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Learn everything you need to know about Classic Shaving

Best Shaving Soap For a Smooth Shave

Best Shaving Soap
It’s funny that anytime we are interested in something we always search for what is the best of that thing. What is the best shaving soap, best mens soap, best safety razor, etc.

How great something is can be a very subjective thing.  In other words it is a very personal preference.  I really like spicy food and my wife prefers food with very little spice.  That doesn't mean spicy food is better or worse, it just means we like different things.  
We all have personal preferences for what we taste, smell, see, and hear.    Just because someone likes or dislikes a shaving soap doesn't mean you will.  Everyone will have their preference, however there are some really bad soaps that you will want to avoid at all costs.  Other than those you will find a huge number of good to great options on the market from small artisans to big name brands.

I did want to share some guidelines to weed out the worst shave soaps and some considerations as to what might qualify as a top shave soap.  This should help you compare the different options on the market and decide what is right one for your budget and personal preference.

Bad Choices


Shaving soaps are much different than what you might use in to clean your hands, face, or body.  Those are meant to cleanse your skin while shaving soap is meant to lubricate, protect, and moisturize your skin.  

There are a large number of soapers that create wonderful smelling cleansing bars and decide to label it as a shaving soap.  When you get one these it might look and smell great, but trying to create a lather that will lubricate and protect your skin is impossible.

Lathering a soap that was meant to cleanse will create very small airy bubbles and will not generate a thick creamy lather that provides a good smooth shave.

One of the most common tell tale signs is Olive Oil as the first ingredient.  This is a common ingredient that will clean very well and not worth a darn to get rid of those pesky whiskers.

Another thing to look out for is when the maker claims that the lather was created to have slickness with oil and not lather.  This typically falls into the same category as I mentioned before where it's meant more for cleansing rather than a good shave.

Great Shaving Soap

Here are the 4 things that all shaving soaps need to be considered best in class

  • Thick and creamy lather
  • Protects your skin
  • Smells good
  • Value of the product

Lathering

     This is the process where you take a shaving brush (badger hair, boar hair, or synthetic) and create a thick cream like substance known as lather.  I won’t go into the process in full detail, but the end result should be a cream that when you place      between your fingers and squeeze you should feel a bit of resistance

Protects your skin

     When you are shaving, the razor blade glides across your skin and should slice off the hairs and not irritate your skin.  The only way to do that is to put an extremely thin layer of lubrication on the skin to allow the razor to slide, cut the hair, but remain hovering above the skin.

     A good shaving soap will do this well and the slick quality or as some people call it the slip is what really protects your skin from the razor.

Moisturizes your skin

     Once you shave and rinse your face with cold water you skin should not feel dried out. It should have a hydrated soft feeling to it, which is another benefit of a good shaving soap.

Smells good

     Some people enjoy strong scents and others prefer weak or no scent at all. If you have sensitive skin your best option is to look for little to no fragrance.  

The fragrance from soaps typically come from either essential oils or fragrance oils.  These oils have recommended %’s that should go into soap.  We really love creating great smelling soap, but are alway sure to follow the guidelines set for the max % in order to prevent unnecessary exposure of these oils to our customers.  

Value of the product

    Most containers come in anywhere from 2 ounce to 4 ounce pucks and if you look at our table of how long a shaving soap lasts, you will see that most of them will last you for 100 shaves.  With an average cost of about $15 that’s just pennies each time you use it.

Customer Care

     We are a small business and truly care about our customers and do everything we can to make sure you are happy.  I suggest you purchase from a small business because most have the same philosophy as ours and you will be taken care of.  

Feel free to reach out to any company and ask questions about their products.  If you get good service chances are that you will be happy with the products because they care.  

Conclusion

     There are plenty of options when it comes to shaving soap.  Search for different brands, fragrances, types, and find something that you think you might like and give it a try.  Worst case you’ll waste $15 and best case you’ll find something that works great for you.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us about our products or even if you have questions about others.  Don't forget to checkout our artisan shaving soap before you go.



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