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

[zanxion]

Here are my top 5 that I have always in stock:

Dr. Harris Windsor (triple milled tallow, my best)
Haslinger Shafmilch
Tabac
Ach Brito Mogno
Myrsol Blue.

None of them is expensive, but they all offer a pure barber alike shave experience.

 

[Sethology]

Some variation of Aion Skincare/grooming dept. They really work wonderfully for me. But if all else fails/gets discontinued I will always have tobs or proraso to fall back on. They are all you really need.

 

[Ouelljas]

Stirling Barbershop, Gentleman and at least one of their summer scents (Orange Chill, MITA) will always have a spot in my rotation. Stirling soaps in general just tick all the boxes for me. Fantastic price to performance ratio and a wide variety of scents. The other 4 spots in my rotation are for trying out different soaps, some of which may eventually occupy a permanent spot.

 

[Teutonblade]

Stirling Baker Street
Stirling Sandpiper
Stirling Executive Man
Razorock Mudder Focker
Razorock Son of Zeus
Razorock The Dead Sea
B&M Seville
B&M Le Grand Chypre
MdC Fougere

 

[ZeelandsRoem]

I’m in good shape, but face it, if your life expectancy is 15 more years, there’s no point in spending a year with Arko when you could spend a year with Boellis or Acqua di Parma. All soap is cheap except relative to other soap.

This part really resonates with me, especially because I have a similar approach for both soaps and brushes.

My shaving soap will likely last me 30+ years, so my approach is also to first use what I enjoy the most: SMN, MdC, SV, MWF, OAM, GFT.

My most used brushes are large 3 band badgers with 28/30mm knots. Since soap is cheap and life is short, I make sure to load those brushes with enough soap to create that rich and thick lather. For me, this really elevates the shaving experience.

Also, I am well aware that this approach is wasteful for some and I also understand those who try to be economical and load just enough so they can use all that lather, but I am also trying to be a bit realistic here: I bought all those soaps and if I don't use them, there's a really good chance they will end up in the bin. My 7 months old son will probably not use them when it's time for him to shave, so why shouldn't I enjoy them as much as possible?

Now, when it comes to straight razors and stones, things are on the opposite spectrum: most of my razors in my rotations are not that special, while the collectible ones I have either never used or used maybe once. My collectible Jnats have been used very infrequently and I hone my razors on either large arks or average looking Jnats. Perphaps I should reconsider how things are going here.

Cheers!

 

[Silas]

I would always restock the following soaps:

Kali flower , citrus & cedar
Crowne & crane, Norsemen
Chiseled face, woody lavender and Jarnvidr
Spearhead Seaforth!, Any scent
Henri et Victoria, kraken
House of Mammoth, uitwaaien
Mike’s Natural Soaps, jasmine
Noble Otter, firefighter and thé noir et vanille
Southern Witchcrafts, druantia
The Sudsy Soapery, rain
Wickham Soap Co. , Scottish heather
Areffa, discoverer

Sadly MWF is no more, but I have bought 22 backup pucks. That should last me at least two decades.

 

[Dodger59]

Simple creams for a simple man.

Speick
Proraso Red and Green
Ach Brito Lavanda
Barbasol
Trader Joe’s (if they ever bring it back!)

 

[Teutonblade]

A question on Plague Doctor. Does anyone else think there are some common scent notes with Floid the Original? That was my first thought when I revisited it this morning.

 

[Jayson74]

Have a couple that would/will be for sure replaced when gone.
Stirling Sheep
Cella original
Razorock Mudder Focker
Macduffs any of them!

Jay

 

[tropic]

Many of the soaps I like are mid-tier stuff. These are the ones I intend to restock when I've finished them:

Stirling: A fun, non-cologney scent like MitA. Iced Pineapple will be available mid-March, so that's probably my next one.
Haslinger: Currently using Schafmilch, perhaps Honig will be next.
TFS: I'll buy another red bowl when I'm done with this one. Automatic.
D.R. Harris: Windsor for now, maybe a different flavor next time.
A&E: Motoring through a tub of Spartacus atm. I also like the scents of Aqua de Boracay, Peaches and Cognac, and St. Barts (even though the last irritated my skin).

Soaps I've tried and will avoid in the future:

Tabac
Razorock

 

[Trollky]

Tabac: all I’ve tried is the Tallow version but I hear the Veggie formula is good too.

Stirling: Texas on Fire. Growing up in Texas the smell of burning Cedar brings back a lot of memories. I fought some wildfires along the way and the scent of this soap is spot on.

Razo Rock: Santa Maria Del Fiore.
Razo Rock: Dead Sea- a very fresh clean scent.

TOBS: Sandalwood- I know it’s not a “True” Sandalwood scent but I still find it to be lovely.

Chiseled Face: Summer Storm- smells like Texas (or the SW in general) when the big storm just blew through, the dust has been knocked out of the air, it’s cool(ish), and the plants have suddenly perked up after the relentless heat of summer.

Solid list! I don't think I've ever seen Texas on Fire appear on anyone else's list. Stupendous scent! I might have to try that Summer Storm

 

[Serban]

Current production:
- D.R. Harris (Arlington, Windsor and Lavender)
- Cyril R. Salter
- Martin de Candre (Original and Vetiver)
- Boellis Panama 1924
- Stirling Port-au-Prince
- Ethos Vetivert
- Barrister and Mann Seville

Discontinued, but hoarded enough to last a long time in my rotation:
- Tabac tallow
- Sir Irisch Moos
- Palmolive stick
- Yardley
- Old Spice

 

[Messygoon]

Over the years I have acquired dozens of soaps recommended by B&B brothers. Here is my list of permanent soaps in no particular order (excluding a few unobtainables lost due to reformulation):

• Martin de Candre Rose
• Canada Shave Soap
• Haslinger Schafmilch
• Pré de Provence No. 63
• Santa Maria Novella
• Stirling Scots Pine
• Proraso Green Pre-shave Cream followed by Arko! stick

Based on recommendations in this thread, my new shopping list:

• Tcheon Fung Sing Crema Purissima Per Barba
• RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore (better than Santa Maria Novella? Really?!)
• RazoRock Don Marco
• RazoRock Plague Doctor
• Mastro Michè Revisited Rive Gauche Shaving Stick

 

[Mike M]

I have been engaged in cutting down my soap rotation for the last few years and I am doing it with a view to only keeping a few soaps in the den. I have not bought any shaving supplies for 2 years and don't intend to start again until I use more of the 12 I have.

SV: currently have 3, 70th Anniversary, Opuntia and Desert Vetiver. I will likely replace these with different scents as I use them up
MdC: currently have Original but will try different scents as I use them
Zingari Man: had Explorer but finished that and hope to replace it with a different scent when I start buying soap again

I would also like to try DR Harris probably Arlington, but again I am waiting until I start buying again

 

[JCinPA]

RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore (better than Santa Maria Novella? Really?!)

Really!

Don Marco is also fantastic. I love Plague Doctor, too, but trimmed it from my den after trying it. I'm going to try the Don Marco tomorrow morning, I understand it's some new super formula since I last tried it.

 

[Crisp Rat]

Another one for Proraso green.

Proraso white too because the scent doesn't conflict with my random aftershaves.

Cella Bio smells and performs too well to not keep around.

Arko is so good and cheap, it's a must.

 

[Messygoon]

Really!

Don Marco is also fantastic. I love Plague Doctor, too, but trimmed it from my den after trying it. I'm going to try the Don Marco tomorrow morning, I understand it's some new super formula since I last tried it.

John my friend, you are enabling me, and I love it! Can't wait to read your post-shave thoughts of Don Marco.

 

[BrianP]

Gonna go back and give the thread a more thorough read but here's where I'm at with my will absolutely replace:

Cella Red
Proraso Cream
Canada Shave Soap
Fine Clubhouse

That's the regular line up, here are the others that sneak back in regularly, but may or may not be replaced when done, not that I'm moving fast enough through them to be worried about replacing them:
SMdF
Stirling Varen
CK-6 doppelganger (not that it could be replace, but I've gotten over my original dislike of how the base initially lathers)
Fine Snakebite

 

[Whisky]

Solid list! I don't think I've ever seen Texas on Fire appear on anyone else's list. Stupendous scent! I might have to try that Summer Storm

Texas on Fire is definitely a polarizing scent, you either love it or hate it. If you grew up in the SW summer storm immediately makes sense as soon as you get a whiff.

Neither of these scents are work or date night scents for me. They’re more about the what the scents mean to me than anything I’m trying to share with someone else. In fact my wife is not a fan of either of these but she didn’t grow up in Texas like me. I wonder what an Indiana (where my wife is from) scented soap would smell like. Corn and pigs?

 

[reformedshavr]

Proraso, Myrsol, Musgo Real, MdC, Crown Shaving Co