BEST….SOAP…..EVER

Sure we all get over excited about certain products we try. Sure we may aid in over hyping stuff that we like. However once in a while we do find that product that we truly believe is the best we have tried. I have found my gold standard for soaps. What is this soap?? Continue reading to find out, and to see what makes the best soaps in my opinion.

 

For some slickness is key. For others it’s all about cushion. I am going to discuss what I believe makes a great soap and what factors have very little influence as well.

For me first and foremost is protection. I don’t have super sensitive skin, but it’s also not ultra tough either. I have tried many great soaps and some just don’t make the cut in this department. For me nothing ruins a great shave like irritation afterwards. Don’t be fooled by all the rich thick creamy lather as it doesn’t always equate into protection and cushion. As with anything ‘looks can be deceiving’! Albeit some soaps do give an awesome yoghurt like lather that is very protective, I have also used soaps that have a thinner consistency that provide awesome cushion and protection.

Secondly I enjoy great slickness. Knowone wants to feel like they are dragging their razors acrossed their face. The razor should glide with no resistance(a dull blade can affect this). Sometimes those rich thick lathers can really hinder slickness. Adding a bit of water to your lather can usually increase slickness, but adding to much can ruin your lather completely….their is a fine line. A nice slick lather can really improve your shave and add to efficiency.

Tied for second is Latherability. I ike soaps that are easy to load and easy to lather. If a soap needs a song and dance to load and lather it is not worth my time. I want to be able to load a bloomed soap in about 20 seconds and have enough lather for 3 passes. Note that I am a face latherer.

Thirdly is POST SHAVE. A few months ago I probably couldn’t have told you anything about a soap with good post shave performance. However I am really starting to focus on the different properties of my soaps and figure out what I like. A soap that can leave your face feeling moisturized and not dried out after your final rinse is something wonderful that everyone should experience. This factor seems to be something that many soaps do lack unfortunately. While not something that would make me not use a soap, it is a huge bonus and plus for soaps  that can raise them up a notch in my book.

Price…..while this isn’t something that affects performance it is something that affects whether I will purchase a soap and how tough I rate it. For example MdC is quite a pricey soap so I expect it to score extremely high in all categories and outperform a soap such as Razorock by a great deal. While I think MdC is awesome, I am not convinced it is worth the price tag. There are tons of artisans creating soaps at a quarter the price with performance that I feel is just as good or better.

Scent….To me this is the least important thing that affects a soap. My top soaps scent is just ok. Non offensive, light and something I think everyone would find to be fresh and clean. There have only been a couple of soaps that I can say that the scent actually affected the soap. Arko was just far to offensive to my nose for me to use. Others find Tabac to be the same….I reallly like Tabac. However, a great scent won’t save a poorly performing soap.

So what is my top soap?  Simple. It’s a soap that scores A+ in my top 3 factors. HASLINGER SCHAFMILCH!  Seriously you MUST try this soap! I prefer this soap to everything I have tried. Its better than MdC, and better than Barrister in Mann(possibly me second choice). It simply outperforms everything. Amazing post shave, easy to lather, super slick, and just the best thick rich creamy lather….OH how I love this stuff. Did I mention is pretty cheap as well if you buy it from a European vendor such as TVB shaving or the Shavemac site. Sure the pucks are only 60g, but that just means you can go through it faster and try more of their line. As a note I have not tried anything but the Schafmilch which is Sheeps milk and Lanolin. The Lanolin I believe is the reason for the fantastic post shave. Some say this is Austria’s version of Mitchells wool fat….at least that’s what it gets compared to.  The only thing that isn’t incredible is the scent. The scent is ok and non offensive though smells very clean like a nice hand soap. While Schafmilch tops my list I have to give a mention to Barrister and Mann. Awesome artisan soaps with awesome complex scents….some of the best I have smelled.

My shave today….

Razor : Gillette Black Beauty Adjustable

Blade : Personna Med Prep

Soap : Haslinger Schafmilch

Brush : Semgue Owners Club Boar

Toner : Thayer’s Cucumber

Aftershave :  Ja-Lu Toiletries – Nights of Izmir

Just an awesome shave. No need for a balm. Used my top soap and my top Boar brush. I also used a med prep for the first time in a long while. It was as good as I remembered. Sharp and smooth!

I also used the Thayer’s cucumber toner for the first time in a while and it was super refreshing! Finished it all off with the Nights of Izmir aftershave and I’m smelling like a million bucks! I love returning to stuff I havent used in a while and being reminded why you liked the stuff in the past.

Still no cell phone and camera, but hope to remedy that this weekend.

Cheers and thanks for the continued support.

 

What is your top soap and why??? Comment below!