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French-milled "face" soap vs. "shaving" soap?

Is there something special about soap that is marketed as "shaving soap" that make is different / better for shaving? I seems to me that a high quality
French-milled soap would do the same thing. Am I missing something obvious?
 
Yes. Shaving soaps have additives of things like clays to make them slippery and glycerins or other emollients to help with lubrication and cushioning. You can shave with regular soap I suppose, but it is almost a why bother thing when there are so many great soaps and creams specifically for shaving and readily available.

Dennis
 
I shaved with a big french olive oil soap, it worked just fine but the lather was not so rich- more big bubbles if you see what I mean, and the bubbles died on my face so by the time I got to my chin I had to swirl the brush over a few times to bring it back to life. Perfectly comfortable and very moisturising however, and all natural. The main problem was that it didn't smell of Sandalwood...
 
The whole idea of a soap is to provide lubrication and to keep the beard wet so the whiskers stand up and are easier to cut. Really any soap can do that, even hand soap. We use shaving soap because it smells nice and has other ingredients which may or may not improve the shave but the fact is many old timers will tell you you can shave with just water and get a perfectly good shave. I've tried it and it works. If you don't believe me try it. Its just inconvenient in that you have to keep wetting your face but the price is right.
 
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