ingredients which make or break a soap

Hi guys I was wondering what ingredients ( Shea butter, mango butter, Lanolin, Tallow, olive oil, jojoba oil, clay etc) make a noticible improvement in your shaving experience. I am aware that many soaps contain a range of the aforementioned ingredients, however, in your opinion is there that one ingredient that consistently raises the level of your shave?

While most of my soaps are Tallow, I'm still going to go with Shea Butter as the ingredient that seems to show up in almost all of the soaps I enjoy.

Manna Ash (tree sap resin extract)

Mango butter is darn nice as well!

Large amounts of saponified olive oil generally make for a poor shaving soap.

I'd agree with shea butter as an added ingredient that always seems to make for a better post shave feel at least. Stearic acid (helps make good lather) and a good amount of glycerin seems to help.

Cheers, Steve

Ingredients that make a soap Better: Tallow, Lanolin, Butters (Shea, Kokum, Cocoa), Coconut Milk, Jojoba Oil

A little known and EXTREMELY dangerous component to gather is the key:




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S5PYj60gZU

Based on experience making soaps, I can tell you that most ingredients can yield a quality soap if used correctly and combined with other good ingredients. As mentioned above, olive oil has been associated with many subpar soaps, yet when done correctly it too can yield a quality soap. I hear Cold River Soapworks has a good olive based soap for example.

One of my favorite ingredients for soap making is Castor Oil. It's rarely discussed on the forums but you will find it in many of the best shave soaps and bath soaps. I include castor oil in all my batches, which are mostly bath and facial soaps, but I have made shave soaps and I believe castor is one of my most essential ingredients. Another ingredient I tend to use a lot is shea butter. Once again, I find formulas that include shea tend to be in my top favorites.

A soap that doesn't contain a lot of these butters is kind of a turn off for me. I prefer my soaps to be moisturizing, so the more exotic butter it has, the better. Simple soaps is nice and all, but I like soaped fatted soaps better.