Choosing a shaving soap has never been such a luxury problem as it is today. The product, which is already hundreds of years old, is rapidly gaining popularity. The choice and quality available today provide ample reason to give it a try. The shaving soap is still the most sustainable shaving product that also produces the most beautiful foam.
However, you cannot categorize all shaving soaps under one comb shaving, haha. There are also important differences among shaving soaps that you can consider when making a choice. There is no single best choice. Each shaving soap is different, and one is not necessarily better than the other. It all depends on your personal preferences. If you want to make the best possible choice when buying a shaving soap, you can look at the following factors.
Ingredients of the shaving soap
The properties of a shaving soap largely depend on which ingredients they are made from. In this way, you can divide shaving soaps into three categories. Shaving Soaps based on tallow or oils with glycerin (vegan shaving soap).
Shaving Soap based on tallow
These are the traditional shaving soaps that have been around for hundreds of years. Tallow is a product usually made from the fat of cattle. It is a byproduct that has been used to make soap for hundreds of years. It contains many good fatty acids and thus also works hydrating on our skin. It is easy and cheap to make and lasts a long time. The greasy tallow provides good protection for the skin during shaving, reducing the chance of cuts. Because animal products are used, you see these soaps less and less.
Vegan shaving soap
Shaving Soaps without tallow are usually made based on coconut oil, palm oil, or argan oil. Glycerin is often added to this. This is very suitable for men with a more sensitive or drier skin. Glycerin has very hydrating properties. Because no animal products are used, they are called vegan shaving soaps. These soaps are also of high quality nowadays. If you want some extra hydration during shaving, these soaps are very suitable.
Hard or soft shaving soaps
Not all shaving soaps are hard. You also have some softer shaving soaps. Some are even so soft that they almost start to resemble a cream. This is also called croapes. There are a few important differences between these soaps.
Hard shaving soaps
Hard shaving soaps (triple milled soaps) are known for lasting a very long time. The soaps are put through a milling process multiple times, removing all moisture from the soap. The result is a very concentrated piece of soap. These produce a wonderfully thick and rich lather that is actually incomparable to that of a soft shaving soap. The downside is that it takes more time to create a lather with these soaps. For beginners, this can be somewhat more challenging. However, this is no longer true for all hard shaving soaps. Some hard shaving soaps also lather very easily.
Semi-hard shaving soaps
Less moisture is milled out of these shaving soaps, resulting in a somewhat softer shaving soap. This requires less work and is therefore cheaper to make. These shaving soaps are often easier to lather and are often the first soaps people try when they first start wet shaving. The softer soaps often have a stronger scent because there is more moisture in the soaps.
Soft Shaving Soap (croap)
These shaving soaps are even softer than semi-hard shaving soaps and fall under the soft shaving soaps. These are even easier to lather but also get used up faster. There are also very good shaving soaps available among these soft shaving soaps.
Making the Right Choice
Choosing a shaving soap is, of course, a very personal choice. Are you just starting with wet shaving? Then try a soft or semi-hard shaving soap. Do you quickly suffer from dry skin? Then choose a shaving soap with glycerin. Do you want to use your shaving soap for a long time and have the best lather? Then go for a hard shaving soap. Shaving Soaps based on tallow produce a nice creamy lather but are made from animal products. If that's a problem, you can choose the vegan variants.