I thought I saw a bar of glycerin body soap, is this something I could use for shaving? I can't remember the brand or other details so I apologize for the vague question.
You probably could, but I'll bet it wouldn't lather well and wouldn't be provide much protection. YMMV; No warranties implied or expressed; Not valid in CA; etc... If you want to try a glycerin soap, try Col. Conk. It's very inexpensive, can be found at many odd places (try your local upscale cigar shop), and it works.
You can also try to find Van Der Hagen Glycerin soap. Try Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVX, etc. They're all store dependant and typically carry one of the following: Williams, VDH Delux, or VDH Glycerin. Personally, I'd take the VDH delux over the glycerin or williams. VDH is only about $2 and Williams typically about $1.
I've often wondered myself how a glycerin bar soap varies from a shaving soap. I know some soap makers put a little bit of clay in their shave soaps for extra slip, but some don't seem to - am I mistaken in thinking that the clear ones that Mama Bear and QED make don't have clay in them? I have a local soapmaker that did a test run of shave soap for me - glycerin soap with added clay. However, the lather was not very stable at all, and disappeared almost as quickly as I built it. I suppose there are other stabilizers put into shave soaps so that you can generate a good thick lather with that will last.
This is something I've wondered about too. For example, some of the regular Dove soaps are supposed to be very moisturizing, and I was wondering if anyone has had success shaving with any non-shave soaps. Also, what differentiates shave soap from soap soap?
For what I heard from a local soap maker here,there should be no difference in using a soap bar for shaving or for cleansing,but what can I say?I dont see myself shaving with Dove or another non-shaving soap,dont want to risk my skin.
Your local soapmaker knows what he speaks of. I can remember seeing my Grandpa and Dad using a plain old bar of soap, more often than not a bar of Ivory, to shave with when they had run out of shaving. I've done it myself. When I was much younger and had far better and tougher skin than I have now; I can remember dry shaving just before inspections or splashing some water on my face and having at it when my morning routine was rushed. And this was with an injector or the cheap single blade disposable that was getting passed around the shop just before we went out for inspection. The cleaning between one guy and the next was to blow the hair out of the thing. This modern wet shaving has a lot more foofy do surrounding it than was the case even just a couple of decades ago or so. At the turn of the last century shaving for the most part was done with a hunk of whatever soap could be found and a straight razor. And then not necessarily every day. I know my Grandpa would often go two or three days between shaves but always was freshly shaved if going to town or out visiting. And that was in the 50's and 60's. My Dad, being military, shaved every day unless he was on leave or off duty for a few days. I can remember many a hasty shave when he would unexpectedly have to go in though.
I suspect that had some to do with it. Canned goop was around when I was a kid because I can remember getting my butt beat for "wasting" mentholated Burma Shave. A lot of us were seduced by the "modern technology" claims of the early cartridges too. I seem to remember one of the tag lines being about how the first blade lifted the hair as it cut it so the second blade could cut what would have be below the skin if the first blade hadn't tugged it out. Now in hindsight (always 20/20), this is probably why some many guys have problems with ingrown hairs and irritation. Also if you think about it you had to whip that razor across your face at warp speed to really catch the hair before it snapped back anyway. It was pretty common on TV during the 60's and 70's to see some guy speed shaving on a commercial during American Sportsmen, or some other male oriented show. 60's Gillette Commercial Nozema 70's Commercial 80's Gilette Now mind you, I seriously doubt any of those guys weren't freshly shaved before the commercial started nor were there blades in any of those razors. This is what I grew up watching and where things were going when I was a young man in the 70's. Here's what I'm talking about. The lift and cut thing. If you think about it, its no wonder so many guys have trouble with shaving irritation and ingrown hairs Mach 3 Gazing back from my half century perspective I'm smacking myself in the head trying to imagine what any of us were thinking to believe that crap.
The Noxema video is just hilarious....happy102:happy102.I wouldnt shave with an injector like that guy did...
See what all of you missed out on. I do miss the Nozema ads. Still lots of speed shaving when there was actually any shaving shown. Besides Gunilla Knudsen, Farrah Fawcett made a couple of Noxema commercials. Gunila again Farrah Fawcett Nozema Ad Another Farrah commercial
I forgot all about those Noxema commercials! It was a lot of fun seeing them again but I certainly don't shave like that guy. The ad must have been sponsored by the maker of styptic pencils. :happy001
Before I came back to DE shaving, I found, for me at least, the lubricating strips on cartridges and disposables worked better with typical supermarket/drug store soaps than with supermarket/drug store shaving products. I came back to using a brush and shaving soap and got better results with cartridges and disposables before coming all the way back to DE. If I used plain old soap and a DE, I would probably need a face transplant with my combination of skin and beard. I remember a post a few months back (I think it was in this forum) from someone who retired to Costa Rica and could find Vinolia Soap for about 1/7th of what I have to pay for it in Boston. One could probably get a good shave with a soap like that.
