Favorite PERMANENT soaps/creams in your shave den ...

[Lockback]

• Stirling Soap Barbershop
• Stirling Soap Bay Rum
• Proraso Red
• Cella Red

 

[loco95]

Stirling. Scents are great and they perform well. Tough to beat when you consider the price.

Same. Have about ten different soaps in my shelf, think that will equal at least twenty years of shaves for me. After that Stirling will most likely the one and only, especially the Unscented with Beeswax variation. Simple ingredients and high performance in a generous container

 

[Phil Harmonica]

ARKO!

 

[Dimitri]

I don't have as many soaps as a lot of you. Though I've been wet-shaving for 30 years, It's been mainly Colonel Conk, as that's what was usually available at my local brick and mortars. Upon rediscovering this forum after a long hiatus, I've discovered a whole new world ( and draw on my bank account lol).

Of the soaps/creams I have, the one's that will always be mainstays in my den:

-Proraso Blue (as well as it's accompanying balm)
-TOBS Grapefruit (along with A&E Pamplemousse aftershave, a perfect complement to this great cream)
-Tabac (as well as it's accompanying balm)

Ones I likely won't replace:
-Rex 1977
-Lea Classic
-Old Spice puck (vintage NOS find)
-Colonel Conk
-TOBS Tobacco

50/50 about replacing:
-Cella red
-GFT Rose (This was going to be a mainstay, but I plan on ordering MDC rose. If I like it better, it will replace the GFT)

 

[Soaps & Scents]

I have such a stupid amount of shaving soaps and creams that I should say none… but, I will always stock Cyril R. Salter Indian Sandalwood. I prefer it to everything else that I have.

+1 lol. I bought a ton several years ago and then I just kept buying more haha. I will always have some soaps from Barrister & Mann & Castle Forbes Lime in my stash.

 

[shavefan]

They made a scented and unscented version. It was made by three different companies over the years, but I’ll let you dig that out if you want, it’s all here on B&B. They also made the Domenici Caracini cream with the signature fragrance.

Many people got a slight ‘fecal’ note from the scented version of XPEC, also from several other brands ‘Havana’ scents and the Furbo orange scent brick soap. Not every nose gets the unpleasant scent.

XPEC’s unscented version, which @shavefan I believe, accurately described as the most unscented soap ever, ‘the smell of the vacuum of space’, lol. I have a full tub of it.

Good stuff, like SMN you don’t think that it‘s doing anything special, but you always get great shaves.

As far as a modern replacement, probably Truefitt and Hill Ultimate comfort, MdC unscented (natural), Boellis Panama (almond), Canada (unscented). Furbo orange if you like XPEC scented. No worries about a replacement for XPEC scented except for the nostalgia aspect.

Interesting timing Steve, as I just recently (last week) used up my last tub of Xpec unscented. Near the end, I mixed in a tube of vintage Eau Sauvage shave cream. It was a sublime ending. XPEC (unscented) is/was wonderful stuff and will be remembered fondly for its performance.

 

[JCinPA]

I've been watching this thread since day one. I kept thinking I'd have a sizeable list by now, but only one soap has consistently been brought to mind.

View attachment 2014636​

Wow, I just love this stuff. I have my favorite ten, it's hard to pick the #1, but this is in my top 3 for sure. It might just be #1, but when I use MdC Rose or S.V. Felce Aromatica, I waver. But it's above all the others in my permanent collection. And it's growing on me, becoming even more of a favorite. It was Noble Otter Two Kings before it was discontinued, but now that I've found a set of NO 2Kings, this beats it for me, hands down.

 

[JCinPA]

@Dimitri I've usually had a rose scent in my den, also, but found myself lacking there when @Marco pulled of the fastest enabling ever! I went from his recommendation of Martin de Candre Rose to having it in my cart in less than a couple hours, IIRC. And boy, am I glad it got it! If this wasn't such a YMMV hobby, I'd say I can guarantee you'll love MdC Rose ... but that's hard to do. It's now in my top 3.

And check out this post in this thread. I have no willpower.

Favorite PERMANENT soaps/creams in your shave den ...

@Marco Well, here we go! Again. Honestly, sometimes I wish I never got to know you or @Dtownvino. :lol: You have FOUR Martin de Candre soaps on your list! Given how gobsmacked I've been with S.V. I think I will find that MdC Rose finding a way into my den soon. While not a permanent...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Jayson74]

All this talk of Martin de Candre has me itching to try it out.
Sigh!
Jay

 

[Dimitri]

@Dimitri I've usually had a rose scent in my den, also, but found myself lacking there when @Marco pulled of the fastest enabling ever! I went from his recommendation of Martin de Candre Rose to having it in my cart in less than a couple hours, IIRC. And boy, am I glad it got it! If this wasn't such a YMMV hobby, I'd say I can guarantee you'll love MdC Rose ... but that's hard to do. It's now in my top 3.

And check out this post in this thread. I have no willpower.

Favorite PERMANENT soaps/creams in your shave den ...

@Marco Well, here we go! Again. Honestly, sometimes I wish I never got to know you or @Dtownvino. :lol: You have FOUR Martin de Candre soaps on your list! Given how gobsmacked I've been with S.V. I think I will find that MdC Rose finding a way into my den soon. While not a permanent...

www.badgerandblade.com

Oh, trust me. I've been reading those threads and you are both enabling me. I've got both of them sitting in my cart with one of my favorite vendors, just waiting on some samples sent to me by a member to arrive before I pull the trigger. I'm debating on which SV soap to add as well lol. I tried a sample of the Tundra Artica a while back. The performance was top notch, just not sure on the scent. Felce Aromatica and Argania sound more like my type. I know @Marco has a few in his den. Hopefully he can comment on his favorites.

I know you're a fan of SV as well. Do you have any favorites?

 

[Marco]

Oh, trust me. I've been reading those threads and you are both enabling me. I've got both of them sitting in my cart with one of my favorite vendors, just waiting on some samples sent to me by a member to arrive before I pull the trigger. I'm debating on which SV soap to add as well lol. I tried a sample of the Tundra Artica a while back. The performance was top notch, just not sure on the scent. Felce Aromatica and Argania sound more like my type. I know @Marco has a few in his den. Hopefully he can comment on his favorites.

I know you're a fan of SV as well. Do you have any favorites?

My 2 personal favourite SV are Argania and Morado, which do provide the best post-shave feel of those I've tested.
My top 2 MdC are Fougère and Rose, not because they perform any better than the others, but simply because they have the best scent to me.

 

[Dimitri]

My 2 personal favourite SV are Argania and Morado, which do provide the best post-shave feel of those I've tested.
My top 2 MdC are Fougère and Rose, not because they perform any better than the others, but simply because they have the best scent to me.

Thank you for chiming in, the feedback is appreciated. I will have to look into the Morado.

Between one jar of SV and two jars of MDC, I shouldn't need to buy any more soaps or creams for years (yeah, right). I have noticed though that the more immersed in the hobby that I become, the more I have come to prefer soaps to creams.

 

[JCinPA]

I'm a Felce Aromatica guy, @Dimitri It's close enough to Green Irish Tweed (I'm not looking for an exact clone or anything) that I love it.

I did try their A/S sampler, however, and it's hard to go wrong with any of their scents. The A/S sampler is an inexpensive and efficient way for you to sample their scent lineup.

 

[Eric_75]

D.R. Harris & Co. Arlington
Pré de Provence No. 63
Arko

To name a few...

 

[Marco]

Thank you for chiming in, the feedback is appreciated. I will have to look into the Morado.

Between one jar of SV and two jars of MDC, I shouldn't need to buy any more soaps or creams for years (yeah, right). I have noticed though that the more immersed in the hobby that I become, the more I have come to prefer soaps to creams.

Absolutely my pleasure, Sir.

I'm definitely a soap user. The only cream with a permanent spot in my den is the legendary Proraso. I must admit that lately I'm having an itch to get a tube of Palmolive. It's been more than 10 years since using it. Also, Palmolive is dirt cheap and available anywhere, just like Proraso.

 

[gagi]

Absolutely my pleasure, Sir.

I'm definitely a soap user. The only cream with a permanent spot in my den is the legendary Proraso. I must admit that lately I'm having an itch to get a tube of Palmolive. It's been more than 10 years since using it. Also, Palmolive is dirt cheap and available anywhere, just like Proraso.

Palmolive always was superior cream, for me, than regular Proraso. We get 75g tubes here, and I really enjoy sensitive and cool, when I can find them.

 

[zanxion]

Haslinger Shafmilch and Sandelholz are the two pucks always available in my den. TOBS Oud and Royal Forest are the creams I cannot imagine my den without them.

 

[BigAlVista]

S.V. Felce Aromatica is my desert island soap. If I could only have one ...

Before I started making my own soap, Felce was my desert island soap. One other soap maker that should be on the list, at least for me, is Grooming Dept.

 

[blade08]

Proraso soap and Palmolive cream.

 

[shave/brush]

Castle Forges and TFS (Tcheon Fung Sing). They both make lather like crazy.