Hey guys, I'm a bit of a hippy when it comes to using natural products and I'm just wondering whether anyone has found an all natural shave soap that actually works. Doesn't have to be the best, just needs to do the job. I've heard pretty bad things about all naturals so I'm hoping I just haven't heard of a good one yet. Thanks for the recommendations!
Stirling soaps. Just read the product descriptions. Some use fragrance oils for scent, but many of them are just essential oil. You won't be sacrificing any quality there.
When you say all natural do you mean vegan, or just no chemicals? Because there are tons of natural soaps made by artisans right now. Stirling, Mike's Natural, Ginger's Garden, Strop Shoppe, Maggards Platinum, Barrister and Mann, Shavers Heaven, Caties Bubbles... Etc etc etc
From Europe, Valobra Soap Cream, Nannys Silly Soap, Jabonman, Le Pere Lucien Natural are soft and no adds. Each one comes from a different country. You can write them for further details.
'No chemicals' is nigh-impossible in practice, given that H2O is a chemical and Organic Chemistry can chemically describe an apple. What particular additives are you hoping to avoid, @Single Malt Whiskers ?
Absolutely, but that's why I asked what particular additives @Single Malt Whiskers was hoping to avoid. To paraphrase JoAnna from another thread, "Mercury is all-natural; that does not mean it's good for you."
I would say depends where you live. Many good local natural soaps are available but considering the currency difference Canadian products are a deal for U.S. buyers. I use TSD soaps. They are also available in the U.S.A.
Thanks for the tip! Hadn't thought about the exchange between Canadian and US dollars. @youngunn and @Jasman I would say no chemicals (the Mikes Natural link with pure tallow is fine for example... if it agrees with my oily skin is another issue though!). It might sound silly but I'd like a list of ingredients that I don't need a PhD in chemistry to understand lol. I guess I figure if I'm shaving like my grandpa it wouldn't hurt to have something he'd recognize as soap.
As indicated, 'no chemicals' is not really possible. Dihydrogen Monoxide, Sodium Hydroxide and/or Stearic Acid are going to be present, almost regardless, because it's soap. It's not that the concern 'sounds silly,' it's that it's not a feasible goal, as stated. If you could clarify what you're looking to avoid other than 'long chemical names,' we could better assist, because any ingredient list for soap is going to include things with long chemical names.
Sodium Hydroxide - caustic potash Potassium Hydroxide - potash of lye Stearic Acid - lard and/or vegetable oils The names have changed over the years, but soap is still made by adding lye to oils/fats. If you want an old recipe, Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap is based on such a recipe. It was modernized and updated in the 1930's as near as I can figure, as some of the ingredients weren't invented until then. If you just want the best shaving experience, Kiss my Face shaving cream is sold at Whole Foods and many other "Natural" food stores. It is Paraben/Phthalate/SLS free, preservative free, no animal ingredients, no animal testing, and is biodegradable. I don't care about any of that, only performance, and luckily, it also creates an outstanding lather and comes in a variety of scents.
Just to clarify, that quotation was posted to indicate a basic principle of toxicolgy, and not in reference to mercury, specifically, nor its toxic threshold. In other words, arsenic and cyanide, for example - both present in fuits and vegetables - are not necessairly, in and of themselves, toxic, although given a certain dose, these elements are. Relatedly, parabens are not necessarily toxic either at sub-threshold levels. Per American Cancer Society, "so far, studies have not shown any direct link between parabens and any health problems, including breast cancer." That said, I'd turn down a product that contained, let's say, 50% parabens (versus the regulative 0.8%). Incidently, parabens can be found in blueberries, and in the secretions of female dogs where it acts as a pheromone. Interestingly, phenoxyethanol is sometimes touted as a natural alternative to parabens because it occurs in green tea, but in reality is commercially synthesized from petroleum-sourced phenol.
Oh my! The next thing you'll tell us is dihydrogen monoxide is entirely unavoidable in our wet-shaving routines!
ooooo…that unfortunately has other consequences I'd rather not deal with (dry, itchy face with tender spots…)
Good informative post @ask4Edge . Propylene Glycol being another questionable skin care ingredient. SLS a great subsidizer can be irritating to skin and slow healing of cuts both on skin and in mouth.