Artisan Shaving Soaps - Comments?

B & B Members:
Since there is so much talk, debate, comments and recommendation on the various soaps, but I have yet to see anything on Artisan Soaps. I used to be a Williams man (since the Civil War [humor] ), but have since switched to Chelsea's Unscented Soap and boy...what a difference (for the better), that made for my sensitive skin.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=C&t=168473

So, my question is...are there any comments, debate and/or recommendations on the use of Artisanal Shave Soaps?

Christopher

A few of our members produce their own shave soaps, so, I think there's quite a bit of discussion on Artisanal soaps. Mama Bear, Queen Charlotte Soaps, QED, just to name very few.

As for "county fair"-type artisanal shave soaps... it's a mixed bag. Some are very good, some are just bath soap, some are just bath soap with added clay. The last two of which may or may not be very good for shaving. Many seem to think that shave soap is just rebranded bath soap or some such misperception. So, definitely experiment, but your results may well be suboptimal and or painful and or bloody.

Any, "shave soap" that contains olive oil in any percentage will be a strong "no go" for actual useful shaving as olive oil kills good lather. So, always check your ingredients.

RichGem said:

A few of our members produce their own shave soaps, so, I think there's quite a bit of discussion on Artisanal soaps. Mama Bear, Queen Charlotte Soaps, QED, just to name very few.

As for "county fair"-type artisanal shave soaps... it's a mixed bag. Some are very good, some are just bath soap, some are just bath soap with added clay. The last two of which may or may not be very good for shaving. Many seem to think that shave soap is just rebranded bath soap or some such misperception. So, definitely experiment, but your results may well be suboptimal and or painful and or bloody.

Any, "shave soap" that contains olive oil in any percentage will be a strong "no go" for actual useful shaving as olive oil kills good lather. So, always check your ingredients.

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Richard:
My bag...because I had'nt realized or known that "Mama Bear, Queen Charlotte Soaps, QED" and others were also Artisan soaps. I've been very happy exclusively using Chelsea's and have no others in a rotation (call me 'old-fashioned' because I guess I feel that when you're happy with a product...there's no need to change or experiment).

Also, thank you for your input and insight

Christopher

The Count of Merkurcristo said:

Richard:
My bag...because I had'nt realized or known that "Mama Bear, Queen Charlotte Soaps, QED" and others were also Artisan soaps. I've been very happy exclusively using Chelsea's and have no others in a rotation (call me 'old-fashioned' because I guess I feel that when you're happy with a product...there's no need to change or experiment).

Also, thank you for your input and insight

Christopher

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You're welcome & happy shaving! Oh, and give it time; SSAD (shave soap acquisition disorder) will kick in sooner or later.

Would you also include soaps made in small batches/Artisanal producers? I'm a big fan of Fitjar and Calani shave soaps.

I'm working on a puck of Calani right now that I have had for 6 months and I have barely made a dent in it yet.

My thoughts would be to never buy one unless:

1. It has B&B Approval
2. You don't mind wasting $5 and using it as a bath soap

I don't think many artisans get what a shaving soap should be. They throw in a bit of clay and call it a shaving soap. This obviously does not include B&B favorites like Mama Bears, Pirate's Cove, or Queen Charlotte.

Yes, there are 4 or 5 B&B members who make solid Glycerin based shave soaps. I only use Glycerin soaps for the scents myself, so I'll leave them to others to recommend.

Prairie Creations and Charismata, who I believe both had representatives removed from the site for Customer Service complaints both make traditional soap-making process shave soaps. I haven't used PC. Charismata's soap is quite good, but there were a few bad results with it. I've tried a third "Nature Maiden" and it was quite poor. They may have reformulated since then, as this was a year or so ago.

goby said:

My thoughts would be to never buy one unless:

1. It has B&B Approval
2. You don't mind wasting $5 and using it as a bath soap

I don't think many artisans get what a shaving soap should be. They throw in a bit of clay and call it a shaving soap. This obviously does not include B&B favorites like Mama Bears, Pirate's Cove, or Queen Charlotte.

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goby:
Thanx for your input and insight, but I must ask...what exactly is B&B Approval?

Christopher

I'll be watching this thread closely ... I've been wet-shaving close to 3 years, and I have yet to jump in to the Artisnal soaps. From what I've read about them from other members, I've been missing out on a lot.

My current rotation changes on a seasonal basis, consisting of Tabac for Winter, followed by Musgo Real, Proraso, and Spieck as the backbones, with other brands thrown in for variety.

Are there Artisnal equivalents that you would recommend for a particular time of year?

The Count of Merkurcristo said:

goby:
Thanx for your input and insight, but I must ask...what exactly is B&B Approval?

Christopher

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"B&B approval" would be most people liking it. You'll find naysayers for everything on B&B. But most people have good things to say about the vendors/soaps I listed. Pirate's Cove, for example, is glycerin and dirt cheap. Don't expect Trumper performance, but expect decent performance @ only $4.00 puck. I love Portland General Store, but someone just posted very negative comments. Check out the archives (do a search of B&B) and see what most people think. It's the best way to not get crappy product. I do that with virtually everything I buy and I have never been burned with terrible product.

I trust B&B. I will be saving my money and not buying Cade Shaving Cream, CM Shaving Products or Penhaligan's Shaving Soap based on the plethora of very negative reviews. I will try Tabac knowing that I might hate the scent.

If you go to the reviews, you will find some horrific reviews for artisan soaps that are available on the internet.

dpm802 said:

....

Are there Artisnal equivalents that you would recommend for a particular time of year?

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How about TGQ soaps? Nice soaps with great scents. For summer I would recommend Savon de Campagne, which is a nice lavender with orange overtones. For the winter there are many choices. I like Toasted Almond. Go to the site and look around. Beautiful thing is that she offers three different sizes for all her soaps: sample, small, and regular. You can try the soaps without much investment. The small size still provides a lot of shaves, and is perfect for those of us who always like to change it up.

I've never tried the "Artisan" brands you find on shaving sites such as QED, fendrihan, or West Coast shaving, but I wager that if these sellers carry them, those product must at least perform OK.

On the other hand, avoid like plague all the hippie soaps you will find at local fairs. They seem to scent their products on the basis of aromatherapy rather than taste, and this kitchen sink mentality reflects upon the products they use: if olive oil, shea butter, clay, coconut oil, or palm oil can be good for the skin, why not put them all at once in the same puck?

Horrible smells, useless lather, dubious colour, tasteless products. An armpit for your face.

There are some excellent 'Artisan' shave soaps. I've tried/used many and a couple of standouts are SaintCharlesShave, HoneyBee_Spa, and SoapOpera.

There are others, and many excellent soaps from cottage industries that I've not used, but these three I heartily endorse.

-- John Gehman

good ones I would recommend:

Soap Opera (their bath soap is the same as their shaving soap, and boy, does it shave well!)
The Gentleman's Quarter
Honeybee Spa
Mama Bear

Stubblefield said:

Would you also include soaps made in small batches/Artisanal producers? I'm a big fan of Fitjar and Calani shave soaps.

I'm working on a puck of Calani right now that I have had for 6 months and I have barely made a dent in it yet.

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How did those fell off my radar???
Never heard of them, did some research, and.... the old 'must have' attitude kicks in!

What are your experiences with the Calani?

goby said:

I will be saving my money and not buying Cade Shaving Cream...I will try Tabac knowing that I might hate the scent.

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On point 1, good plan.
On point 2, you will.

These are all great Artisan Soaps that are well priced and feature either great moisturizing properties or good scents...sometimes both ...Kells, Honeybee Spa, Prairie Creations, Mama Bear, QED, Em's Place, SCS, My Time Bath & Body

Here's a list that you can spend a lifetime taste testing. Artisan Soapers

Stubblefield said:

Would you also include soaps made in small batches/Artisanal producers? I'm a big fan of Fitjar and Calani shave soaps.

I'm working on a puck of Calani right now that I have had for 6 months and I have barely made a dent in it yet.

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How are the Calani soaps? I've seen them on Royalshave, and I wanted to try out the oriental plum.

azmark said:

Here's a list that you can spend a lifetime taste testing. Artisan Soapers

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Thanks Mark, that list is so epic!

gull said:

How are the Calani soaps? I've seen them on Royalshave, and I wanted to try out the oriental plum.

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The Calani soaps are fantastic, fantastic fragrances and good performance.