To Clay or not to Clay?

Clay seems to be a love it or hate it ingredient in soaps, so I was wondering:

Do you only use soaps without clay?

Do you only use soaps with clay?

Do you not care either way, as long as you get a good shave?

Personally, and I really have no idea why, I don't like the idea of clay in my shave and would not buy a soap with clay unless someone really convinced me to do so.

What are your thoughts, chaps?

Mike`s and Jabonman contain clay and they are in my top 5. Never had any problems with those soaps. On the other hand, lots of soaps are as slick without clay in them.

As Hrvoje pointed out, there are many wonderful shave soaps that contain clay.

For me, I had to get over a preconception that clay was a cheap filler, that resembled playdough. The clay used in shave soaps, provides tons of lubrication plus it's a natural ingredient.

I don't care.

I judge soap on it's performance and scent.

The addition of clay is irrelevant to me.

I try to find soaps with a few simple, good ingredients. Some of the simplest and best contain no clay. The stearic acid/coconut oil soaps such as MdC and Maggard among others are as slick if not more so than any "clay" soaps I've tried (Mike's and Stirling). I read on here that Mystic Waters (contains clay AND silk) takes slick to a new level but I have not tried it.

I agree with coonskinner, I judge soaps by performance, then scent, it clay makes it a good performer then so be it.

A good soap with clay is better than a bad soap without it. And vice-versa.

Honestly do not know if any of my current soap contain clay. However, I have discounted at least one soap because of the clay smell, and now would be hesitant to blindly buy one that has clay without smelling a sample.

I haven't used my Stirling enough to have an opinion yet. I can feel it, when wet it seems to be slick and protect my face. It dries quickly after the razor, and feels kind of dry/tacky(hard to describe). I have some Mikes on the way, which also contains clay. Both were chosen by reputation and price point, not because I wanted products with clay. I think MWF will be my next order.

Mom not concerned with the presence of clay in soaps I purchase. Soaps are judged on performance, scent, and post shave feel. If the maker included clay in the formula then they must believe it brings something to the table.

As a soap maker I do not include clay in my shave soap formulas as my tests of clay vs. no clay did not result in the clay adding any performance to my formulation.

coonskinner said:

I don't care.

I judge soap on it's performance and scent.

The addition of clay is irrelevant to me.

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I agree with this statement. I'd like to add I always clay my motors before I start them for the first time.

I don't think the addition of it makes a huge difference to me either. If it has it and it works great, but a lot of great soaps don't contain clay as well.

Interesting, thanks all. I think next time I buy a soap I'll look at a well regarded clay one to say that I have tried it.

I thought it would be more like the Tallow Snob thread where some people only use tallow soaps, but it seems we are more open about clay - I wouldn't have thought that.

coonskinner said:

I don't care.

I judge soap on it's performance and scent.

The addition of clay is irrelevant to me.

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+1.

Favorite soap is Mike's. I didn't even remember it had clay, but I guess that makes me ok with clay. Don't care one way or another.

Not all soaps are as effective for R41 steep angle shaving as my best soaps. If I enjoy the scent and lather, I can often rescue the soap by adding clay myself. I use a blend of Kaolin and French Green. Lubrication through chemistry can fail at the point the blade is cutting into the base of the shaft while attempting to ride over the skin. At those moments, I believe, the chemistry of slickness is beaten by the physics of wet platelets of clay that are both protective and slick as snot. Many high pressure anti-seize greases use the same principal. Their lubricity is enhanced by slick and protective microscopic particles.

Effy,

If you want to try a soap with clay (kaolin) in it and you're EU, try the 25% Lait Frais d'Anesse Bio from La Savonnerie du Moulin. Nice soap, anise scent as the name implies. I picked up a tin last time I was in Paris.

http://www.la-savonniere-du-moulin.com

Cheers, Steve

The artisan clays I have tried and then retired to the shower have all had what seemed to me high levels of clay. So I guess that I have discovered that I don't really like overdoing the clay. But I bet I might have a soap or cream lurking still in the den that does contain some clay, just not enough to make me notice.

One of the slickest soaps I've sampled is Benton Clay Lavender.

coonskinner said:

I don't care.

I judge soap on it's performance and scent.

The addition of clay is irrelevant to me.

Click to expand...

Huge +1 to this