GearNoir
āThe Disney Princessās Apprenticeā
I started the thread so that is my right.
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Price Break Point
- Thread starter Bogeyman
- Start date
HMan
Doften Savant
I have to agree there. I don't mind it now and then but can't use those soaps everyday.
But I do think post shave feel is of worth, and for me (and I know @dangerousdon has said the same) a soap with good post shave feel, and CBL's soaps are definitely in this category, leave my face feel better than any cheap drug store lotion.
I think there is something to be said for supporting artisans as well. @CBLSoap.com is a good example. Itās well known that Chris owns a partial share of a Lear jet and spends a month or two on his sail boat in the San Juan island in the summer. Things like that can be tough for a struggling artist. So even if itās a few bucks more I like to support them.
HMan
Doften Savant
The do call Hesperia the Monaco of the West.
eeyore
Shave Newbie
Having spent more than a few trips around Sol in Littlerock/Pearblossom I can vouch for this comment.
CBL Tonsorial is a fine shave, will always have some on the shelf:
Ingredients: Beef Tallow, Stearic Acid, Water, Coconut Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Glycerine, Hemp Oil, Castor Oil
Always have to remind myself to KISS, can't see a need for anything else.
Really? I call it the armpit of the world. If you look on the globe I believe Hesperia and Iraq share the same general plane, perhaps Hesperia is the Western armpit and Iraq the Eastern Armpit...donāt really know about Iraq because Iāve never been there but the globe thing is real.
and @eeyore there is something to be said for keeping it simple. It can also be helpful when using oil and additives for the purposes of improving face feel to use the simplest or most easily absorbed ones. Hemp oil is known for its ability to be easily absorbed, jojoba is another that is easily absorbed. There are others but hemp and jojoba are simple and fun to say.
my personal preference is for the simpler soap and a very simple heavy alcohol post shave splash. I know a well designed splash with skin foods designed to support skin health would be enjoyable and beneficial but when a blend of 91% isopropyl, witch hazel and menthol splashed on before the sunrises makes me happy I say āwhy rock the boatā.
eeyore
Shave Newbie
+1. Yes sir, this is a shave!
Bogeyman
Shave Member
This article gave me pause about witch hazel (which I like by the way):
Witch Hazel for Skin: Benefits, Uses & More | Paula's Choice
Witch hazel is commonly used for all kinds of skin concerns. Discover the benefits and concerns with witch hazel and what Paula's Choice products to use instead.
www.paulaschoice.com
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
No surprise that for each of the things she wants Witch Hazel replaced for........She HAS the product listed she sells right there in the article..................................This article gave me pause about witch hazel (which I like by the way):
Witch Hazel for Skin: Benefits, Uses & More | Paula's Choice
Witch hazel is commonly used for all kinds of skin concerns. Discover the benefits and concerns with witch hazel and what Paula's Choice products to use instead.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
I'm not spending a lot of time on this but just 1 thing they say is bad is alcohol for your skin.
Their product uses Butylene Glycol as it's 3rd ingredientā skin, lung and eye irritant; environmental toxin. ... Coal Tar ā known human carcinogen; causes lung and urinary tract cancer; potent skin irritant; causes multiple cancers in animals; banned in most countries including Canada and European Union; still used in anti-dandruff shampoos in the US and the U.K.
They can twist whatever they want, their goal is for you to buy their product. I'll use my Witch Hazel as I have with NO issues. I'm done here...........
Their product uses Butylene Glycol as it's 3rd ingredientā skin, lung and eye irritant; environmental toxin. ... Coal Tar ā known human carcinogen; causes lung and urinary tract cancer; potent skin irritant; causes multiple cancers in animals; banned in most countries including Canada and European Union; still used in anti-dandruff shampoos in the US and the U.K.
They can twist whatever they want, their goal is for you to buy their product. I'll use my Witch Hazel as I have with NO issues. I'm done here...........
Honestly I am not sure I can add a whole lot more than what has already been said. But I will pitch in my two cents anyway (by the way...when did we go away from using the cent symbol "Ā¢"). I don't really put a price point on anything in particular that I have to stay within. Obviously, some price points are more attractive than others. But sometimes I will make a purchase on a soap that I really want or want to try that is way outside the norm. I have seen a lot of the soap price points creep up and up and it seems that it has not really made much of a difference. But like everything, there is always going to be a bubble.
Patelliott
"I NEED NurseDave's Energy"
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Didn't mean to appear cocky, just not getting into a debate and feeding the instigator.........
woodpusher
TSCās International Man of Meh
... and that's why I prefer to drink mine. Let it work from the inside out. By the time it reaches the skin, most of the bad stuff is gone.
Logic
I have a feeling this thread has either accomplished what it set out to do ...or could expand exponentially in a multitude of ways. Let me test the waters.
As a guy who has a product for sale, one which Iāve gone through a certain amount of effort to develop, produce, package, make available, market in some way, sell/exchange $ for, then ship ...all the while watching everyone I have done business with make a profit with in order to do all of that, dont I get to make a profit that is proportional to theirs? Again, as the guy selling the stuff, when I fill an order and the USPS is getting more than I am ...does that sound like a good deal for ME? The guy buying the stuff is getting a product that took hours of my time (time I could have spent with my family or working at my other job) and the postal service gets more than I do. This is both the beauty and the the beast that is small business and why small business is SO important to the economy.
So (putting on the big boy OWNER/MODERATOR hat for a minute) recognizing how difficult the business of artisan soap making IS, it is important that the forum community here and elsewhere be mindful of those difficulties and embrace the fact that, at least here at The Shaving Cadre, we encourage communication between artisans and the community. Like any business, there is an expectation of value, quality and service. It is incumbent on the artisan to establish a price point for their items that is supported by the market, if they do not they wonāt sell much and will either adjust their prices or go out of business...thatās how it works. If YOU (the individual) donāt like the price please DO NOT start a thread saying āArtisan X is so exploitive deleted expensive, who do they think they are...ā. Take advantage of your ability to contact the artisans directly to discuss pricing, ask them about their product and how they arrive at their prices. If you have tried a product and donāt see the value, choose your words carefully when doing reviews, if your beef is purely price point say so but let the artisan know what price you would pay ...AND IF THEY DROP THE PRICE GO BACK AND BUT IT. If you donāt like the product, say spin your reviews but tell us why not just that you didnāt like the price or the packaging etc.
...taking off the big boy hat but holding it in my hands because it just feels right. I am in awe of those artisans that take the leap and go all-in. The ones that quit āreal jobsā that pay big dollars to make and sell soap. In many ways they have become free and that is super cool but itās still something to acknowledge. We have 2 artisans here on the Cadre that are full time totally dedicated soap makers (which means they single handedly keep the postal service in business
) @LNHC and @Joe Hackett . So seriously, next time you see someone posting some petty complaint about one of their soaps consider the amount of work these two do everyday so you and I can buy a tub of soap from them when we feel like it (and give the USPS a little more $).
As a guy who has a product for sale, one which Iāve gone through a certain amount of effort to develop, produce, package, make available, market in some way, sell/exchange $ for, then ship ...all the while watching everyone I have done business with make a profit with in order to do all of that, dont I get to make a profit that is proportional to theirs? Again, as the guy selling the stuff, when I fill an order and the USPS is getting more than I am ...does that sound like a good deal for ME? The guy buying the stuff is getting a product that took hours of my time (time I could have spent with my family or working at my other job) and the postal service gets more than I do. This is both the beauty and the the beast that is small business and why small business is SO important to the economy.
So (putting on the big boy OWNER/MODERATOR hat for a minute) recognizing how difficult the business of artisan soap making IS, it is important that the forum community here and elsewhere be mindful of those difficulties and embrace the fact that, at least here at The Shaving Cadre, we encourage communication between artisans and the community. Like any business, there is an expectation of value, quality and service. It is incumbent on the artisan to establish a price point for their items that is supported by the market, if they do not they wonāt sell much and will either adjust their prices or go out of business...thatās how it works. If YOU (the individual) donāt like the price please DO NOT start a thread saying āArtisan X is so exploitive deleted expensive, who do they think they are...ā. Take advantage of your ability to contact the artisans directly to discuss pricing, ask them about their product and how they arrive at their prices. If you have tried a product and donāt see the value, choose your words carefully when doing reviews, if your beef is purely price point say so but let the artisan know what price you would pay ...AND IF THEY DROP THE PRICE GO BACK AND BUT IT. If you donāt like the product, say spin your reviews but tell us why not just that you didnāt like the price or the packaging etc.
...taking off the big boy hat but holding it in my hands because it just feels right. I am in awe of those artisans that take the leap and go all-in. The ones that quit āreal jobsā that pay big dollars to make and sell soap. In many ways they have become free and that is super cool but itās still something to acknowledge. We have 2 artisans here on the Cadre that are full time totally dedicated soap makers (which means they single handedly keep the postal service in business
) @LNHC and @Joe Hackett . So seriously, next time you see someone posting some petty complaint about one of their soaps consider the amount of work these two do everyday so you and I can buy a tub of soap from them when we feel like it (and give the USPS a little more $).
MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
Just for clarity, my post in this thread was not a bash on any artisan or their products.
My father-in-law was self-employed and was able to support his family and several others. His company employed around 12 people. He always encouraged me to take a leap of faith and start my own business, I just never had the self-confidence to do it. Plus the devastating cost of insurance helped make that decision.
My comment merely reflected that my budget canāt support the higher end products. It has nothing to do with product ingredients, time invested or profit margins. I have low cost vintage razors, low end brushes and fairly inexpensive soaps. I will never own an SV, MdC or whatever, itās just not in the cards. Itās just the economics of a simpleton. No offense intended.
My father-in-law was self-employed and was able to support his family and several others. His company employed around 12 people. He always encouraged me to take a leap of faith and start my own business, I just never had the self-confidence to do it. Plus the devastating cost of insurance helped make that decision.
My comment merely reflected that my budget canāt support the higher end products. It has nothing to do with product ingredients, time invested or profit margins. I have low cost vintage razors, low end brushes and fairly inexpensive soaps. I will never own an SV, MdC or whatever, itās just not in the cards. Itās just the economics of a simpleton. No offense intended.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
I for one didn't take anything you said as bashing anyone. Just stating the facts for your circumstances. Nothing wrong with that Tim. We all have to be adults and stay within our own budgets which will be different for all of us and change as time goes by. We all respect that for each person.......at least I do having been in differing circumstances at different times. Pretty sure any responses you thought were directed at you, were not. Just a perspective from the other side we should consider.
MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
I for one didn't take anything you said as bashing anyone. Just stating the facts for your circumstances. Nothing wrong with that Tim. We all have to be adults and stay within our own budgets which will be different for all of us and change as time goes by. We all respect that for each person.......at least I do having been in differing circumstances at different times. Pretty sure any responses you thought were directed at you, were not. Just a perspective from the other side we should consider.
I didnāt think anything was directed at me personally. Just adding some thought to the discussion.
Leap of faith is the perfect term for starting your own small business. Looking back to October of 2013 when I left the Army and Mandy and I decided to do this full time instead of just as a hobby, I'm blown away by how far it has come. It's still frightening at times (Especially for the first two and a half months of every year when sales are extremely slow), but it's worth every headache and extra hour spent working. Mandy is literally 3 feet from me all day, and my 7 year old is 10 feet away at his desk doing his schoolwork. Here after lunch when he's done we're going to take a break and go to the batting cage and I'll pitch to him for 45 minutes. We wouldn't be able to do that if I were still in the Army or Mandy was still working in IT. With how we price our products, Stirling Soap will never make us rich. That's fine. We live a comfortable life and we now have employees who are across the board in a better situation financially with us than they were at their previous place of employment. 100% of them. We take care of them and they take care of us. That makes me feel good at the end of the day.
I do see some soaps that make me raise my eyebrows at the pricing, but ultimately it's up to each business owner to decide how to price something, and up to the customer to decide if they are willing to pay that. No need for angst as none of us are forced to buy a single product. FOMO only affects you if you allow it to. We probably should charge more. Mandy wants to charge more. We've had customers ask why we don't charge more. I'm fine with our pricing. As a wetshaving consumer I'd pay what is being charged for Stirling Soap. I'm not a spendthrift, but I'm also not given to excessive spending. So that's kind of where our pricing model comes from. We do also have the benefit of being in a poor rural area, so our cost of doing business is much lower than a business trying to survive in higher priced areas.
Selfishly, I say let the other prices keep rising. That will just make my products a bit more attractive to some.