Choosing a shaving soap has never been such a luxury problem as it is today. The product that has been around for hundreds of years is rapidly gaining popularity. The choice and quality available today gives ample reason to give it a try. Shaving soap is still the most durable shaving product that also manages to produce the finest lather.
Still, you can't lump all shaving soaps together, hihi. There are also important differences among shaving soaps that you can consider when making a choice. There is no one best choice. Every shaving soap is different and one is not necessarily better than another. It depends entirely on your personal preferences. If you want to be able 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 it is 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).
Tallow-based shaving soaps.
These are the traditional shaving soaps that have been around for hundreds of years. Tallow is a product usually made from the fat of a bovine animal. It is a byproduct from which soap has been made for hundreds of years. It contains many good fatty acids, so it also works to moisturize our skin. It is easy and cheap to make and lasts a long time. The fatty sebum provides good protection for the skin when shaving, thus reducing the risk of wounds. Because animal products are used in it, you do see these soaps less and less.
Vegan shaving soap
Tallow-free shaving soaps are usually made from coconut oil, palm oil or argan oil. Glycerin is often added to these as well. This is very suitable for men with more sensitive or drier skin. Glycerin has very moisturizing properties. Because no animal products are used in them, they are called vegan shaving soaps. These soaps are also high quality nowadays. If you want some extra hydration while 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 it almost starts to look like a cream. These are also called croapes. There are a few key differences between these soaps.
Hard shaving soaps
Hard shaving soaps (tripple milled soaps) are known to last a very long time. The soaps are put through a molding process several times which removes all the moisture from the soap. The result is then a highly concentrated bar of soap. These produce a wonderfully thick and rich lather which is actually incomparable to that of a soft shaving soap. The downside is that it takes more time to make a lather with these soaps. For beginners, for example, this can be a bit more difficult. By the way, this is by no means true of all hard shaving soaps. Some hard shaving soaps also lather up very easily.
Semi-hard shaving soaps
Less moisture is ground from these shaving soaps, resulting in a somewhat softer shaving soap. This takes less work and is therefore cheaper to make. These shaving soaps are often a bit easier to lather up and are often the first soaps people try when first starting wet shaving. The softer soaps often have a stronger scent because there is more moisture in them.
Soft shaving soap (croap).
These shaving soaps are again softer than semi-hard shaving soaps and fall together under the soft shaving soaps. These are even easier to lather up but also go through faster. You can also get very good shaving soaps from these soft shaving soaps.
Making the right choice
Of course, choosing a shaving soap remains a very personal choice. Are you just starting out with wet shaving? Then try a soft or semi-hard shaving soap. Do you easily suffer from dry skin? Then choose a shaving soap with glycerin. Do you want your shaving soap to last a long time and have the best lather? Then go for a hard shaving soap. Tallow-based shaving soaps produce a nice creamy lather but are made from animal products. If that's a problem you can opt for the vegan varieties.