Artisan Soaps, Splashes, Balms, EdTs - How many from a scent release line do you feel is enough? How many do you typically buy?

[BelfastBlade]

Hello folks,

I tried to word the title best I could, what I'm essentially discussing is about artisan soap makers.. when they come out with a new release.. they often have a rrange of matching products.. often but not limited to a soap, a splash, a balm and maybe an EDT or similar.

I was just wondering how much of a line do you guys typically buy or feel the need to buy? Do you just get the soap? Or a soap and a splash or balm? Or a soap, splash and balm? Or are you a completist and feel the need to have all the products from that fragrance line?

I've been wondering about this recently and how much of a release line I should actually buy.. or how I could cut down.

It would be a lot less if I'd just buy a soap.. but then I figure well I should get a matching aftershave splash too.. then I think well if my skin is dry after splash or for colder weather usage I'd be best with a balm too so I can use both or choose between then.. and then there's just the EdT remaining so I figure well I have all the others and I'd like to prolong the fragrance.. I may as well get the EdT also!

Before I know it, a £20 soap purchase has turned into £100+!

I just wondered what you folks think or what you do.

If trying to cut down on amount of products.. I personally feel a balm is a better choice than alcohol aftershave splash (at least for me). I feel I have quite sensitive, dry skin. A balm being nourishing moisturising and protects and soothes the skin post shave. Whereas the alcohol splash maybe would be more harsh and drying on the skin. I don't really use splashes much anymore myself.. but then again not all splashes are created equal.

Maybe soap and balm the best bare minimum? I suppose you can just buy and unscented balm so you can use for all your soaps and then just buy a soap. I've tried that and while it does cut down, the unscented balm gets a bit boring!

Would love to hear what everyone else does or suggests?

Best wishes,

BelfastBlade

 

[NorthernSoul]

I would avoid matching scents for things like aftershaves and balms. Remember, soaps are not colognes. The scent fades away after you finish shaving. Just pick a few aftershaves/balms you like and mix or match with the soaps you use.

Artisan soaps are generally soft soaps, which means you are paying a premium price for soap with a lot of water content.

Personally, I mostly use commercial hard shaving soaps like Speick, Haslinger, Cyril R Salter, Provence Sante, etc. Performance is consistent and good. They last a long time. Shelf life is indefinite. Price is fair. I have a few artisan type soaps, but I consider those just a nice change of pace.

 

[silverlifter]

I'm a fan of quality over matching sets. Just because a soap maker produces a nice soap, doesn't mean the matching aftershave, balm, and especially EdT will be any good.

The one exception for me is Speick. Everything they make, from their stick, to the splash, deodorant, EdT, is exceptional. But they aren't a shaving company, their business is skin care and it really shows.

Otherwise, I might pair an MdC soap with a Myrsol aftershave followed by a Guerlain EdT. I don't get the nice matching labels in my SoTD shots, but I do really enjoy each of the products. It also means that my den is leaner than it would be otherwise, which works for my wife!

 

[gpjoe]

I only have two "sets":

- Razorock xXx soap and aftershave
- Old Spice cream and aftershave (and the cream smells different than the AS)

I just try to keep the AS I use in the same scent "family" as my soap. Spicy/earthy soaps get a spicy AS. Citrus soap with a light/citrus AS. I have some Stirling Pharoah's Dreamsicle soap (orange/vanilla) that pairs very well with my Clubman Vanilla AS.

For me it helps that I very rarely wear cologne, and generally don't go for cologne scented shaving soaps (though one of my favorites, xXx, is a cologne knockoff ).

 

[Barbarian80]

I am trying to avoid buying splashes/sets these days and stick to generic lightly scented alcohol based aftershaves because they're inexpensive and satisfy my need for that refreshing aftershave burn. For scent i use fragrances/edt/colognes- wet shaving products were not meant to be used as fragrance. I hate balms. The worst thing you can do is buy scented balms since all balms have a very limited shelf life. If you need a balm go with unscented and cheap so you can toss it if you forget when you bought it. If you have no idea when you purchased a balm, throw it away.

 

[emwolf]

I have a few sets. But I generally start by sampling the soap. If I like the scent enough I want to smell it at every stage of the shave. Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber is one such scent.

 

[5whiskey]

My post shave routine is a splash of Cold water and cleaning my SR, brush, and counter. I've toyed with buying a splash or AS, but always come back to "my current routine works and I have little or no irritation." That alone should answer your question.

 

[frogman1821]

I will usually buy the soap with the matching splash, but the splash must be alcohol based that’s kinda of a dealbreaker for me, if it isn’t I just go for the soap. Also some soaps I just don’t think I would like the smell of the aftershave and some aftershaves I don’t think would smell good as a soap. I never buy the matching balms on purpose, I really don’t like balms but really enjoy the way PAA Star Jelly feels on my face (nice and light, not real heavy like I smothered my face in Vaseline) and have a few different ones that I rotate between that kinda go with everything and anything.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Hello folks,

I tried to word the title best I could, what I'm essentially discussing is about artisan soap makers.. when they come out with a new release.. they often have a rrange of matching products.. often but not limited to a soap, a splash, a balm and maybe an EDT or similar.

I was just wondering how much of a line do you guys typically buy or feel the need to buy? Do you just get the soap? Or a soap and a splash or balm? Or a soap, splash and balm? Or are you a completist and feel the need to have all the products from that fragrance line?

I've been wondering about this recently and how much of a release line I should actually buy.. or how I could cut down.

It would be a lot less if I'd just buy a soap.. but then I figure well I should get a matching aftershave splash too.. then I think well if my skin is dry after splash or for colder weather usage I'd be best with a balm too so I can use both or choose between then.. and then there's just the EdT remaining so I figure well I have all the others and I'd like to prolong the fragrance.. I may as well get the EdT also!

Before I know it, a £20 soap purchase has turned into £100+!

I just wondered what you folks think or what you do.

If trying to cut down on amount of products.. I personally feel a balm is a better choice than alcohol aftershave splash (at least for me). I feel I have quite sensitive, dry skin. A balm being nourishing moisturising and protects and soothes the skin post shave. Whereas the alcohol splash maybe would be more harsh and drying on the skin. I don't really use splashes much anymore myself.. but then again not all splashes are created equal.

Maybe soap and balm the best bare minimum? I suppose you can just buy and unscented balm so you can use for all your soaps and then just buy a soap. I've tried that and while it does cut down, the unscented balm gets a bit boring!

Would love to hear what everyone else does or suggests?

Best wishes,

BelfastBlade

Hello there @BelfastBlade ! I love it when wet shavers get philosophical, it really brings out our inner Shakespeare. There is only one brand and scent profile, where I'm going for my master's degree in completionist. Saponificio Varesino Opuntia!

SV Opuntia shave soap, aftershave, EDP cologne, deodorant spray. Next on my list of SV Opuntia must haves, I got to get me the bath soap and shower jell.

Some might think I'm a bit insane, but really, I'm just channeling my inner Bob Ross into something productive. See for me, I don't just groom my face, it's a full body experience. Once the whisker insurgence has been removed, bringing forth weight reduction, ohhh look, I lost a pound on the scale! Then a pleasant scent like Opuntia is like a love letter to myself.

 

[Dobric]

I personaly like soaps and creams that have mild scent, that way I can combine any AS wih it. My favourite combination is TOBS Royal Forrest and Dior Sauvage AS and EDT. I also plan to get Dior Farenheit AS as I like the EDP I have. TOBS Tobacco goes well with it.

 

[JCarr]

Good question...fun thread! Thanks for your post. For me, personally, it all depends on just how much I like the scent. At this point, I have enough soap and cream to kill a man. So, buying another soap is a rare event. That having been said, I did just buy Zingari Man's The Wanderer because I was out of it and didn't want to be without it. At the same time, I bought the recovery splash because the scent is just that good. I'm not a balm person so...no balms for me. Cologne/edt is something that will only be purchased if the scent fits that bill AND I love it. That's few and far between. Also, I don't use edt enough to warrant buying it constantly. Looking forward to reading all the posts here.

Happy Shaves!

 

[musicman1951]

The scent from a shaving soap has a very short lifespan on your skin. But if it makes you happy to match the scents of your morning experience I'm all for it.

Since nothing is too good for me, I want the best moisturizer for my face. While I'm sure there are soap makers who also make a fine balm, the best I've found for me is Clinique Moisturizer - which is not scented. My razor comes from a guy who only makes razors, same for my brush and WH - so why not the balm?

I have dry skin, so alcohol is not my friend. I use Thayer's WH with aloe and follow that with the moisturizer. Both come unscented, so I'm free to use any cologne I desire.

Maybe you could purchase an expensive unscented balm and then you'd have an excuse to only buy the soap?

 

[BobbyB]

Make it simple, become a minimalist and have one soap and scent. Change only when an item is fully used up.

 

[reformedshavr]

I'll use certain brand lines like Musgo Real, Cella or Proraso. But just as often, I like coming up with my own combinations by scent say MdC Agrumes / Myrsol Agua de Limon.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I limit myself to soap purchases only, lots of variety, nothing matching. Drug store splashes work for me, but I rarely use anything other than soap and water..

 

[John Stetson]

I used to buy matching soaps and aftershave splashes. For a handful of favorites I would get the Edt/Edp. I ended up acquiring way too many sets. A few months back I sold off a bunch of soaps and thinned the den down to my favorite 30 (don’t ask how many I had prior). I kept the splashes and now I often mix and match. The soap scent fades right after the shave. But the splashes give me some scent variety and usually last a few hours. I only use a couple of unscented balms, and mostly in the dead of winter.

 

[nav]

I never got into matching balms. I used the same balm for 16 years and recently switched to making my own, which I love even more than the previous one.

I feel the scented soap is sufficient for enjoying the shaving process (although I now mostly use my own unscented soap).

If one wants scent after the shave, the market it full of nice cologne!

 

[lordalexander74]

I tried a sample of Stirling's Hot Apple Cider soap last year, I was really tempted to buy the entire product line after taking one whiff of that soap. I'm wearing down my current supply of soap before trying more.

 

[awk_m4]

I finished or gave away all my splashes. No matter what soap I shave with my, My daily aftershave is now Tabac.

 

[kingfisher]

I have never bought a matching aftershave, though I have been tempted at times.

Like some of the others, I use scent-adjacent aftershave when possible. For example, if I shave with Blue Devil Soap in the Peach and Pear scent, I use PAA Star Jelly aftershave in Immortal Peach. (By the way, I agree with an earlier poster that there is something positively magical about the Star Jelly aftershaves... can't recommend highly enough.)

If I shave with a citrusy soap, I use a citrusy aftershave, etc.