroxycitronellal none of which I can imagine are in anything like amounts you'd call major.

Ah, well, my apologies then. I asked the ChatGPT chatbot about it. You've got to double check the info just about everytime, but it's better than Google for helpful info. As for amounts, I take those with a big grain of salt. More isn't necessarily better, and purity is something to consider as well. For all we know, Mitchell's uses a concentrated form.

I have always wondered how they get away with the "Original 1893 Formula" thing, when they have ingredients in it that weren't created until the 1920's.

 

[Craig1984]

If your so obsessed with such a little amount of the damn ingredient - buy some lanolin and apply the stuff to your skin after shaving. Or before - if you want to push the boat out!