The changing dynamic of purchasing shaving soaps and creams

When I started wet shaving about 10 years ago, I didn't know much about the products I was using and certainly nothing about artisan shaving soap makers. In fact, my first shaving soap and shaving cream were both Caswell-Massey and both were, to be kind about it, awful.  (There might be children watching otherwise I'd tell you what I really think of them. ) The first artisan soap I tried was Mama Bear, which irritated my skin, followed by The Shave Den's products which just didn't work for me.  Then came the revelation of some of the better mainline and artisan products like Taylor of Old Bond Street and Geo. F. Trumper (mainline) and Prairie Creations and Ginger's Garden (artisan) and there has been no looking back.  Artisans like Barrister & Mann, Mickey Lee's Soapworks, Dapper Dragon, Mike's Naturals, and others have truly upped the ante for incredible shaving soaps.  So much so that with the exception of I Coloniali Mango Shaving Cream, which is really a soap, I rarely look at mainline soaps anymore.  Creams, however, are a different story for me.  Artisan creams seem to be fewer than mainline and some of the mainline creams, from inexpensive to high end, are superb for both performance and scent.  Creams like TOBS Grapefruit, I Coloniali Rhubarb, MEM from Israel, and so many others make lathering up almost foolproof.  Because of this I generally, though not always, look to mainline products for my shaving creams and artisans for my soaps.

Is there anyone else who has been wet shaving as long as I have, or longer, found that their buying habits of soaps and creams have changed over the years or have they remained pretty static?

When I started wet shaving about 10 years ago, I didn't know much about the products I was using and certainly nothing about artisan shaving soap makers. In fact, my first shaving soap and shaving cream were both Caswell-Massey and both were, to be kind about it, awful.  (There might be children watching otherwise I'd tell you what I really think of them. ) The first artisan soap I tried was Mama Bear, which irritated my skin, followed by The Shave Den's products which just didn't work for me.  Then came the revelation of some of the better mainline and artisan products like Taylor of Old Bond Street and Geo. F. Trumper (mainline) and Prairie Creations and Ginger's Garden (artisan) and there has been no looking back.  Artisans like Barrister & Mann, Mickey Lee's Soapworks, Dapper Dragon, Mike's Naturals, and others have truly upped the ante for incredible shaving soaps.  So much so that with the exception of I Coloniali Mango Shaving Cream, which is really a soap, I rarely look at mainline soaps anymore.  Creams, however, are a different story for me.  Artisan creams seem to be fewer than mainline and some of the mainline creams, from inexpensive to high end, are superb for both performance and scent.  Creams like TOBS Grapefruit, I Coloniali Rhubarb, MEM from Israel, and so many others make lathering up almost foolproof.  Because of this I generally, though not always, look to mainline products for my shaving creams and artisans for my soaps.

Is there anyone else who has been wet shaving as long as I have, or longer, found that their buying habits of soaps and creams have changed over the years or have they remained pretty static?

I haven't been wet shaving for as long as you have (started in February 2012), but I've gotten to the point that it takes a lot to get my attention. I just don't buy that much product anymore, both because I have LOTS of it (and am trying to get rid of it) and because my overall take is that, once you really use top-tier products that work for you, the differences between their performance will be minimal. I can MAKE any scent that I'm particularly looking for and cannot find, so it's generally a matter of some artisan doing something really fascinating.

For instance, my most recent purchase was a tin of Bufflehead soap. I was intrigued both by its replacement of coconut oil with palm kernel oil (something with which I'd like to experiment a bit myself) and its use of duck fat, which is unique among shaving soaps. It's extremely good stuff, if a little finicky, but that's the only soap or cream I've bought in the last............oh, maybe 7 months now? Aftershaves are a totally different story, though; my skin is so sensitive that I'm constantly researching new aftershaves and ingredients in pursuit of the perfect formula for my skin. I'm getting close.

I think people like the smaller artisan products more for several reasons. I believe there's more variety and the prices tend to be a lot cheaper. for example, a typical tub of GFT will run you $25-$30, whereas a comparable soap/cream from a smaller artisan will run you $10-$15. also, I think people like the fact that a lot of the smaller artisan shops out there are very active within the community. You don't see GFT or TOBS really interacting with their client base on facebook or in forums.

I agree, the closer the vendor is to the user, the more likely people are to move to them.  When I started out, I stuck only with the older soap makers, but most are set and stick to the tried and true.  I recently opened up my soap hopper and I don't have a single vendor over 4 years old and I'm more than fine with that.

I agree, the closer the vendor is to the user, the more likely people are to move to them.  When I started out, I stuck only with the older soap makers, but most are set and stick to the tried and true.  I recently opened up my soap hopper and I don't have a single vendor over 4 years old and I'm more than fine with that.

the only reason I have any larger brand creams is because there aren't many artisans that make a shaving cream right now. creams load a lot easier for me with how hard my water is.

Interesting topic Freddy. I also have not been wet shaving as long as you, but just started my seventh year. Like Will it takes a lot to get my attention.

I Split my soap usage probably 50/50 between artisans and the old chestnuts. Last week was typical with one day each of MWF, Palmolive, Dr. Jon's Hydra, Cella, Reef Point sublime, RazoRock Don Marco and Dr. Harris Arlington.

For a long time, I would find a soap that I particularly liked and use it as my primary lather tool for a long time. Tabac, MWF, Mike's Natural, RazoRock Zi Peppino,, Arko, Palmolive and Soap Commander have all seen seasons where they were the "go to" soap. I'm more likely to do this in the winter when I'm looking for good moisturizing qualities.

Sometimes I'll enjoy periods of shave cream useage, particularly Indian and Bulgarian creams which have unique scents and perform wonderfully.

I've read some old threads dating back to the start of shave forums and realize what a challenge it was simply to find product in the U.S. and yet a few years later when I started there were a lot ot choices. Today I"m amazed at how many wonderful products that are available - particularly with the artisan movement.

When I started wet shaving about 10 years ago, I didn't know much about the products I was using and certainly nothing about artisan shaving soap makers. In fact, my first shaving soap and shaving cream were both Caswell-Massey and both were, to be kind about it, awful.  (There might be children watching otherwise I'd tell you what I really think of them. ) The first artisan soap I tried was Mama Bear, which irritated my skin, followed by The Shave Den's products which just didn't work for me.  Then came the revelation of some of the better mainline and artisan products like Taylor of Old Bond Street and Geo. F. Trumper (mainline) and Prairie Creations and Ginger's Garden (artisan) and there has been no looking back.  Artisans like Barrister & Mann, Mickey Lee's Soapworks, Dapper Dragon, Mike's Naturals, and others have truly upped the ante for incredible shaving soaps.  So much so that with the exception of I Coloniali Mango Shaving Cream, which is really a soap, I rarely look at mainline soaps anymore.  Creams, however, are a different story for me.  Artisan creams seem to be fewer than mainline and some of the mainline creams, from inexpensive to high end, are superb for both performance and scent.  Creams like TOBS Grapefruit, I Coloniali Rhubarb, MEM from Israel, and so many others make lathering up almost foolproof.  Because of this I generally, though not always, look to mainline products for my shaving creams and artisans for my soaps.

Is there anyone else who has been wet shaving as long as I have, or longer, found that their buying habits of soaps and creams have changed over the years or have they remained pretty static?

My experience is similar. When I started shaving with a DE about twenty years ago, the exotic soaps were Trumper, TOBS, and DR Harris, pretty much, and even Proraso was exotic. There were few if any artisans. Yesterday I was at Pasteur, a pharmacy here in New York that is like the world's greatest toy store for shaving nerds such as myself. Artisan products claim far more shelf space than the mainline brands. And I find that I am drawn to the artisans over the big boys. I love the idea of supporting small businesspeople. And the products are excellent. I have not tried an artisan soap that I disliked. I have preferences, but it's remarkable how so many artisans are making so many great soaps, aftershaves, etc. There will always be room in my shave den for Proraso, Tabac, Palmolive but the things the artisans are doing place them ahead of the old guard for my money.

I started wet shaving about five years ago. At that time, many of the soaps available were traditional soaps and creams: DR Harris, GF Trumper, TOBS, and Proraso. Although they worked OK, I was never entirely satisfied. Then I started using some of the soaps from artisans like Barrister and Mann and Wholly Kaw. I considered them to be an improvement on the traditional products, but still did not consider them to be exactly what I wanted. Beginning about three years ago, I set out on a quest to find the very best shaving products available. That journey has progressed through about 190 different soaps representing over 90 different soap bases. About two years ago, a number of new artisans entered the market. Some of those products were excellent, some less so. Around the beginning of 2019, products began entering the marketplace that started to fulfill my desire for a superb soap. At the beginning of 2020, some of the artisans started upgrading their soaps to provide everything I was looking for in a soap. Some of these soaps are truly spectacular in their performance. It seems that the top artisans are competing for "king of the mountain" in soap performance, so they are learning from each other and driving each other onward to produce even better soaps. This is a great time to be a wet shaver. There are many skin friendly ingredients being used in today's artisan soaps that were unheard of when I began wet shaving five years ago. My sensitive skin is grateful.

Ironically, for the first time in quite a few years, I purchased a mainline shaving soap, D.R. Harris Marlborough.  I love the Marlborough scent in the aftershave and cologne but was always worried that the soap wouldn't measure up.  I used it for the first time this morning and was very pleasantly surprised on all counts.  The scent was strong, whipping up a decent lather was easy, the lather was protective, and post shave my skin wasn't dry.  Obviously, I'm pleased with my purchase but I believe D.R. Harris to be the exception to the rule of the lowering standards of British mainline soaps over the years.  Today's artisans are amazing and come in at a variety of price points.  Just to name a few, Wickham Soap Co. 1912 series, Stirling Soap Co., Barrister and Mann, Mike's Naturals, Chiseled Face, and, in the aftershave, eau de toilette, perfume category, Chatillon Lux, as well as so many more.

I own about 180 soaps. I started out buying Mitchell's wool fat, pre de provence, tabac, trumpers, tobs. They are all fantastic and i still use them but i really only buy artisan soaps now because of the scents and prices of them.