Van Der Hagen Deluxe shaving soap review Wouldn't it be nice if there was a shaving soap that works very well, is dirt cheap and very widely and readily available? It might sound too good to be true, but Van Der Hagen Deluxe is just such a soap. It works as well as many soaps costing nearly ten times as much, and is available in a number of brick-and-mortar store chains and online. I have used this soap many times before, and find myself coming back to it with increasing frequency. Van Der Hagen website: vdhent.com The soap puck is 2.5 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Overall: (9.5/10) Van Der Hagen Deluxe soap works very well indeed. Although a bargain in terms of cost, it is definitely not a bargain basement soap. It is remarkably easy to lather, is very slick and protective, smells nice, is widely available and is dirt cheap. Each puck lasts me about 3 months. This soap is available at my local CVS, and used to also be carried by Walgreen's. I read on Sharpologist that Target also carries Van Der Hagen Deluxe. Amazon and eBay both carry it, as do walgreens.com and cvs.com. The soap is packaged in a plastic container within the box. The photo shows what looks like a small patch of foam or bubbles on top of the soap. This was apparently created when the soap was poured into the container at the factory. There are no liquid or semi-liquid areas on the soap. Ease of lathering: (10/10) It is very easy to whip up plenty of lather with this soap, enough for four pass shave with plenty left over. It is as easy to lather as any soap I have ever used, and a few swirls of the brush is all it takes. I was able to get a thick, rich, meringue-like lather with in a very short time and with little effort. That was true regardless of whether a badger or a boar brush was used. Life span of lather: (10/10) The lather lasts a long time, seemingly forever, both on the brush and after the lather is applied to the face. No quickly disappearing lather with this soap! Even when taking my time shaving, I have never had to re-lather during a pass. General skincare: (8/10) The skincare is definitely good, although not in the extreme. My face feels great after a shave with this soap, which is how it should be. The eight out of ten rating is well earned, as Van Der Hagen Deluxe is not lacking in any way with regards to skincare. Lubrication: (10/10) The lather is slick as a whistle and the razor easily glides over my face. With the right razor and blade combination, it is quite possible to get a baby bottom smooth shave. Regardless of the razor and blade combination used, shaves are noticeably smoother and more comfortable than with many other soaps. Van Der Hagen is the equal to the best of 'em, which is no mean feat. How protective: (10/10) This soap is very protective. As with the lubrication qualities, this soap is as protective as any out there and better than most. With any reasonably good razor and blade combination, I get no nicks, cuts or irritation. It is not easy to get a perfect score in this department, but Van Der Hagen Deluxe consistently delivers at this level. Scent: (8/10) Scent is a highly subjective thing. While I do not find the scent to be unusually good, it certainly is not bad. Light and pleasant would be the best description. It has a combination of a powdery and faint rose aroma to my nose. Price: (10/10) A 2.5 ounce (71 gram) puck cost $1.99 at my local CVS store. That is a super low price for a shaving soap. Given the soap's top-notch performance, it represents an outstanding value for the money. Would you buy again: (10/10) Definitely! In fact, I have bought it again and again. This soap works unusually well and offers excellent value for the money. What more could one ask from a shaving soap? Soap ingredients: From the box: Propylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Water, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Myristate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Butyrospermium Parkii (Shea Butter), Fragrance, Titanium Dioxide, Triethanolamine, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40. Brushes used: Dovo 918052 pure badger Omega 50014 boar travel brush Note that although the Dovo brush is sold as a pure badger, the brush characteristics and cost indicate that it is actually a better grade than pure. My water hardness: 53 ppm as CaCO3 (soft) The water hardness was taken from my utility's latest water quality annual report. The scale below was used to correlate water ppm to the soft/hard rating, and is from the US Geological Survey website. Water hardness scale (as CaCO3): 0-60 mg/l: Soft 61-120 mg/l: Moderately hard 121-180 mg/l: Hard Over 180 mg/l: Very hard mg/l is milligrams per liter Some utilities give water hardness in parts per million (ppm) 1 mg/l = 1 ppm (not exactly, but very, very close)
Excellent review! VDH is a very good soap that perform outstandingly and provides great value. Their Luxury Line is even better and still reasonable at $3.99 a puck. Wet shaving can be enjoyable and economical at the same time...............
How does this soap compare to the VDH glycerin (of which I still have an unopened boxed puck)? Nice review, by the way!
I have to agree, with Gary. Although I like the Stirling Soaps.....when I came back to "Wet Shaving" I went and got a Van der Hagen Deluxe Shaving set. I like the brush but I have several that I prefer over the VDH Brush. I do not use it all of the time but it's a great brush in the Travel Kit. (If it gets lost it and the VDH Soap and Mug & Brush can be replaced cheaply). I would not give up my VDH Soaps.
It can also be found at Rite Pharmacy , in my area there are 4 Wal Mart stores. (less than 5 mile radius)They all carry it but not all the time.
I tried the Van Der Hagen Glycerin several years ago. If I recall correctly, it was reasonably good, but not as good as the Deluxe.
How are you getting that lather lol? I'm just starting out so that's probably my issue but my lather turns out thin even though it looks good in the bowl and disappears pretty quickly once applied.
The Van Der Hagen set shown is a what I've given several friends for their 50th who were interested in wet shaving. The set is only $27.99 and you can get it at the big box stores. The brush is pure badger and pretty nice but some reviews say it's a shedder. However, none of my friends have had this problem with theirs (guess it's hit or miss). Anyway it's a great starter set..........
Great review. Would read again. (Even though I am admittedly 'against' 10/10 ratings when there is no base line provided - and a 10/10 better really mean 'this is the best I can ever imagine a soap to perform. Ever! This is the ultimate soap and every soap should be measured against this one!') I do have one of these soaps...never tried it...now I might just have to....
Amazing review of the greatest soap that's ever been applied to this face. Super slick, lubricating, post shave moisturization is in full effect. Perfect soap. Excellent. Just shows you don't have to buy luxury high end soaps to experience a great shave. Hell, I'll take this over the most expensive soap I own GFT Coconut which at this point I'll pick Williams over.
Very comprehensive and well done review. I try a lot of soaps and creams for variety but VDH always has a spot on my shaving routine. Too good for too good of a price not to continuously be in the rotation.
I like it as well for all the reasons in your thorough review. One thing I did learn: it's not a good idea to soak the puck in hot water before using(what I used to do with Williams) as this will melt it quickly. But I learned this is not needed to get a great lather with VDH. I keep mine in a little cup....
