Wet shaving does not work without shaving foam, shaving soap or shaving gel. The care products before shaving soften the whiskers and prevent irritation of the skin. The razor blade glides better on the skin and the stubble stands up, which makes shaving easier. If you want to make shaving a ritual, you can use shaving soap instead of shaving cream.
Shaving soap: properties and ingredients
Unlike shaving cream, shaving soap has a creamy consistency in the self-test. For this, the shaving soap must be lathered with water and a shaving brush. Experts recommend a shaving brush with badger hair. However, other shaving brushes go just as well. Nevertheless, the production of shaving soap is more complex than the use of shaving foam from the can. But if you use a high-quality shaving brush for this purpose, a whole new luxurious shaving experience is created. Due to the stable shaving foam, even finer beard hairs are particularly well prepared for shaving. The foam of shaving soap has an alkaline value. This means that the facial skin is slightly softened and the beard hairs protrude further from the pores.
The best shaving soap does not need artificial ingredients. For example, oil-based shaving soaps moisturize the skin, but lather less. The scent of shaving soaps can be specifically targeted to men or women. However, shaving soaps with a neutral and less pronounced scent are often offered and gratefully received by both men and women.
Other fragrances in shaving soaps can be:
- Sandalwood
- Avocado Oil
- Coconut oil
- Peppermint oil
- Almond oil
Care substances can be goat’s milk, lanolin, honey, aloe vera gel, herbs, vitamins and medicinal plants. The area in which the shaving soap is used is also defined. Thus, there are shaving soaps for the beard, skin and shaving soap for the intimate area. The more ingredients are included, the greater the risk of skin irritation. Vegans can now find a variety of vegan shaving soaps, which is evident on the packaging. Sensitive shaving soap is free of mineral oil, parabens, artificial colors and silicones. Each manufacturer uses its own recipe for making shaving soap. Started shaving soap should usually be used up within 12 months.
How is shaving soap different from regular soap?
Shaving soap, unlike normal soap with its many surfactants, is not designed to cleanse the skin. The oils used in shaving soap create a stable foam that does not immediately melt like normal soap.
Whip up shaving soap
Long-time users of shaving soap need about 30 seconds to whip up the lather. Soak the shaving brush in warm water for about a minute. Strip off excess water and stroke the brush several times over the crucible of shaving soap until the soap adheres well to the brush and put the soap in the shaving bowl.
Now there are several techniques on how you can whip up the foam. You can stir the soap with the brush, tamp or beat the brush back and forth to create shaving foam. Then apply the shaving foam to the skin with the shaving brush in a circular motion. The exposure time is about three minutes. Shaving soaps without crucible can be lathered directly on the skin. The storage of shaving soap without container is airy in a bag made of organza.
Shaving soap make yourself
Through selected ingredients, a shaving soap can be adapted to your own needs. However, the soap boiling is not completely harmless, because it is worked with corrosive substances. Protective equipment is therefore indispensable.
As a basic recipe is recommended for the preparation of shaving soap:
- 310 g distilled water
- 300 g olive oil
- 450 g coconut oil
- 150 g rapeseed oil
- 100 g castor oil
- 149 g sodium hydroxide
After melting the solid fats in a stainless steel pot, the liquid room-warm oils are added to the mixture and then the whole thing is cooled. Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) is responsible for the saponification. Wear protective gloves, safety glasses and use a high pot to make shaving soap to avoid splashes of the now corrosive suds. Splashes of the soap run will cause burns and burns on the skin and mucous membranes. When you mix the sodium hydroxide with the distilled water, an exothermic reaction occurs. The mixture heats up strongly and pungent vapors are produced, especially at the beginning. Open the window for ventilation!
Once the mixture has cooled down again, add the oils and mix everything with a mixing rod. The soap develops a thick consistency. Now add the care ingredients before you fill the mushy shaving soap into the desired molds. For the next 24 hours, the saponification process takes place under heat. It is best to place the molds in a box lined with towels and blankets. The next day, remove the shaving soap from the molds and cut it into manageable pieces. The soap must now mature for three to four weeks until it can be used.
Shaving soap – the test
Stiftung Warentest has already tested shaving soap in 2014 together with shaving foam, shaving cream and shaving gel. Many users want a new shaving soap test, however, because much has changed since then and new shaving soap has come on the market. Positive is rated that for shaving soap in contrast to shaving cream no propellant gas is needed and the soap is very economical in consumption. Critical substances in the shaving soap test are parabens (mehylparaben/PHB ester), EDTA or mineral oils. From the list of ingredients stearic acid is not to be omitted from shaving soap. It ensures that the foam remains stable and has a creamy consistency. In terms of tolerability, there were no differences between the test products in the test. All were well tolerated. Stiftung Warentest rated shaving soap from Wilkinson Sword as a good alternative to shaving foam.
Shaving soap – are there any alternatives?
A good curd soap makes the beard hair as soft as shaving soap. This does not work with household soap or shampoo.
Buying shaving soap
Some buying criteria are: Since it is predominantly men who shave wet, most shaving soaps have a harsh scent. For women, there are more feminine fragrances. A good shaving soap comes without artificial ingredients that could irritate the skin. Most shaving soaps are moisturizing. They do not dry out the skin. A hard soap takes longer to lather than a softer soap and those who shave daily should inherently choose a larger shaving soap than those who shave infrequently.
Shaving soap in a jar or a shaving soap stick?
Those who do not feel like lathering up shaving soap can resort to a shaving soap stick. The stick is moistened and lathered on the face. Other users scrape off some shaving soap from the stick and lather the soap shavings in a bowl.
What accessories for wet shaving with shaving soap?
- Shaving brush
- Soap dish
- Wet razor or straight razor/razor plane