Do the ingredients of your favorite soaps tell you anything?

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by Fly2High, Jun 22, 2017.

  1. Fly2High

    Fly2High Breaking Frugal

    TSD gang,

    I was wondering if anyone can tell any trends or preferences you may have by looking at the ingredients of their favorite shaving soaps. Do they tell you what you lean towards? Does the ingredients tell you what you don't like?

    Can you look at ingredients to predict if you will like a soap you have never used before?

    For me, I find that the soaps I like best tend to contain tallow, shea butter and have glycerin or lanolin in them.

    Soaps that tend to have exotic oils also make my list of favorites.

    Also, when a soap has a simple ingredient list, it tends to lack in moisturizing properties and I tend to need a Balm.

    Does the ingredients of your favorite soaps tell you anything?
     
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  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    I don't read the ingredients. I figure if other folks are using it and liking it without adverse effects, I can give it a try. Doesn't mean I'm going to like it, just means I might like it without any worry. Fortunately I don't have allergies or sensitive skin.
     
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  3. theFAT98

    theFAT98 Well-Known Member

    I perfer soaps with tallow, kokum butter, and lanolin. If those are in there then i know it will be good.
     
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  4. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Just because one has all the right ingredients doesn't mean they are all in the right proportions. Too much of any one can ruin the whole batch.
     
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  5. theFAT98

    theFAT98 Well-Known Member

    Not going to disagree. I just havent found a soap with those ingredients that wasnt good.
     
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  6. Yehuda D

    Yehuda D Israeli Ambassador to TSD

    Too much of anything is not good. (even too much menthol if it's not added properly will render the formula unworkable)
     
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  7. dapper636

    dapper636 Active Member

    My face/skin won't tolerate lanolin so I shy away from that.

    Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
     
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  8. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    You're a Williams lover then??
     
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  9. Fly2High

    Fly2High Breaking Frugal

    Hey look, one could say having certain ingredients is enough while others would say the order needs to be a certain way.

    Both are fine.


    Since exact quantities cannot be ascertained from an ingredient list, you can only assume so much but at least it is good enough to possibly use as a guide.
     
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  10. theFAT98

    theFAT98 Well-Known Member

    Vintage. Yes i do like it.
     
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  11. theFAT98

    theFAT98 Well-Known Member


    I like all types of soaps i just know if i see those ingredients there is a good chance i will like it.

    But thats not to say i stay away from soaps without those ingredients.
     
  12. Fly2High

    Fly2High Breaking Frugal

    Actually I can say I do. When the list is very short and is nothing more than tallow and a few bases, I find the soap lacking. It may be good but if it doesn't hit all the areas I judge as being top notch, why bother. Ingredients suggest a level of completeness to me.
     
  13. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    C'mon don't go political on me :taunt002: You know exactly where I'm going:rofl:
     
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  14. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    I personally lean toward Tallow soaps but there are some Glycerin soaps that do a great job as well I tend to lean more towards a good review than an ingredient list personally.

    I like William's once you get the lather down it's a great performer especially at that price point


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  15. stingraysrock

    stingraysrock PIF'd away his custom title

    I am all about the sheep, for now. I had checked out of the scene for quite a while.
     
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  16. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    :shocked003:
     
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  17. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    +1. I was just educated enough to recognize a stick of vintage Williams when I saw it. Good stuff.
    Someone with a C.S.I. lab ought to run a sample through a mass spectrometer, or shine those blue lights they use in the Miami spinoff.
    I tend to tallow, and lanolin is good too. If the scent is lacking but the lather is good a shot of AS brings a soap up to specs.
     
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  18. dapper636

    dapper636 Active Member

    When I was researching how to make a good soap i looked at dozens of ingredients labels and the order i which they were listed and even did a frequency analysis, after a while it becomes apparent what seems to work for a lot of people. As stated, that's only part of the story and only gives a starting point. Trust me, you can make dozens of batches of soap with the exact same infredients in different proportions that are crap and some are only OK. It takes good methodology and a lot of patience to make a really good one.

    Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
     
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