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what does bentonite clay do for shave soaps?

On the soap making forum where I also spend my days, we seem to have come to the agreement that some recipes need clay and others don't. Personally, I am looking to make clay-free soaps, as it makes sense not to exclude people who don't like the idea of clay (myself included).

It is there for the slipperiness, but there are other ways of getting it without clay. So why is it used at all? Well, why is there shaving cream and soap? Different razor types? Because the world doesn't move to the beat of just one drum - what might be right for you might not be right for some.......................
 
I can tell if the soap has clay, I can go over a spot that lacks soap and the skin is still vey slippery. I notice this when running out of soap and I fall back to Van Der Hagen soap. With it you need soap coverage on the face always, if nothing left there, the razor drags.

I can lather up Van Der Hagen pretty well, trick is tablespoon of very hot water on top of it for 3 to 5 minutes, I don't dislike it, it lathers up better than my clay soap, but the clay based stuff is just better, just seems I can shave faster with it as I can backtrack and reshave a spot without hitting it with soap again until I relather. I have gotten I dislike trying for can shave, Santa Claus like foaming over slipperiness. I find the lower foaming useful in allowing to follow sideburns and mustache line which high foam can hide. I just want slipperiness and enough soap to carry away the cut hair, so, big plus to clay soaps for me.

Bentonite clay is actually an aged form of volcanic ash.
 
I will just say that 3 of the best artisans soaps use clay in their soaps:

Mike's Natural Soaps (Kaolin Clay)
Mystic Water (Bentonite Clay)
Stirling (Clay on some of their soaps)

Nonetheless, I also understand the usual Clay Stigma due to amateur artisans trying to make shave soap by adding clay to the normal bath soap base. So in conclusion, clay is an awesome ingredient when used by a true shaving soap artisans or maker, not by some bath some maker.
 
Slicker. It is used in drilling(wells, stone, earth) as a lubricant. We used it when we did our well drilling field exercise, stuff had a thick, gooey, slick texture, and didn't want to wipe off.
 
Turns soap gray. :) Actually I have mixed feelings about it.. I have soap with and without.. I have some pretty slick soap with no clay. If it performs with or without it who really cares if its in it or not..I do know that you can have a sensitivity to clays, usually pH, but in the small amounts used in the soaps it would be rare I would assume...I found that face lathering clay soaps doesn't work for me..
 
Another question for those with experience with the clay soaps, are they good performers?
I received a free sample of lavender Benton Clay soap awhile back. Fantastic performer. Very slick. Performed much better than soaps like VDH or Surrey, if I may make the comparison.

ADD: Just seeing that this is a resurrection of a 2011 thread...
 
The physical and chemical properties of clay minerals (of which Bentonite is a mixture) are extraordinarily extraordinaire! Some are hydrophilic, some are hydrophobic, some are oleophilic, some are oleophobic, and some are various combinations thereof. Do NOT underestimate the attributes and usefulness of these wonderful and important group of phyllosilicate minerals!
 
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