What Are Your Soap Buying Habits?

Nice topic!

I find that my soap buying habits change from time to time. When I started wet shaving I bought a couple of soaps that were considered "classic", like MWF. Then there was a period of intense buying of whatever sounded nice. After that my interest turned to hardware and stopped software purchases. Following, I started with shavettes and my interest in soaps revived in order to find one (or more) with better slickness for helping me with the shavettes.

During this period I bought some pretty expensive stuff like MdC, Pannacrema etc. but (re)discovered that what sounded good did not always suit my skin or nose. Surely, I had seen this in the past as well but then I was trying out mostly budget soaps so I didn't give it much attention. On the latter phase though such mistakes cost (a lot) more so it taught me a lesson.

This last phase was about 6 months ago. Since then I only bought a Speick stick and my rotation includes about 3-4 soaps - if not less - out of the whole "collection". I figured I have all kinds of soaps to last for a very long period, which match my skin and I really like their scent. Sure there are new soaps coming out every day and perhaps some of my favorites won't be in production when I finish them but I don't mind. When the time comes I'm sure I'll find something that suits me. After all, by no means are we lacking variety. Problem is, this soap buying pause has turned me back to hardware, which can be quite expensive!

I just don’t see it that way anymore.  I used too, but not anymore.  Even if you couldn’t care less about ingredients and don’t believe in the artisans quality vs mass made stuff, it still pretty darn cheap!  

Let’s go with Wholly Kaw who’s pretty darn expensive - say $25.00. Well, I know I can get at least 100 shaves out of a tub making each shave $0.25.  That’s pretty reasonable if you ask me.  The toilet paper I use in a day costs more!  Of course there’s a ton of great artisan soaps under $25.00.

Anyway, outside of the cost per shave, and anything else, I also get enormous pleasure from fragrance. That’s worth an extra 5 cents a shave for me.  YMMV and does of course.

The $25.00 would buy a lot of cheap tallow shaving sticks + several decent aftershaves. As for the TP use corn cobs or get a bidet.

I've only been DE shaving since January but I've developed some thoughts on how I want to purchase soaps and why. I'm not a big scent guy. I don't want to retch when I smell a soap but neither do I fall in love with a scent and got to have it. As long as it's pleasant I'm OK with it. I've found that I very rarely even notice the scent once I start shaving. For that reason, I don't need to accumulate a lot of different scents from a maker. I buy mostly on base performance. I've based my most recent purchases of full tubs on the samples I tried or what I've read on the forums and reviews. After saying I'm not big on scents, I have to contradict myself. I just ordered the Barrister&Man collaboration with WCS, Baudelaire. Ruds described it as smelling like depravity. I had to try that to see if it lines up with my memories.

I like to shave with the same soap for a week. Then I switch off.

This is currently what I have based on memory:

WSP - 2  One Formula T and one Rustic. These were the first shaving soaps I bought over a year before switching to a DE razor. I like the operation and he does a wonderful job with the scents. Not overpowering. I'll probably add one more, Olympus.

Barrister & Man - 2 Reserve bases plus 1 Excelsior on the way from WCS.

Wholy Kaw - 2 Donkey Milk

GD - 2  A Janus Vegan and a Lusso base

Noble Otter - 2

Siliski  2  I liked what I read about the maker and took a flyer on these. Not bad

Murphy & Mcneil -  2

Fitjar Islands - 1  Slatteroy   I liked the idea of ordering something from a small place in Norway. Great smell. Good balm also. Maybe the only soap I have that I would buy again based on smell alone.


I'm putting together a Christmas list already. I'm not sure who will be on that list but probably Tallow and Steel and Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations. May look to add an SV soap with their new 4.3 base.

That would probably do it for me. A nice representative sample of artisan soaps in mostly top performing bases.

It is interesting that you use one soap for a week. After thinking about it I believe there is an absolute benefit to it and that is getting to know how to use a particular soap. Soaps and creams differ in how to make a good lather. For instance, some soaps require enormous amounts of water. I have found that softer soap are water hogs. Hopefully this thread made you aware of what is good for you. I also read ingredients more now because certain spices such as Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Ginger can sting your face in some instances. Before I began reading ingredients there were soaps that made my face sting. When that happens I only do 2 passes. I find the third pass is where the ouch happens.

It is interesting to find out what criteria others use in accumulating soap and cream inventories. And as I thought, it changes from time to time.

OK, now I have to amend my previous post and add that sometimes I have to buy a soap just to satisfy my curiosity. So I'm awaiting Sebum Gold soap now.

Let us know what you think churchilllafemme I’m also curious about sebum

Ditto.

OK, now I have to amend my previous post and add that sometimes I have to buy a soap just to satisfy my curiosity.  So I'm awaiting Sebum Gold soap now.

Yes, yes you are right it's out and I must try it. Tomorrow I am going to show a soap in "what did you use today"; I saw it and I had to try it. Do we need help??

Great questions, Tidepool!

Q. Do you purchase soaps as backups so you will always have them?  
A. No. I'm using the soaps I have so slowly that I will most likely always have them. No need for backups.

Q. Are you interested in acquiring all the soaps offered by a single manufacturer?  
A. Yes, but only one soap maker, Le Père Lucien, has got its hooks in me that deep. I'm attracted by LPL's scents. They're usually simple and yet they trigger something nostalgic in me. Maybe it's that great smelling wet cedar note, which reminds me of the shake shingles that clad the homes I grew up in.

Q. If you feel you have more than enough soaps, what will make you purchase more?  
A. Curiosity. Lately I went on a bay rum binge. I bought five soaps and as many aftershaves because I wanted to learn as much as I could about bay rum. Since we can't smell through the internet, and verbal scent descriptions often miss the mark, we've got to get some real soap in our hands before we understand what a fragrance is all about.

Q. What do you rely on, manufacturer's hype, reviews, suggestions from acquaintances, etc?  
A. Online reviews are usually the most helpful, but manufacturers' note lists are also useful.

Q. Other criteria?
A. Sometimes I want to try a medley of soaps from a certain country or region. I'll order a handful of French soaps, for instance, or Italian soaps, or English soaps, to discover what passes for good lather in those parts of the world. To hold my interest, wet shaving has to be more than just scraping hair from my face. For me much of the pleasure of this hobby comes from collecting useful artifacts from around the globe.

Great questions, Tidepool!

Q. Do you purchase soaps as backups so you will always have them?  
A. No. I'm using the soaps I have so slowly that I will most likely always have them. No need for backups.

Q. Are you interested in acquiring all the soaps offered by a single manufacturer?  
A. Yes, but only one soap maker, Le Père Lucien, has got its hooks in me that deep. I'm attracted by LPL's scents. They're usually simple and yet they trigger something nostalgic in me. Maybe it's that great smelling wet cedar note, which reminds me of the shake shingles that clad the homes I grew up in.

Q. If you feel you have more than enough soaps, what will make you purchase more?  
A. Curiosity. Lately I went on a bay rum binge. I bought five soaps and as many aftershaves because I wanted to learn as much as I could about bay rum. Since we can't smell through the internet, and verbal scent descriptions often miss the mark, we've got to get some real soap in our hands before we understand what a fragrance is all about.

Q. What do you rely on, manufacturer's hype, reviews, suggestions from acquaintances, etc?  
A. Online reviews are usually the most helpful, but manufacturers' note lists are also useful.

Q. Other criteria?
A. Sometimes I want to try a medley of soaps from a certain country or region. I'll order a handful of French soaps, for instance, or Italian soaps, or English soaps, to discover what passes for good lather in those parts of the world. To hold my interest, wet shaving has to be more than just scraping hair from my face. For me much of the pleasure of this hobby comes from collecting useful artifacts from around the globe.

Great answers, did you learn something about your buying habits from answering those question?