Quality bath soap- is it really worth it?

[Capt America]

Ok- so I've been debating trying some different bath soap. I've mainly just used stuff like Irish Spring, Dial, etc. I don't have any problems with these. I usually adhere to the idea of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

However, I see a lot of rave reviews about some soaps(Issy's seems to be getting a whole lot of love around here, Nancy Boy seems to get a lot of good reviews as well. I hear there are some good goat milk soaps as well).

My question to you soap connoisseurs- being that I'm currently content with the current Wal-Mart soaps, if I were to try one of these handmade bath soaps, would I really be wowed by the difference?


Yes, I'm a cheapskate and that instantly that makes me hesitant.

[herzi]

Hi Kevin,

yes they are definitely worth it if you have rather dry skin like me. For others I don't know.
I think you should give them a try. I would recommend you a cold process soap like Olivia's soaps.
I have to recommend Olivia's soaps as I don't know the American soap manufacturer's products.

Take care.

[moviemaniac]

Well, if you love to use products that are loaded with sometimes "dangerous" chemical agents, parabens, SLS and many more then you're welcome to continue using those "cheap" soaps. If you persist on using stuff that's more or less good for you and doesn't contain questionable substances, then a "quality" bar of soap is the way to go.

[sparky5693]

Yes, a good cp soap will wow you. I haven't used a commercial "detergent bar" since.

[Mottern Man]

I have one thing to say.



GET ISSY'S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[peacefrog]

Isn't it worth a few bucks to give it a try?

[Sejanus]

Hey Issy's. GET ISSY'S!!!

You will never go back..

[Austin]

You can actually find some nice soaps at TJ Maxx. I prefer Italian soaps and have been lucky to find them there.

[Michael]

Agreed. Absolutely!

[rick]

Dr. Bronner's
are excellent as well

$2.50 a bar at Trader Joe's and they last a vurra long time

[Capt America]

How long do CP soaps last?

I was personally thinking of going with Nancy Boy, as I've heard their soap is really good and also last a while as they are heftily sized.


Just still a bit hesitant....

[Sejanus]

How long do CP soaps last?

I was personally thinking of going with Nancy Boy, as I've heard their soap is really good and also last a while as they are heftily sized.


Just still a bit hesitant....

A bar of Issy's lasts me probably.. 2-3 weeks of showering every day. They are BIG.

[Capt America]

Has anyone ever used Mistral bath soap? Is it any good?

[Michael]

Just do it, man! It's soap.

Four bars, Lavender, Italian. Nice, $5.99, Marshall's. (Sorry for the bad pic.)

[Bronco]

You can actually find some nice soaps at TJ Maxx. I prefer Italian soaps and have been lucky to find them there.

+3 A lot of great triple milled there for $3.99-$6.99.

Try the almond scents....

[qhsdoitall]

I know my skin has been a lot better since I stopped using commercial soaps. I used a couple of different bars of commercial soap for about a month not too long ago. Had to use up old stock and my skin was not happy. Went back to Issy's and Dr. Bonner's and back to feeling good. +1 on the Marshall's and T.J. Max bargains. You can get some really nice triple milled soaps for next to nothing.

[JayKay]

Anybody ever try body wash gels and a loofa (sp?). I've been using that and citris-y soaps for a while now and absolutely love them. All those commercial soaps dry my skin and leave me feeling dry and itchy. I spend 5$ on a bar of shea butter soap from a spa that was sold by C.O. Biggelow. It left me feeling worse than the cheap bars, but smelt much better.

[mercV12]

I bought some Olive Oil soap from Isreal....WOW! Who knew!! It wasn't cheap but that olive green cubed soap was the best thing since sliced bread. If you really want to try something that goes way beyond your expectations, try this Olive Oil soap from Isreal. :D

I got some Avacado Oil soap today from Temecula Valley Cheese Company today. It was made by a local. Very nice.

[sparky5693]

Once you try a good soap, it's hard to ever go back to the bars we find at the local walmart. :sick007

[jramire2]

Keep in mind that a quality bath soap doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be high $.

There are some very good soaps out there that are better quality "real" soaps (no SLS) that are cheap. Yardley (US version, not the $$$ kind shavingessenitals sells) is like $1 for 2 or 4 and is great. Marseille soaps can be found on the cheap if you look, and yes Marshalls/TJ Maxx have some good bargains.

But if you really want to try some hand crafted CP soaps then the best bargain will likely be found on ebay. I've tried several vendors, picking up a "scratch & dent" or "grab bag" lot just to try their product on the cheap, and then if I like it I'll buy a loaf of whatever scent I like.

I just picked up 30 bars of odds & ends CP handmade superfatted soap from an ebay vendor and have been very happy w/my purchase (paid about $1/5 oz bar). Lucked out and most were unscented superfatted olive oil soaps, but I also got a few bay rum & lime as well. Are they as good as Issy soaps? No, they're probably not, but they work for me and I didn't pay $7-$9 for a bar that will last 3 weeks.

[MaxP]

You can actually find some nice soaps at TJ Maxx. I prefer Italian soaps and have been lucky to find them there.

Seems like whenever I'm at the TJ Max, there's nothing to find. Maybe if I add another x to my name...

[IsaacRN]

Ill chime in with this....

When i started buying quality bath soaps, I thought six a bar is ridiculous. Now that ive actually used them I really believe they are worth every penny.

Here are my reasons

You support a person that is a true artisan in a craft rather than a corporation. You also have a better product all around than what you get with a Irish Spring or Dial bar in my humble opinion.

I can personally state.....that when my skin started feeling dry up here in NY, I bought a few bars of Issy's 100% Olive Oil and it pretty much took care of that situation. Properly storing a bar, you can easily make it to a few weeks per bar. So the cost is worth it, again in my opinion. There are scents out there that many crafters are willing to make for you...to personalize your personal time in the morning or night.

I have over 30 bars of various soap makers including Issy and Suzie. YOu do yourself an injustice if you dont at least purchase one bar to see what all the rave is about. Your skin and significant other might thank you for it.

Of course..the disclaimer of YMMV must apply

[019]

I was in the same boat as you, thinking that these bars of soap were way too expensive. However my skin was really dry during winter and I wanted to try something that would help. My first adventure was with a Savon de Marseilles, which was great. Then started looking into more olive oil soaps and finally settled on trying Issy's 100% Olive Oil soap and never looked back! I can go around 2 months on a bar and it is incredible. My skin definitely feels less itchy and less dry than it used to be. Now I am starting to try some of Issy's other soaps but the 100% OO is still one of my favorite.

Give it a try (it's cheaper than your average shaving soap/cream ;)) and you won't regret it!

[jramire2]

Ill chime in with this....

When i started buying quality bath soaps, I thought six a bar is ridiculous. Now that ive actually used them I really believe they are worth every penny.

Here are my reasons

You support a person that is a true artisan in a craft rather than a corporation. You also have a better product all around than what you get with a Irish Spring or Dial bar in my humble opinion.

I can personally state.....that when my skin started feeling dry up here in NY, I bought a few bars of Issy's 100% Olive Oil and it pretty much took care of that situation. Properly storing a bar, you can easily make it to a few weeks per bar. So the cost is worth it, again in my opinion. There are scents out there that many crafters are willing to make for you...to personalize your personal time in the morning or night.

I have over 30 bars of various soap makers including Issy and Suzie. YOu do yourself an injustice if you dont at least purchase one bar to see what all the rave is about. Your skin and significant other might thank you for it.

Of course..the disclaimer of YMMV must apply

I was in the same boat as you, thinking that these bars of soap were way too expensive. However my skin was really dry during winter and I wanted to try something that would help. My first adventure was with a Savon de Marseilles, which was great. Then started looking into more olive oil soaps and finally settled on trying Issy's 100% Olive Oil soap and never looked back! I can go around 2 months on a bar and it is incredible. My skin definitely feels less itchy and less dry than it used to be. Now I am starting to try some of Issy's other soaps but the 100% OO is still one of my favorite.

Give it a try (it's cheaper than your average shaving soap/cream ;)) and you won't regret it!

I agree with both of you that artisan soaps are better quality and can be customized, as opposed to the walmart variety of soaps, which I would agree is worth more $ than your standard soap.

In regards to my comment about Issy soaps, yes I've tried Issy soaps, and they are (IMO) the pinnacle of artisan soaps, and have unbelievably good skincare. That being said, even after how great my skin felt using them, I have not reordered any more soap. I think they're great soaps, but as a person who spent most of his life spending $5-7 for a 12 pack of soaps, spending $7 for one bar is just a little hard to swallow. And I think the author of this thread, who considers himself a cheapskate, is probably in the same boat as me.

So, once I found that artisan CP soaps were better for my skin, and I wanted to avoid any products/shower gels w/SLS, I decided to try and find a balance between better quality soaps and price. I've had pretty good luck finding good quality (artisan or hq french milled soaps from local retailers) soaps for under $3/bar. One of our Mods (Mike, msandoval858) even has a post in the selling/trading section selling some (IMO) very good CP soaps at very good prices. He's got 80% oo soaps that are wonderful, and his tallow/cocoa/shea butter soap is excellent (I have yet to try his 40% oo soap) and last a good long time. For someone who has no experience w/handcrafted soaps, these soaps might be a good and cheap way to test the waters on some definitely above par quality soaps. Are these soaps as good as Issy soaps, no not quite. But they're definitely a solid middle of the road artisan soap.

[jnich67]

Don't forget to try Colleen's CP bath soaps from TGQ. They are outstanding and I'll throw in another plug for Issy's.

Jordan

[Michael]

I was in the same boat as you, thinking that these bars of soap were way too expensive. However my skin was really dry during winter and I wanted to try something that would help. My skin definitely feels less itchy and less dry than it used to be.

I've never been one who cared about what kind of soap I used. Dial, Ivory, whatever I found at the grocery store. When I "discovered" shaving again and started frequenting the forums, I found myself becoming more interested in other grooming items...soap, for instance.

Over the past few months, I've tried quite a few Italian, French and English soaps, some of Issy's as well as Raf's and Mike's CP soap. While the scents are much nicer than Irish Spring (ugh!), I still didn't get it. Recently though, it struck me that this is the first winter I can recall where my skin hasn't constantly ITCHED!!! :happy088

Yes, a bar of the good stuff costs more. However, it also lasts longer. I don't even care about that...I'm just happy not to have to carry a back scratcher with me wherever I go!

I have definitely purchased my last bar of grocery store soap!

[sparky5693]

I've never been one who cared about what kind of soap I used. Dial, Ivory, whatever I found at the grocery store. When I "discovered" shaving again and started frequenting the forums, I found myself becoming more interested in other grooming items...soap, for instance.

Over the past few months, I've tried quite a few Italian, French and English soaps, some of Issy's as well as Raf's and Mike's CP soap. While the scents are much nicer than Irish Spring (ugh!), I still didn't get it. Recently though, it struck me that this is the first winter I can recall where my skin hasn't constantly ITCHED!!! :happy088

Yes, a bar of the good stuff costs more. However, it also lasts longer. I don't even care about that...I'm just happy not to have to carry a back scratcher with me wherever I go!

I have definitely purchased my last bar of grocery store soap!

For me. it's been the cracking of my hands. My job is rough on my hands, and the cold weather makes it even worse, often to the point of bleeding. Since I gave up the grocery store soap, my hands are much improved.

[TstebinsB]

Maybe I don't drink enough water but every bath bar has made me very dry. I'm still searching for something that works.

[Baloosh]

I just picked up 30 bars of odds & ends CP handmade superfatted soap from an ebay vendor and have been very happy w/my purchase (paid about $1/5 oz bar).

Which ebay vendor? Got a link?

[crackstar]

I generally use Camus goat's milk soap for the shower, or De Vergulde Hand shower soap, because I love the scent of both of them, as well as the skincare. Greek olive oil soap is also good, although the scent is sort of weird.

[Empty_One]

Ill chime in with this....

Properly storing a bar, you can easily make it to a few weeks per bar. So the cost is worth it, again in my opinion.

Having never done anything other than throw the bar of Ivory on the shelf in the shower, what is the best way to store a bar of soap so it lasts?

[IsaacRN]

Keep it out of water...plain and simple

You can buy a little wooden soap rack to store it outside the shower, or some suction wire rack for inside the shower. The main thing is that any type of storage vessell has to allow for water drainage. If the soap sits in the water...you get the breakdown.

[Queen of Blades]

Welcome to The Shave Den, Empty One!

Don't forget to sign up for the Newbie Give-Away (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6440)!

[mastermute]

Welcome Empty_One!

[soapbuddy]

Welcome to The Shave Den, Empty One!

If you haven't tried handmade soaps, you don't know what you're missing! :)

[Exeter]

one of Issy's soaps is going to last you a lot longer than even two or three of your bars of Dial or Irish Spring, and you're not even paying that much more

and the scent? well...light years beyond

[Mottern Man]

and the scent? well...light years beyond

That and what it dose for your skin is fan-tas-tic.