I am disabled and on a fixed income. I am looking for my go to soap. My problem is that I just cannot justify spending a lot of money on soaps. Plus I don't have a lot to spend. With that in mind, I thought I would get your recommendations on some good low cost (ie cheap) soaps. I have the Proraso red and green, Arko, Williams, Van Der Hagen. They are OK, but I'm still searching for the "one". The most expensive soap I have is Barrister & Mann Bay Rum and that was a big purchase for me. I could save up and buy a higher priced soap, but I don't know which to save up for. Everything is so subjected to individual taste. I do know that I love the smell of bay rum and I am a lover of Old Spice. Does anyone have any suggestions?
TSD soaps are a good value. They are not quite as hard as a triple milled soap, but seem to last quite a long time for me. Joanna has a Old Spice type and I'm sure many other scents.
You've already mentioned some decent low cost soaps. I personally use Van Der Hagen (12 pack of 2.5oz soaps for $25.50 on Amazon) which works quite well. You might stick with one of the brands you've mentioned and have a nicer/more expensive soap to use on special occasions?
I've just recently tried Haslinger and it may be my new bang for the buck favorite vying for outright favorite as well.
If you want a step above the soaps you mentioned, my recommendations would be -Mama Bear's -Beer Soap Company - http://www.thebeersoapcompany.com/ -Stirling -Italian Barber -Razorock
I wanted to suggest a Haslinger soap but BigCabDaddy already mentioned it. You could always try and mix soaps. Some people mix Van der hagen with williams. You could do a mix of something like MWF + van der hagen to get that great face care from the MWF and ease of lather from the VDH. or Unscented soap from any artisan soap makers (TSD, Stirling, BM) and mix it with your Bay rum soap. You get the scent you love but you will have a BIGGER puck of it =P
Yup. 78 Bay Rum- light, spicy, sweet aroma Cedarwood- a dry-woody aroma, slightly camphoraceous, smoky, balsamic. Very subtle with a hint of spice Eucalyptus- Fresh, medicinal, woody, earthy scent Lavender- floral, herbaceous, fresh with balsamic woody undertone. Lavender Tea Tree- a pleasant woody, camphoraceous/floral aroma with rosy back notes. Lemon- pure, lemon scent, not sweet like lemongrass Lemon & Cedarwood - the perfect blend of Lemon and Cedarwood, reminiscent of a certain discontinued shaving cream Lemongrass- fresh earthy, sweet, citrusy scent. Lime- a crisp, sweet, fresh smell characteristic of citrus products Mojito- lime and spearmint blend, inspired by the Cuban cocktail of the same name Orange- just like the fruit, a sweet, citrus smell Peppermint- Candy canes!!! Yummy!! Pink Grapefruit- a fresh, sweet, sharp and citrusy aroma Sensitive- Unscented, contains no EOs Spearmint- a fresh minty smell SubZero- Mint blend, with cooling menthol CONTAINS MENTHOL Tea Tree- a fresh, Antiseptic and medicinal scent. It also has characteristic mint and spice back-notes. Tropical Verbena- sweet, spicy and citrus fragrance with vegetative notes Yin Yang - Lavender for calming and soothing and Lime for snappy, peppy wake up - 2 contrary forces interconnected and interdependent in the natural world but go awesome together! Fragrance Oil- Scent Descriptions Acqua Di Gio Type - jasmine and rosemary, aquatic ocean breezes and cedarwood, patchouli and rich roses Almond- a sweet almond, smells like maraschino cherries Angel Type - dupe of Thierry Mugler's popular fragrance of chocolate, vanilla, caramel, berries, honey, and bergamot Asian Plum - blend of plum, exotic orchid, jasmine, musk and vanilla. Barbeque - the sweet and smokey smell of BBQ Barber Shoppe - Italian Bergamot, Garden Basil, Oakmoss, Patchouli Blue Juniper- juniper, pine, spruce, and citrus with a woody cedar and ozonic freshness Blueberry- A fragrance full of the scent of fresh blueberries. Top notes of blueberry, strawberry, cherry, raspberry and apple. Heart notes of gardenia, rose, jasmine and peach. Powder and vanilla base notes. Bourbon Vanilla- Blend of cedarwood, vanilla, musk, and lemon Brut Type- the essence of man Burmese Woods - blend of amber, musk, patchouli, and cedar Cantaloupe - fresh, lightly sweet scent of cantaloupe Christmas- a very warm and welcoming scent reminiscent of walking into a house at Christmas time. Notes of pine, bayberry, and spices. Coconut- An appetizing blend of sweet vanilla, peach, almond and coconut leaving you feeling splendidly exotic Coconut Lime Verbena- blend of fresh coconut and lime with verbena, warmed by vanilla and musk Commando Cocktail - Bourbon Vanilla and Key Lime blend Cool Water Type - Refreshing, spicy, lavender, amber fragrance, jasmine, musk oakmoss, and sandalwood. Count Chocula Type - You know, the cereal! Crackling Firewood - notes of woods, raspberry, and vanilla. Crystal Blue - marine notes with a sporty citrus twist Desert Rose - rose with musks and sandalwoods Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Type - a fresh aquatic that opens with cedar, apple and bluebells, a bouquet of jasmine, bamboo and white rose bottoming out with cedarwood, amber and musk. Drakkar Type - a spicy lavender, citrus, and sandalwood blend Egyptian Spice - spicy fragrance with notes of frankincense and myrrh Energy - blend of grapefruit, lemon and lime, with hints of fresh cucumber and jasmine, and a touch of pineapple, blackberry and champagne English Fern - Lavender, Oakmoss, woods, and florals. Florida Water Type - Citrus, clove, lavender, with herbal and floral notes Frankincense & Myrrh - rich and exotic, a woodsy, spicy scent Fresh Dirt - reminiscent of playing in the dirt as a child Gingerbread and Spice- Gingerbread and spice go hand in hand. This old fashioned medley is the perfect infusion of molasses and brown sugar; topped with the perfect blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger Gunpowder - sulphurus scent of gunpowder Havoc - formerly known as Aqua Velva Type. Honey - a warm, unrefined honey scent Indonesian Teakwood - fresh citrus, teakwood, patchouli, and amber Jelly Doughnut - fried dough, sugar, vanilla, and strawberry. Kitchen Herbs - sage, fresh basil, lemongrass, cilantro backed by light woods and sweetgrass Lavender & Rose - lavenders with freshly picked rose petals Lemon & Figs - blend of rich fig, amber, sandalwood and fresh lemon Mango Coconut - mango and coconut, a wonderful suntan lotion type scent Monkey Farts - coconut, banana and pineapple Motor Oil - thick, viscous scent of engine oil. Novelty fragrance. Neroli - very true replica scent of Italian orange blossoms Old Spice Type- classic men's fragrance. Original Penguin Type - Neroli, Red Apple, Lavender, Pepper, Pine, Patchouli, Musk and Vanilla Patchouli Rose - earthy patchouli and fresh roses Polynesian Red- Juicy pomegranates are the core of this fragrance, with hints of pineapple, red grapefruit, green apple, mango and subtle moss.. Raspberry- A crisp, pungent raspberry scent Recharge Type - interpretation of the popular fragrance from Molton Brown Russian Leather - Birch Tar, Industrial Leather, Warm Leather. Smells like a Leather store! Sandalwood- Sweet, rich, woody, exotic and lingering. Oriental, luxurious, and balsamic with deep & soft aroma. Sea Buchthorn - lightly fruity and citrus scent Stubble Bubble - Bazooka bubble gum scent. Tabac Type - A wonderful replica of the classic men's fragrance Urban Cowboy - Grapefruit and bergamot with notes of amber, patchouli, oakmoss and sandalwood. Vanilla- Delicious medium bodied creamy vanilla. Victorian Rose- Suble blends of various roses yields a complex, cool and crisp rose fragrance. Warm Apple Crisp - baked apples, spices, and oatmeal Windsor - Pine, Lime, Rose, Orange, Eucalyptus and Cedar Winter Fresh - mints with spicy juniperberry and hollyberry Winter Pagoda - frost and white woods with sweet amber and light musk Winter Wanderings - a blend of eucalyptus, citrus, cinnamon, cedar, violet, balsam, powder Woodshed - Caraway, Tea Tree, Anise, Rosemary, Clove, Cedar and Leather Yves Saint Laurent L'homme Type - bergamot, cedar, ozonic notes, white ginger, basil flower, white pepper, violet leaves, cedarwood, Haiti vetiver, tonka bean.
Hmm.. Maybe try CELLA? It's an Italian soft soap, same consistency as Proraso. It has an almond scent. And if you like it a lot, you CAN buy 1kg of it. It would be a big purchase but if you break it down to price/100gram it's pretty cheap.
Have you tried Palmolive stick (do you face lather?)? There's a seller ( direct-pharmacy) on the auction site now selling it for $2.89 with free shipping. It's coming from the UK so it may take a few weeks. Also, Kiss My Face is good and you should be able to find it locally, they have tubes and the larger pump bottle. Check around for the best pricing, it seems to vary quite a bit.
I need to try some of the "TSD" soaps, I hear so much about. Until I do, I enjoy the quality of the Stirling soaps, and am a fan of being able to purchase samples. Oh, Arko rules.
I tried Tabac that I got from Perfumia. To me it smelled like decay. I thought I was surrounded by the walking dead. I couldn't handle the scent.
while it may have been mentioned already, most artisans (TSD, route66, stirling, etc.) offer samples ... a way for you to check scents and performance w/o committing to whole pucks or tubs.
I too bowl lathered, for a long while, until I was convinced to try a good boar brush, and face lather. I even designed my own lathering bowl, with lines and dots in it. It whipped up the lather in no time. Now the bowl is rarely used, except for soaking the brushes, and for lathering creams, with my horse hair brushes. Face lathering makes it easier to get get a consistent, slick lather.
Razorock and itailianbarber soaps are all under 10 dollars and better then the soaps you listed. Some of them are 7 dollars and below. I think they are your best bet.
