Van Der Hagen Deluxe Shaving Soap
- Thread starter Captain O
- Start date
It would have been better had you asked this question before purchasing it.
VDH Deluxe is a cheap soap that performs like a cheap soap. It does work for some people, so you may get some enthusiastic responses.
I have evaluated well over 100 soap and cream formulations. Only three soaps have ranked lower in performance than VDH, so it does not even make it into my top 100 list.
It may work for you. If so, great. If not, you are not out much money. What irks me is when I pay a lot for a soap and it does not perform any better than a soap that costs half as much. At least VDH is worth what you paid for it.
VDH Deluxe is a cheap soap that performs like a cheap soap. It does work for some people, so you may get some enthusiastic responses.
I have evaluated well over 100 soap and cream formulations. Only three soaps have ranked lower in performance than VDH, so it does not even make it into my top 100 list.
It may work for you. If so, great. If not, you are not out much money. What irks me is when I pay a lot for a soap and it does not perform any better than a soap that costs half as much. At least VDH is worth what you paid for it.
I've used this soap before and in all honesty, there is something alluring about its scent. When mine ran out I did consider buying more but obviously there are many, many options for shaving soaps and creams out there. My natural curiosity and desire to "find out for myself" lead me to quickly move on.
The biggest issue I had the VDH soap is that is get slimy. Definitely don't seal it up wet. You're going to want to let it dry out between shaves. The sliminess is a benefit when shaving as I use the term sort of interchangeably with slickness.
By all means use the soap. You should be able to shave with it just fine. Just keep in mind that there's a huge world out there to explore in the wet-shaving soap/cream world. Some/most can appear pricy but often last a heck of a lot longer than you might imagine. Right now, my personal favorite brand of soap is Stirling Soap Co. All of their soaps perform the same so it's all about choosing by scent.
In full disclosure I've not yet used Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements or Barrister & Mann but they are very highly rated by members here and will be next on my list to experience first hand. There's also Grooming Department, RazoRock, T.o.b.s, Fine and the list goes on and on.
When it come to creams, I personally only use Proraso (Green & Red). This brand has the same is soap form by the way. The creams are cost effective and perform very well. Again there are many other amazing creams out there.
I hope this helps you to have somewhat of a better understanding but by all means to each their own.
The biggest issue I had the VDH soap is that is get slimy. Definitely don't seal it up wet. You're going to want to let it dry out between shaves. The sliminess is a benefit when shaving as I use the term sort of interchangeably with slickness.
By all means use the soap. You should be able to shave with it just fine. Just keep in mind that there's a huge world out there to explore in the wet-shaving soap/cream world. Some/most can appear pricy but often last a heck of a lot longer than you might imagine. Right now, my personal favorite brand of soap is Stirling Soap Co. All of their soaps perform the same so it's all about choosing by scent.
In full disclosure I've not yet used Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements or Barrister & Mann but they are very highly rated by members here and will be next on my list to experience first hand. There's also Grooming Department, RazoRock, T.o.b.s, Fine and the list goes on and on.
When it come to creams, I personally only use Proraso (Green & Red). This brand has the same is soap form by the way. The creams are cost effective and perform very well. Again there are many other amazing creams out there.
I hope this helps you to have somewhat of a better understanding but by all means to each their own.
It's performs well enough. I also enjoy the scent. I used it quite a bit when I first started out, but moved on to better options. It's cheap, easy to use, and widely available. It definitely isn't as good as the previously mentioned artisans, but there are artisans making worse soap for a higher price.
- Thread starter
- #6
I bought it with a bowl and badger brush. I know it was cheap, but the bowl and brush allow me to buy another soap puck and yet another (synthetic) brush.
My Parker 96r razor was tearing me up when I used canned shaving foam. I'm not new to using a DE razor and learned to shave with one in 1968. (Yes, I was but 13). I'm not a stranger to wet/DE shaving.
I'll wind up replacing the puck with better glycerine-based shaving soap. (I'll also buy a refined brush).
My Parker 96r razor was tearing me up when I used canned shaving foam. I'm not new to using a DE razor and learned to shave with one in 1968. (Yes, I was but 13). I'm not a stranger to wet/DE shaving.
I'll wind up replacing the puck with better glycerine-based shaving soap. (I'll also buy a refined brush).
When using VDH I'm reminded of what the old wino said after taking a swig from his jug: "It's a good wine, but not a great one!" 
Hi Captain O,
Presuming this is the current production Van Der Hagen (VDH) Basics Deluxe formulation. Have been using this for over two years and found that while it easily produces nice thick lather its slickness is limited. Different experience from many earlier posts from fellow B&Bers that loved the soap and the reason (see my post #138 in link to thread below for details) is likely that the formulation changed back in 2016. Most earlier posts are on the pre-2016 formulation. That said the soap is dirt cheap at $2.29 a puck ($1.72 on sale) from Walgreens (on-line delivery to store only) so I've continued to use it for custom blends where it's mixed with grated tallow-based soaps. Blended soaps are excellent with easy lathering from the VDH Deluxe and great slickness from the tallow based soaps. For details on my blends search on Van Der Williams blends for the various threads.
I also use the VDH Luxury Soap, currently available in many retail stores, by itself. My VDH Luxury pucks use the old pre-2016 Deluxe formulation with the addition of glycerin resulting in both good lather, excellent slickness and a nice mild aroma.
Bottom line if you want a reasonably priced soap that is available at many retailers the VDH Luxury is a good option at $4-5 per puck. While less than half the price (for a smaller puck) the Deluxe works best blended with other soaps that provide added slickness. If you want a quality soap at a similar price point to Deluxe then Arko may be your best option given that Williams is discontinued.
Revisited Van Der Hagen Deluxe - Garbage!
It is all a matter of perspective. For the price, VDH is a decent soap, but there are much better soaps available. Is it "garbage", well that too is a matter of perspective. Many of us throw food into the garbage that the homeless would love to eat. Likewise, those who cannot afford a better...
www.badgerandblade.com
Hi Borwish, Are you referring to the VDH Luxury soap versus the Deluxe? Luxury is the version that is now widely available with the Deluxe only available on-line. See my post just above this, fully agree with you on the Luxury soap.
If you are referring to the Deluxe soap is your experience with the pre-2016 reformulation (Green box when Deluxe was widely available) of latest VDH Basics (orange box) that is now sold? Basically after VDH was acquired the new owners added Luxury and de-emphasized the Deluxe version to shift the retail marked for their soap from a $2 Deluxe puck to a $4-5 Luxury puck.
I have both the VDH Deluxe & Luxury soap.
I prefer the Luxury soap for my shaves.
I prefer the Luxury soap for my shaves.
I am referring to the current production Deluxe. It is available at my local grocery store for a little over $2. I figure that a very small addition of Barbasol 1919 would up the slickness a great bit while keeping the lather from the VDH.
At $1.50 USD a puck how can anyone complain? Worst case use it for pet soap or use it to wash down the farm animals. It works fine but I‘ve moved on from this one.
- Thread starter
- #14
Thanks, makes sense as Deluxe makes a good soap when blended with something that provides more slickness. Glad to hear you can find it at retail near you. Up here in the Northeast U.S. the only VDH soap I've seen at retail is the Luxury with the Deluxe only available on-line at Walgreens. Interesting as we had Williams at retail for 99 cents until it was discontinued.
Has the Luxury been reformulated? If not, I would also recommend that. I love the Grey Flannel scent and I also got great lathers from the Luxury soap. That said, I got the Luxury soap pucks when they were <$3. For $5, I'd rather pick up a tub of Proraso from the like of Ross, TJ Maxx, etc.Hi Captain O,
Presuming this is the current production Van Der Hagen (VDH) Basics Deluxe formulation. Have been using this for over two years and found that while it easily produces nice thick lather its slickness is limited. Different experience from many earlier posts from fellow B&Bers that loved the soap and the reason (see my post #138 in link to thread below for details) is likely that the formulation changed back in 2016. Most earlier posts are on the pre-2016 formulation. That said the soap is dirt cheap at $2.29 a puck ($1.72 on sale) from Walgreens (on-line delivery to store only) so I've continued to use it for custom blends where it's mixed with grated tallow-based soaps. Blended soaps are excellent with easy lathering from the VDH Deluxe and great slickness from the tallow based soaps. For details on my blends search on Van Der Williams blends for the various threads.
I also use the VDH Luxury Soap, currently available in many retail stores, by itself. My VDH Luxury pucks use the old pre-2016 Deluxe formulation with the addition of glycerin resulting in both good lather, excellent slickness and a nice mild aroma.
Bottom line if you want a reasonably priced soap that is available at many retailers the VDH Luxury is a good option at $4-5 per puck. While less than half the price (for a smaller puck) the Deluxe works best blended with other soaps that provide added slickness. If you want a quality soap at a similar price point to Deluxe then Arko may be your best option given that Williams is discontinued.
Revisited Van Der Hagen Deluxe - Garbage!
It is all a matter of perspective. For the price, VDH is a decent soap, but there are much better soaps available. Is it "garbage", well that too is a matter of perspective. Many of us throw food into the garbage that the homeless would love to eat. Likewise, those who cannot afford a better...
VDH Deluxe isn't even really a soap in the chemical sense. It lathers up and you can shave with it, though. As others have noted, it's not the slickest lather out there by a long shot.
The scent is polarizing, but I love it. I wish some artisan would make a fantastic soap with this scent. The scent is reminiscent of Grey Flannel, although it is nowhere near the pungency of the original... it's like somebody sanded down the corners of Grey Flannel. But I still really like it. It grew on me over time.
I haven't used it in many years, though. So many much better soaps are available.
The scent is polarizing, but I love it. I wish some artisan would make a fantastic soap with this scent. The scent is reminiscent of Grey Flannel, although it is nowhere near the pungency of the original... it's like somebody sanded down the corners of Grey Flannel. But I still really like it. It grew on me over time.
I haven't used it in many years, though. So many much better soaps are available.
Not sure, Latest purchase was last November. Individual pucks of Luxury from Bed Bath & Beyond had the same formula from my post of early 2021. Luxury puck in a gift set had a different formula. Latter was for a gift so did not try it.
Has anyone seen a change in formula in the individual pucks of Van Der Hagen luxury soap?
Generally agree, per the ingredients on the box of the current "basics" Deluxe formulation: Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolsalate, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Mysteric Acid, Alcohol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Water (Aqua), Sodium Hydroxide, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Fragrance (Parfum), Aminomethyl Proponal, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Methyl Ionones, Titanium Dioxide, Curry Red, Acid Yellow 23
Supporting your comment most of the lather comes from the foaming agent Sodium Laureth Sulfate with everything suspended in the first two ingredients that are humectants (ingredients that hold moisture). Believe there could be some soap in the mix if the stearic acid is saponified by the sodium hydroxide.
Without the added glycerin in the Luxury version this latest Deluxe formulation didn't deliver my preferred level of slickness. However it's the perfect low cost binding ingredient for the custom blends I've mixed together including Williams and Ivory (adds tallow based soap for slickness) with Proraso and Dove Men + Care as superlathering agents. Basically grate and combine a puck of Williams (will use Arko when Williams reserves run out) with an ounce each of Ivory and Dove. Add in an ounce of the proraso red croap, mix all together and then melt and pour in the puck of VDH deluxe. Further mix and knead before forming into a couple of just over 3.5 oz pucks for easy to lather blend. Result is really great slick lather.
