Alright, here's what I've got so far: I've got a bowl of Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet shaving soap, and a ceramic bowl of Mitchell's Wool Fat shaving soap saved for Leo. Didn't like English Fern enough, so Penhaligon's is out of the picture. What else should I be getting, that are the most awesome shave soaps? I've tried several as you know, but I was so focused on finding a good shave STICK that I missed some opportunities to try out the bowls. I do not like menthol in my soap. Nor do I like soap that smells like fruit. I just want it to smell like... soap. I don't remember if I liked the Harris soaps in the sticks - obviously not too much, since I sold them. I loved the De Vergulde Hand cream except that it burned. Never have tried any of the Trumper's soaps, AOS soaps, or any of the weird-and-wonderful brands. Any ideas? Any of my friends here have some slivers of your favorite you wouldn't mind mailing my way? Advice and stuff always appreciated. Thanks, fellas. ps: Bong, yes I know I still owe you a sliver of the Old Spice soap. I'll get it to you... eventually...
My recommendation is cella. Its an Italian soft soap that needs much water and a stiff boar brush. May require slightly more effort to create lather but the rewards are worth it--extremely close shave and outstanding skin care. Although I have never tried the IK, many shavers love this soap and is my next soap to try.
You already have the best - MWF. That said, what types of soaps (or sticks) have you liked really well so far? Here's some that get mentioned often: Milled, Tallow Based - MWF and Tabac are most popular Milled, veggie - Trumper's and AOS get high marks though I've not tried either Cold Pour w/clay - The Shave Den, Saint Charles Shave Cold Pour - Mama Bear, Em's Place, Van Der Hagen Delux
As far as soaps go...I really recommend two that are basically the same minus the scent Tabac and Irisch Moos They are both great soaps IMHO. The only difference is the scent. The Tabac has an odd funk to it that I hated and now love. You can pick up both of them at a relatively inexpensive price compared to Penhaligons or MWF. Another good one that I loved, but seems to have given me a little bit of irritation is Institut Karite. Its nice because it has a healthy dose of Shea Butter.
+1 on the IK. That soap doesn't get a whole lot of talk here, but that one is still one of my favs......
Well,maybe its time to try the frenchies: Martin de Candre(GREAT but expensive,really,really expensive) L´OCCITANNE Cade(good soap but with parafinum liquidum on it...???) Pre de Provence(nice and nice scent but having parafinum liquidum on it) Durance LHomme(hard to find but great scent and expensive too) After you have tried these soaps you would discover that shavesticks are 10 times cheaper and surprisingly performs the same... Also Im agree with the fellows here,Cella,Irisch Moos and Tabac are great soaps.Valobra(you have to put this on a bowl or some kind of container)is another good option too.
Not trying to be a smart arse but what if Leo likes menthol and citrus? Better to get a variety right????
D'OHH! Alright, who let this guy into the building? :angry019 If Leo likes menthol and citrus he can find some his damn self. (fussy little bugger)
I agree with the Pre De Provence. Nice light scent and the tin will last you forever. If I could pop the puck out of the tin I would cut you off some but cant get it out. Good stuff though! Maybe order some sample soaps from JoAnna.
Cella (and Valobra soft soap) has a shelf life of three years---so it's no good for Leo. Though they've been in business for a while, they'll probably be around for a bit more. Durance is good? I can get it surprisingly cheaply over here...And I've been trying to track down a source for Martin de Candre for ages. Greg, I can't think of any soap I've tried that is superior to the ones you are aware of...Harris is close to them, as is T&H though the scent left me cold. If you find any, let me know!
Good milled soaps (I am assuming, from your first post, that you don't mean sticks): GFT Rose - good rose-scented soap. I know, I was put off by the idea of a rose-scented product when I first got started, but it surprised me. I don't know if the old tallow-based ones performed better. The new stuff works just great. L'Occitane Cade - great scent. Better than average lather. Harris Arlington - great lather, decent scent, kind of citrusy. Really what you want to do, though, is get some fancy bowls, buy a whole bunch of Speick, Irisch Moos, and Palmolive shave sticks. Mill them into bowls. Then you have some of the best soap out there in bowls. Problem solved.
+1 on the Tabac and Irish Moos. I would also suggest Cyril Salter soap which is a triple milled English soap that smells like...soap. The Cyril Salter is no frills (it does not even come in a box) and is very inexpensive. The performance however is excellent. Another soap you may want to try is Pre de Provence. I did not like the scent (laundry detergent?) but it really whips up a nice lather.
