Baking Soda

[Augustiner]

In some other threads I've read that one of the "tricks" of beard prep is that alkalines attack the outer layer of the hair and allow water to get into the hair. Since baking soda is alkaline it makes sense that this would be an effective beard prep. But I think I'll stick with shaving soap.

Bingo. This is the mechanism of why baking soda may give you a good shave. Softer whiskers through cortical damage. I wonder if this would irritate your skin a little bit though. Gold Dachs is a shaving soap that is specifically formulated with a higher pH in order to maximize damage to the whisker and thus water retention and softer whiskers for an easier shave. The problem is that this alkaline soap is famous for irritating skin due to its high pH.

I might have to give the baking soda a try for prep.