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Why are soaps so addicting?

ShavePastor

ShavePastor

0
Having been in this now a couple years, I find it's not just my shaving gear that has a rotation, but also my various shaving AD's seem to have a rotation.

At first for me it was razors--vintage Gillette's, then birth year razors F4 (4th quarter 1985), then some SE's, then moderns (awaiting a Rex Ambassador to be shipped soon) & then the badger brushes got a hold of me, & then more recently it has been soaps & AS. It wouldn't surprise me if it circles back around to vintage Gillette's & goes through all the AD's again. I can understand razors & brushes are items that will last potentially a lifetime if cared for, but soaps?

What is it about soaps that are so addicting? Post your reasons for why soaps are addicting for you!

For me it's a never ending quest for the best achievable lather characteristics. I know that sounds funny, but I'm constantly searching for the ones that are creamy, silky, yogurty, heavily wet & dense, slick lather.


So tell me your reasons my fellow soapaholics!
 
For me I think it's because just one small tweak can change the whole soap. There is so much variety! And there is a desire to find a better performing soap or a better smelling soap.
 
I agree with performance and scent, with the slight edge given to scent. If something smells really good, I’ll put up with a soap that does not perform with elite status or even is not top of tier 1; Proraso Red for instance smells great, I use it, it’s probably solid tier 2.

Like you my ADs progressed, but they did so rapidly since picking traditional shaving back up seriously in the last year. Razors for a while, soaps fairly quickly, and now solidly in the middle of ASAD with a touch of Frag AD starting.
 
GearNoir said:
......with a touch of Frag AD starting.
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Yep, that's another one for me too that is starting to creep up on me. So far all I have is WSP Olympus EdP & Fine American Blend EdT. Both amazing, but now I need B&M Seville EdT, Henry et Victoria Nautilus & also Duc de Santal.
 
Why? WHY??? Because of all these enablers. It's like when you're done with the buffet and someone comes back to the table with something that looks delicious and somehow you missed.
 
What soaps are in your pics Robert? That lather looks great!
 
I agree in rotating ADs. My ADs went from Razors, to Soaps, to Aftershaves. Stayed on Aftershaves for years! Now I'm back on Soaps. I'm trying out all these new Artisans that have popped up in the last 3-5 years that I haven't really tried, to see what new soaps might be better for me.

ShavePastor said:
Shannon's Soaps (also tallow).
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Never Heard of this....
 
This is a question I pondered myself. I came to the following conclusions.
1) We (men) want what others have, someone else has a cool new soap I want it too.
2) We (men) are enchanted by the description provided by the artisan and can't resist (Except for @spider, he's pledged to resist the description splurges)
3) We (men) desire variety.
4) As we try new brushes and razors we seek new lathers as much as we do new scents
5) New ingredients mean a new kind of lather ...that we must have.
6) We (men) are weak
7) We (men) see empty space and feel the need to fill it ...with tubs of soap, aftershave, razors, brushes and stuff.
8) We (men) are LAZY, we want a soap that lathers itself and is SO heavily scented we don't have to work at smelling it.

Personally, I enjoy the different kinds of lather. The bison tallow (and duck) soaps have a unique, almost sticky, texture. Long Rifle soaps (seemingly basic recipe) produce a creamy lather I totally dig. TALLOW is king but there are some veggie soaps that produce unique lathers.

Aside from lather qualities I am all about the "in-your-face" scent. I enjoy a good scent and I love it when the scent hits me so hard I get a black eye. I enjoy novelty scents almost as much as the more traditional. Scent and feel...those drive the desire for more.

Now, if only someone could explain the desire for unscented soaps...
 
For me it's not so much about finding something perfect. But more of a variety thing. I love trying new things...subsequently I do compare to the previous. But it's more about going with something different.
 
The answer for me is simple. I am a collector. I love to acquire things. When I dive into a hobby that has an acquisition component I almost always over-acquire. This is why I have over 100 safety razors in my collection, not including straights and shavettes.

This is one of the reasons why I am a 3017-er. I need to use up the product so that I have room in the den to buy more. Right now my storage space for my shave gear is overflowing with all of the shaving bits. I also need to 3017 some aftershaves.
 
GearNoir said:
I agree with performance and scent, with the slight edge given to scent. If something smells really good, I’ll put up with a soap that does not perform with elite status or even is not top of tier 1; Ghost Town Barber for instance smells great, I use it, it’s probably solid tier 1.
Click to expand...

FIFY

For me, I just love the variety of scents as well as other characteristics.
 
CBLindsay said:
Personally, I enjoy the different kinds of lather. The bison tallow (and duck) soaps have a unique, almost sticky, texture. Long Rifle soaps (seemingly basic recipe) produce a creamy lather I totally dig. TALLOW is king but there are some veggie soaps that produce unique lathers.

Aside from lather qualities I am all about the "in-your-face" scent. I enjoy a good scent and I love it when the scent hits me so hard I get a black eye. I enjoy novelty scents almost as much as the more traditional. Scent and feel...those drive the desire for more.

Now, if only someone could explain the desire for unscented soaps...
Click to expand...

I agree with everything said here! SV is veggie soap it is what i judge Elite soaps off of for me it is exceptional.

Tallow soaps do seem to lather easier and have very different lather than veggie soaps for me but if you scroll through my journals here and if they are still accessible at the other place i am a variety kind of guy but lots of similar scent profiles.
 
By the way, Robert, I’d love to see a video on how you make your lather, it’s incredible.
 
ShavePastor said:
Maybe one of these days I'll get around to it! Never made any video before. Is it just as easy to upload a video from a cell phone as it as a picture? Or do you have to do it through YouTube first?
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The forum platform requires all video's to be hosted somewhere. Most of your typical hosting sites will do but youtube is the most common. You have the option of making your videos entirely public, only viewable to those who access it through the link you post here OR private. Its pretty easy
 
ShavePastor said:
Maybe one of these days I'll get around to it! Never made any video before. Is it just as easy to upload a video from a cell phone as it as a picture? Or do you have to do it through YouTube first?
Click to expand...

Upload to YouTube first. A lot of us make shave VLOGs for the site, it's really easy. Just ask one of us if you have any questions.
 
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