Natural Shaving Soap Bars in Bucks County
The hype about shaving bars
Ever wondered if you could just lather up your regular bar of soap and shave away? Yeah, don’t do that. Please. Has your latest supply of shaving soap been delayed and you’re desperate for a puck to lather? Just curious about what makes your shaving soap work? Read on to expand your understanding of this vital aspect of wet shaving.
With the advent of the internet, how-to videos and recipes for soap-making abound. But if you are setting out to create the perfect lather for a shave, you need to be aware of some vital differences between shaving soap and regular bath soap.
Purpose of Shaving Soap
To understand the differences between shaving soap and bath soap, it is important to know the purpose of shaving soap. Whereas “normal” soap has the primary purpose of dirt removal, shaving soap is different.
- Stable – When creating a lather on a shaving soap, you want to ensure that the lather is stable so it can last through the whole shave — including multiple passes. Oftentimes canned foams or regular soaps will lather, but it dissipates quickly.
- Slick – Another purpose of shaving soap is slickness. It is important that the lather allows the blade to glide easily over the skin to reduce irritation.
- Hydrating – Soap can often be drying. Shaving soaps are formulated to reduce this outcome by including moisturizing agents. These ingredients are also good for softening the whiskers which aid in a perfect shave.
Ingredients in Shaving Soap
The following ingredients are often found in recipes for shaving soap as they are used to create the desired outcome.
- For slickness – In addition to aiding instability, the high stearic acid also provides a slickness to the lather. Other ingredients that are known to contribute to glide are castor oil, glycerin, kaolin clay, & shea butter.
- For hydration – Because soap can often have a drying effect, it is important to include moisturizing agents in your shave soap. Common humectants are allantoin, aloe vera, argan oil, avocado oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, goat’s milk, jojoba oil, kokum butter, lanolin, mango seed butter, olive oil.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of shaving soap ingredients, but it gives you an idea of some common ingredients and their uses.
So, just lathering up with a bar of your favorite bath soap will lead to some disappointing results. It likely won’t provide the thick, stable lather that you need for multiple passes. It won’t provide lubrication and glide for the blade, resulting in nicks, cuts, & irritation. Additionally, it will be drying to your sensitive skin since it doesn’t contain the necessary moisture and nourishing that a shaving soap can provide. Sounds like a good day to thank an artisan for the fabulous shaving soaps available today, don’t ya think?
Shmutzies makes shaving bars in amazing scents like Coconut Lavender, Sweet Pea, and Chocolate that nourish your skin and allow for a clean, close shave. With its main ingredients of kaolin clay and glycerin, you are sure to get a natural, handmade shaving soap that your skin will love.