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Soap for a Virgin

dmshaver

dmshaver

0
I've been enjoying this hobby/necessity of de shaving since last November. I've been using creams up till now. Started with TOBS Sandlewood, switched to T&H Ultimate Comfort based on recommendations. It's a very good cream IMHO. I've also tried a few others in sample form, Musgo Real, Baume.be, Alvarez Gomez, & of course, Proraso red & green. Of those, Ultimate Comfort is #1 on my list of creams. Well, I've been watching too many shave videos & reading too many threads & I need to get into using soap. I'm not wanting to accumulate 20, 50, or 200 soaps. I would like to find a few that perform exceptionally.

As my first purchase I'm looking at the Haslinger Schafmilch. It seems to be highly regarded. What are your experiences with Haslinger Schafmilch?

So now I'm opening the can... what would you recommend for a newcomer to soaps? I'm not a fan of fruity sweet scents. I would rather have an excellent soap with neutral or mild scent than an average soap with great scent.

I have 2 razors, I use a Rockwell 6C & Fatip Grande. I upgraded to those razors from my EJ de89 about a month ago. I use a Yaqi 24mm 2 band badger, & have just ordered a Stirling boar & Stirling tuxedo. I currently bowl lather but would like to get away from that & begin face lathering.

I don't have an unlimited budget, so I can't order 4,5, or 10. I am needing to be selective. I realize what you like I may not like, but any input you give would be appreciated. Thank you gentlemen.
 
You'll get recommendations all over the map as there are SOOOO many good and great soap makers right now. A reasonable price for a soap to try would be Stirling and they have tons of scents to pic from. There's always Ghost Town Barber from Chiseled Face to but I'm partial to it. Everyone has their favorites.
 
Do you use aftershave? If so send me your name and address and I'll send you a set I don't use much ONLY because I have another similar to it. Barrister & Mann First Snow Soap and Aftershave. Research it's scent if you want.
 
Got it 300 soaps is your goal.

The Haslinger is great soap and very easy to lather. But you should have ordered some Stirling. Rod will probably send you a free sample with your brushes. Also as to budgeting the Stirling samplee are perfectly sized and generous. So you can try different scents without breaking the bank.
 
Haslinger Schafmilch is a great performer, and I don't think many people will have anything bad to say about it. The scent is mild and soapy, so you're safe there and can use pretty much any aftershave with it. There are a LOT of fantastic soap makers right now, and pretty much anything a TSC member will put in this thread is a safe bet. Chad mentioned Stirling, which is one of the best soaps for the money available right now, and there are plenty others that won't break the bank and perform above their price point.
 
Hard to pair it down! I like decent strength scents, on the deep masculine/woodsy side, but then I have Cella too, lol.

I think I’d say to grab your favorite Proraso, then check out the scents from Sudsy Soapery, Jeeves of Hudson Street, or Fine Accoutrements, and then (if you like clean alone scents) find a classic Italian soap similar to Cella (which is on the sweeter side of almond) but not as sweet. They’re all quality soaps for the price.
 
For top quality soaps easy on the wallet, look at Stirling, (as pointed out, their samples are phenomenal!), Mystic Water, and Fine.

Not as budget friendly, my top performers are Noble Otter ($$), Wholly Kaw($$$), Ariana & Evans ($$), and Declaration Grooming ($$$$) in ascending order...Jeeves is high on my list to try.

Of those 4 in my top soaps, each has their strengths. Noble Otter are safe but unique scents, stronger scented for the most part. WK is lighter scented but designed for sensitive skin. The extra $$ you spend is for real EO's instead of FO's. A&E, IMHO is the best balance of price to performance ratios...5 of my top 7 soaps when price, performance and scent is taken into account are A&E soaps. Declaration Grooming is just out and out the best performer all around for me.
 
Haslinger is pretty good stuff. You’ll like it. Some of my favorites are Jeeves, Mystic Water, Stirling, and Honeybee Soaps (a TSC Vendor). There are a multitude of scent options at each vendor’s site, so it’s easy to find something you’ll like.
 
The ones I would recommend are Stirling, Declaration Grooming, Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations (vender), and Tabac.

Fine's soaps are supposedly formulated to be like Tabac, but with more user friendly scents. I haven't used them personally, so I cannot personally attest to that.
 
dmshaver said:
I'm not wanting to accumulate 20, 50, or 200 soaps. I would like to find a few that perform exceptionally.
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You say that now...but next thing you know your wife is yelling at you that you are taking up the whole bathroom with all your soaps.

Cvargo said:
But you should have ordered some Stirling. Rod will probably send you a free sample with your brushes. Also as to budgeting the Stirling samplee are perfectly sized and generous. So you can try different scents without breaking the bank.
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He said he wanted a GOOD soap!
 
Chads Stirling sample suggestion is pretty solid assuming you want to have a selection of scents with very little outlay. Fine accouterments soaps are triple milled to last a long time and the scents are exquisite, making them a good value. You’ll find haslinger is an EXCELLENT value, some will say schafmilch is tough to lather but I’m not sure that’s true. If you are looking for one big fantastic soap and are able to put up a little more up front, Saponificio Verasino makes a variety of scents to choose from and the triple milled soap will last forever ...and its great stuff. Pannacreme Nuavia is a pricey beast but it is a unique quality that (assuming you like the scent) you could use everyday

I’ll complicate things further by suggestion Stubble Buster, an $8 soap (4ounces) that performs like a dream and comes in some basic cologne type scents that are very pleasant.
 
I echo to just start with a Proraso soap. The Haslinger is a good performing soap also. Stirling, Soap Commander, RazoRock, and Maggards are good valves also. Fine Accoutrements soaps are great performers also. Chiseled Face and Wet Shaving Products are great too. Suprised that no one has mentioned Williams Mug Shaving Soap. Yeah it can be a pain to lather, but if you can master it, the lather is great and for $1.50 a puck, you can't bet the price. Also it is the oldest commercially produces shaving soap in the world. More pricey but, Saponificio Varesino is a great soap.

dmshaver said:
I'm not wanting to accumulate 20, 50, or 200 soaps.
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Yeah that's what I said too.
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I knew I was going to be getting a lot of suggestions, thanks so much, keep them coming. I’m going to sort through them and make a decision beginning of the week. I’ll be out of town this weekend at my granddaughter’s second birthday. I like the suggestion about seeing if samples come from Stirling and trying those out. Dave in Ky is piffing me some B&M. Spider has told me of a brick and mortar store near where I live that sells Jeeves. So for the short term I think I’ll be OK getting started. Any other suggestions are also appreciated! Have a great weekend!
 
Based on your criteria, I suggest you take a hard look at Mike's Naturals. This artisan soap producer has been around for years. The soaps are all great performers with a time-proven base. It lathers easily and well. The post shave feel is very nice. All of the scents are simple and are listed in the name. You can opt for a soap with only essential oils. I personally like Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper. Ordering from his website is simple, shipping is cheap, and the cost of the soap is very reasonable given the quality. It is also carried by other vendors. This is actually a no-brainer choice if you like the scent.
 
I just realized I am sending you a shavette, I will tuck more soap in with it. I had it packed with one small tub but I can find more
 
From an "ease of lather" perspective, Arko and Tabac are great places to start. However, their scents can be polarizing. Cella is another good starting point, but it also has a strong almond/marzipan scent.

Stay away from modern Williams when starting out (vintage is great!) as it can be quite finicky.
 
If you are looking at samples... Mystic Water and Saint Charles shave have samples comparable to Stirling.
 
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