Which soap is best for beard softening?

DFSDAILY said:

Mitchell's Wool Fat

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This ^.

A Good HOT Shower and face wash in the Shower lays the foundation for my beard soften. Arko seems to work best and Tied with it is the New VDH Luxury Soap.

I find Golddachs very softening very quick. And I love the scent .

kingfisher said:

All soaps have an alkaline pH.

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This is largely true. There was a bit of a "pH-balanced" fad for awhile, when commercial soaps tried to stick close to neutral 7, which is still more basic than skin secretion (5 or so). A soap needs to react with the greasy "acid mantle" of the skin (which also coats the hair) in order to wash away embedded dirt. Removing this moisture barrier improves hair porosity, improving beard prep.

Once the beard is hydrated, application of a pre-shave oil can be useful in retaining the moisture so the hair doesn't dry out as quickly while one is making lather and getting ready to shave.

kingfisher said:

All soaps have an alkaline pH.

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Sure, of course.

But Gold Dachs claimed to have an even higher pH -- this was on their website which is currently under some reconstruction. I can't verify this without my litmus papers.

I took the intent of the OP -- asking which soap is best for beard softening, not what is your favorite soap, and honestly answered.

I've tried almost everything and have a pretty tough beard, there's just something special about DR Harris soaps. It's like a hot knife through butter. Having said that there are other soaps I like better overall, but for beard softening they ROCK.

nemo said:

Sure, of course.

But Gold Dachs claimed to have an even higher pH -- this was on their website which is currently under some reconstruction. I can't verify this without my litmus papers.

I took the intent of the OP -- asking which soap is best for beard softening, not what is your favorite soap, and honestly answered.

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There's a balance to be struck on the pH thing. Added detergents like SLS and SLES will raise pH dramatically and remove oils very effectively, but they may also irritate the skin. It's possible that Gold Dachs has hit the target (although I haven't tried it yet, I'm willing to believe).

man00ver said:

There's a balance to be struck on the pH thing. Added detergents like SLS and SLES will raise pH dramatically and remove oils very effectively, but they may also irritate the skin. It's possible that Gold Dachs has hit the target (although I haven't tried it yet, I'm willing to believe).

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No SLS degreasers in Gold Dachs for the record, thank goodness!

bkfist said:

Agreed. Also, it takes hair 3 to 5 minutes in warm water to fully hydrate and become it's softest. The coarser the beard hair the longer it takes to become fully hydrated. The best way is to take a shower before shaving, however, keep in mind, the instant you dry your face or allow it to dry, the hair begins to also dry out and become tougher again. If you don't shave in the shower, keep applying water to your beard area to keep it continuously wet so as not to dry out while doing any prep before lathering.

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lowhawk said:

The way it is for most threads that ask "what should I buy" or what is the best this or that...
I always go to the review section for tips when I'm in the market for new stuff. Lots of helpful stuff there.

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lowhawk said:

Agreed.

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+1 this is the way