If you’re a bit conservative when it comes to shaving, then you should definitely have the best shaving soap in your grooming arsenal. However, with the abundance of offers available on the market, all your endeavors to find that very soap can be completely wasted. Don’t worry though. We’ve already picked out the best shaving soaps for you to choose. You may check them out below.
6 Tips Before Purchasing Shaving Soap
Before getting down to business, we strongly recommend considering our six tips that will help you choose the right soap for shaving without the hassle.
Source: @lanedorsey via Instagram
1. Soap Type
We’re talking about the types of soap in terms of the manufacturing process. It can be triple-milled, which means that the soap was grated, melted and pressed into a new piece. This technique evaporates the excessive moisture from the soap, which makes it milder, lasting longer and generally better. Also, there’s croap soap, which is creamy and soft thanks to the portion of moisture it contains. And, finally, we have semi-hard soap, which is something between triple-milled and croap soap.
All things considered, what is the difference between shaving soap and regular soap? And can you get away with regular soap? Unfortunately, the answer to the latter question is no. As for the difference, it is in ingredients and effect. Soap is specially made for your sensitive and gentle facial skin. Thus, it not only makes your shaving comfortable by producing abundant leather but hydrates, soothes and nourishes your skin as well.
2. List Of Ingredients
One of our go-to skin care tips would be to always check the list of ingredients. There are three main types of agents that are used as a base for soap: glycerin, tallow and oil. Glycerin base is considered the most gentle among all three, especially on sensitive skin. Oil base may include coconut, palm, argan and other oils. Finally, tallow base is made of animal fat.
3. Usability
By usability, we understand the ease of loading the soap on the brush for shaving and creating ample lather.
Depending on the frequency of use and thickness of your beard, the answer to how long does a shave soap last may vary. Generally, you will not need to go for another tin of shaving soap for about half a year. However, preservative-free beard soap can be kept unopened for around two years. To prolong that period, ensure it is stored in a cool place.
4. Aroma
It’s totally up to you to decide whether you want scented or fragrance-free soap. Note though that high-quality soap would use essential oils as a scent agent. Keep in mind to stay away from soap containing alcohol though, as it irritates your skin.
5. Slickness And Cushioning
Slickness refers to the ability of soap to provide a buffer between the skin and the razor blade to avoid friction while cushioning lets the razor blade glide to prevent razor burns on the man face.
6. Cost
Ranging between $5 and $25, the price of shaving soap isn’t as high as of other grooming products. However, regardless of the price, good soap will last no less than two months.
The 10 Best Shaving Soaps 2020
Now that you know what to look for in the best soap for men, it’s time to review the selected items.
Shaving Soap Overall (Mitchell’s Wool Fat)
Being one of the best skin care products, the Mitchell’s Wool Fat soap for shaving, as the name implies, contains wool fat, which greases your skin for a better shave and comfortable feel. Though, because all the ingredients are natural, it may be rather difficult to lather and the scent isn’t very distinct.
The Best Soft Shaving Soap (Taylor Of Old Bond Street)
The Taylor of Old Bond Street shave soap has a mild creamy formula that lathers easily. It gives you a perfect shave accompanied by a pleasing smell. Although this soap isn’t long-lasting, we wish other skin care products were as good as it.
The Best Hard Solid Soap (D.R.Harris)
D.R. Harris produces arguably the best skincare products on the market. Their soap can easily be considered the best shave soap in the hard category. Because it’s triple-milled, it lasts long and also lathers wonderfully. Having tallow as the basic ingredient, the D.R. Harris soap lubricates the skin and allows easy and clean shaving. Yet, to get that luxuriant lather, a soft brush won’t work. So, make sure to get a stiff one.
Shaving Soap For Sensitive Skin (Proraso)
If you’re looking for soap for sensitive skin, look no further. The Proraso shaving soap will give you everything you expect. It soothes your razor burns, irritation and bumps thanks to the content of oatmeal, green tea and menthol. It’s not very long-lasting though and lathers better paired with cream.
High Quality Soap (Henry Cavendish)
With the Henry Cavendish Himalaya shaving soap, the issue of how to get perfect skin won’t concern you anymore. This is the best soap for guys who are willing to pay extra for a really high-end product. The formula is extremely hydrating and the scent is amazing. On top of that, the Himalaya Soap creates ample buttery lather.
Scented Luxury Shaving Soap For Men (Van Der Hagen)
The Van Der Hagen’s Men’s Luxury Scented Soap is a good option for those men who skimp on soap in favor of new safety razors or other shaving tools. Though this soap is inexpensive, it delivers quite good quality in terms of lathering and smelling. As for slickness, it could be better.
The Best Travel Shaving Soap (Arko)
If you’ve been wondering how to use shave soap when you’re on a trip, the answer is the Arko soap stick. It offers different ways of lathering along with comfortable and effective shaving and low price. A real gem from one of the leaders of men’s skin care products.
Colonel Conk World Famous Soap
BUY on Amazon
With the Colonel Conk World Famous Shaving Soap, you can forget about dry and irritated skin. Thanks to ample lather it creates, the razor glides over your skin smoothly, thus not causing friction, while its moisturizing properties offer excellent hydration.
The Blades Grim Gold Luxury Shaving Soap
BUY on Amazon
If you lean toward a gentler shaving soap, then take the Luxury Soap from the Blades Grim into account. It is handmade to provide you with the highest quality and comfortable shave. And the smell is quite distinct yet not overpowering.
Razorock Mudder Focker Shave Soap
BUY on Amazon
The Razorock Mudder Focker Shave Soap contains thermal mud, which improves the overall condition of your facial skin. It easily creates rich leather, thus you can rest assured that your skin will not get irritated. The scent is natural and nice, which is a great addition to an overall awesome product.
Shaving Soap Vs. Shaving Cream
Source: @lanedorsey via Instagram
Don’t confuse shaving soap with shaving cream though, as they’re completely different products. First of all, soap has a much longer history compared to cream. Also, they differ in terms of packaging. Unlike shaving cream, soap is mostly packed in a hard puck. Although creating soap lather does take more time and effort, even the best shaving cream won’t give you such an impressive result as soap does. And, of course, the ways how to use soap and cream are completely different.
You can also come up with the question “What do you do after you use shaving soap?” Once you have shaved your face, there is a big chance that your bathroom is a total mess. All your shaving tools are most likely covered in beard debris and shaving soap. Obviously, you do not want to leave them like that, do you? So, here are the measures to take if you want to keep your equipment neat and tidy:
- To clean your shaving bowl, squeeze some mild dish detergent into it and run hot water. This will create a great lather that will allow cleaning all your equipment, including the bowl itself, easily.
- Take your safety razor apart, take out the blade and wash it under the stream of water.
- Take a brush with soft bristles and scrub your razor with it.
- Wash the razor under the stream of water so that there is no soap left.
- Wipe off the razor with a cloth thoroughly to save it from rusting.
- Use a hair blower to dry the remaining water.
- Wash the bowl under running water and set it aside.
- Take the shaving brush and wash it under the stream of water until it is free from shaving soap residue.
- Rub it against your hand and squeeze a couple of times lightly to remove excess water.
- Rub the brush against the towel, which will increase its drying speed.
- Hang it in the stand upside down and set aside.
Of course, before finding your best shaving soap, you may take several knocks. Yet, with our essential guide, this process will become much easier. Happy hunting!
Was this article helpful?
