Arko Shaving Soap in Bowl, Red, 90 gram

Product Information

The main problem with a shaving soap is that for the very best results you do need a brush, and something to mix the soap in. Many people simply do not want to be bothered with the hassle of doing that every time they want a shave. Recently one of my blog readers urged me to try bowl lathering (load brush with soap, move to a bowl to work up the lather, adding driblets of water as needed). I have done bowl lathering, but not for some years (countertop real-estate issue), but I’m open to trying things. Fragrance profile Scented with a complex wooden aroma based on Greek fig that reminds the Ancient Goddess Aphrodite

Chiseled Face shave soaps enjoy an excellent reputation, particularly within the enthusiast community. Ghost Town Barber, their take on the ubiquitous barbershop scent, is a particular stand-out. Cryogen is another highlight among “menthol heads” for it’s extreme cooling (OK, freezing) properties. Declaration Grooming Hot process uses an external heat source to (carefully) speed up the soap-making process (“saponification”). Hot process soaps generally take less time to make: a couple hours for saponification and about a week to cure. Extra ingredients are added near the end of the “cook time” and the texture of the soap is generally rough-looking. Another common debate rages on, about “tallow-based” vs. “vegetable-based” (or perhaps “animal” vs. “vegetable”) shave soap foundations. The process of making either type of soap is the same. The only difference is the fatty acid profile that results from the oils and fats used. Despite the “conventional wisdom,” it is technically not appropriate to call non-tallow based soaps “glycerin based.” Fragrance profile: The complexity of oud. Agarwood, amber and spices into a base of rose, saffron and vanilla Would we use this on a regular basis? No. This has nothing to do with performance of the soap. It has to do with 2 things. One, the scent is just ok, and with so many choices out there, an ok scent just does not cut it. Second, we prefer soaps in tubs or creams in tubes. What We Like

You can also grate shaving soap with a cheese grater or break off chunks and push them down into the tube.

I use a bowl for only a few shaves, but I found that when I returned to lathering on my face, I was getting better lathers. The bowl lathering had helped me improve my lather process: I loaded the brush better, and I knew better the optimal amount of water — and what a good lather looked/felt like. This is how the Chronos shaving soap was born with the new one formula vegetable AJ-1, based on 4 certified pure oils which represent more than 35% of the total of our new formula shaving soaps:

Mitchell’s Wool Fat Shaving Soap (“MWF”). Available in a single (mild) scent, some consider it the only shave soap they will use. However, since it contains lanolin, some with sensitive skin may have trouble with this soap. And a reformulation has caused some concern in the enthusiast community. To get that close shave, or wet shave as it is also known, straight razors - or cutthroat razors as they are more commonly known, which enable the blade to glide over the skin to remove unwanted hairs - have been the implement of choice since the early 1900s. Many traditional barbers still offer this service. Fragrance profile: A shaving soap scented with a blend of Lime, Lavender, Cedarwood, Narcissus, Oakmoss, Musk and Tobacco Available in a variety of scents (you won’t use even the best soap if you don’t care for it’s smell) or no scent at all.

Zingari Man came on the wet shaving artisan scene in 2019 and after a bit of a shaky start have been surprising shave enthusiasts and reviewers with some outstanding shave soaps that produce a really rich lather formulated with their “Sego” base. Here is Sharpologist’s review of one of their shave soaps, Wanderer. Honorable Mentions When discussing soap, especially shave soap, a lot of terms get thrown around: hot process, glycerin, tallow, triple-milled, etc. But what do they really mean? And is one ingredient or process inherently superior to another? Let’s look at a general overview. Processes This change is reflected in this article’s list with the inclusion of several Italian shave soaps. How Do You Make Shaving Soap? The Anatomy INGREDIENTS: AQUA (WATER), STEARIC ACID, POTASSIUM TALLOWATE, POTASSIUM COCOATE, SODIUM PALM KERNELATE, GLYCERIN, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), PARAFFINUM LIQUIDIUM, CL 77891, TETRASODIUM EDTA, ETIDRONIC ACID, DISODIUM DISTRYLBIPHENYL DISULFONATE, AMYL CINNAMAL, CITRONELLOL, GERANOIL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, LINALOOL Fragrance profile: scented with a blend of Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Paprika and Grapefruit into a base of Saffran, Cinammon, Tobacco, Vetiver and LeatherWholly Kaw is another wet shaving artisan that has made an impact in the shaving soap world. Their “claim to fame” is the use of donkey milk (some use a less charitable term for donkey) in some of their shave soaps. Donkey milk contains a number of proteins, vitamins, and other ingredients friendly to the skin and often used as an alternative to Lanolin, which can be irritating to some people. Post-shave moisturization and skin feel are particularly good with these formulas. Zingari Man Finally OLIVE OIL is the gift of Greek nature to the whole world. 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the best Olive Oil on the world and now it is into a shaving soap

There are a few shave soaps that are not on the above lists but are still worth mentioning for specific reasons : The product gives off a wonderfully fresh powdery fragrance, inspired by traditional Turkish barber shops. But the most powerful point of the soap is the post shave feel. Leaves face hydrated and smooth with no need of using an aftershave balm or lotion, away of redness and irritationsMurphy & McNeil may not be a well-known name (even in the enthusiast community) but they are cranking out some great shave soaps. Their regular tallow-based soaps are very good but it’s their “Kodiak” base that’s been raising eyebrows among reviewers. So what are the “best” shaving soaps? To be sure, there are many excellent shave soaps, mostly from artisans making products in small batches with quality ingredients. But artisans come-and-go, they often have limited availability, and their formulations tend to change more often. So let me propose a set of criteria for determining what rises to the top: Wet Shaving Products (WSP) “Formula T” shave soap is a “croap” with some fantastic scents and a tallow-based formulation that is both “minimalistic” and excellent-performing. Read Sharpologist’s review of WSP’s “Mahogany” shave soap for details. Some Special Cases You may also see the terms melt and pour or glycerin. The term “melt and pour” defines the soap base as a ready-to-use item as opposed to someone saponifying fats and oils themselves: in effect, the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of the process are already complete. Some artisans then add additional ingredients and/or fragrances. Most of the time the prepared bases are made in large production facilities using specialized equipment. You may also see it referred to as a glycerin soap. This is a misnomer however for all shave soaps contain glycerin–it’s a by-product of saponification. Animal Tallow vs. Vegetable