Best Shaving Soaps: As Old School As It Gets

by Garrick Dee | Last Updated: June 15th, 2020

A shaving soap may be the secret to luxurious shaves that men look for.

In fact, you don’t need to go to a barber to get a world-class shave when you use this.

But having a world-class shave starts with having the right tools like a safety razor.

Whether you choose safety, cartridge, or electric razor will all boil down to personal preference.

But there’s another essential tool is a protective agent that helps the blade glide over the skin.

Most men will go for a shaving cream or shaving gel because it’s widely available in pharmacies and groceries.

That’s all well and good, but if you want a great shave, you have to consider trying a shaving soap.

We’ll look into the best shaving soaps that will provide a smooth layer of lubrication that will protect your skin from unnecessary cuts.

Shaving soap is an old school product.

This product is one of the oldest shaving products that exist. It’s been in production since the early 19th century and peaked in popularity during the 1950s but died down after.

But it’s making a comeback thanks to a new generation of wet shavers who want to bring back old school.

Men who want to experience the purest form of old school shaving should try this.

What is a shaving soap?

Shaving soaps function like shaving cream – hydrates, protects, and provide lubrication on the skin while you shave.

It protects your skin from friction caused by direct contact of the blade to the surface and helps keep it hydrated through the shaving process and afterward to prevent irritation, ingrown hair, and razor burn.

The very best products which I’ll share in this article will provide a creamy lather, slick lubricity, and great post-shave that’ll protect the skin from drying up.

Even if you’re a beginner, this product is worth looking at.

There are two types of shaving soaps:

1. Triple Milled

Triple-milled soaps are the hardest because it went through the mill three times.

What does this mean?

It just means that after coming out of the mold, the manufacturer will break it apart again and run it through the milling process again, twice. This process increases density and supposedly makes it last longer.

Many brands claim to be “high end” because they used the triple-milled process, but that’s not the only basis.

This is just one way of manufacturing this product and shouldn’t be the only criteria you look at.

The most significant advantage of a triple-milled soap would be longevity – a puck will last for a few months. But it’ll take the longest to prep because you’ll have to soak it in hot water before creating a decent lather.

2. Softsoap or “Italian style” soap (some call this a “croap”)

Soft soaps are softer and have a “putty-like” consistency that makes it easier to load compared to a hard triple-milled soap.

Which of the two is better?

If you don’t have the time it takes to prep a hard soap, then go with the “croap” because it takes less than a minute to load.

But some brands do not require any soaking at all. One brand that comes to mind is the D.R. Harris – one of the oldest brands in wet shaving.

Why use this over a shaving cream?

If there’s any reason to use a shaving soap over the shaving cream. It would be the incredibly slick lather it produces where the blade will literally glide over the skin.

The great thing about this product is that as you go to the 2nd and 3rd pass, it becomes slicker and provides you the protection that a Barbasol can only dream of.

For men who have sensitive skin in the neck area, shaving soap is a great option that will provide enough lubrication and moisture to prevent cuts and razor burn.

This product is that good – you just have to choose the right brand, and that’s what this article is for.

What makes an excellent shaving soap?

Manufacturers use either tallow or glycerin as the base, sometimes both. Conventional wisdom states that tallow-based soaps are superior, but that isn’t so.

I’ve seen a glycerin-based soap that performed well and bad, likewise with a tallow based soap.

Right ingredients

It all boils down to the ingredient list and ratio to create just the right slickness and protection.

New shave soaps contain oils such as shea butter, palm oil, coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, etc. that improves performance.

A good product should have the right mix of these ingredients that will provide good slickness, face feel, and post-shave.

Enough lubricity

Slickness refers to the amount of lubricity that will help the razor glide over the skin. The better the lubricity, the less chance of razor burn because of the layer of protection it provides.

Face feel means it feels good when applied on the face. There’s no irritation or burning sensation. It just feels right.

Post Shave

Lastly, post-shave means the amount of lubrication it leaves on the face after you shave.

Remember that hot water opens up the pores, and you don’t want your skin dry because it is most susceptible to irritation and infection. Your skin will need that extra layer of protection after shaving.

Ingredients to look out for

Most artisan soaps use natural ingredients, so the top brands are relatively safe. But as a rule of thumb, there are ingredients that you need to avoid, and one of them is parabens.

Some examples of parabens include Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Heptylparaben, and Isopropylparaben.

Another ingredient to look out for is “fragrance.” If you’re not familiar with that term “fragrance,” it’s a blanket term that accounts for 3,100 different chemicals that manufacturers may not want to disclose.

The fragrance isn’t necessarily bad, even good products have this, but if this is an issue to your skin, please avoid it.

How To Use a Shaving Soap?

There’s a big difference between loading up a shaving soap and cream. A shaving soap has a harder consistency that requires a different technique to load up and create lather.

Soak in hot water

The first step would be soaking the shaving brush in hot water to soften and hydrate bristles.

You can leave it inside a mug for a minute or better yet soak it while you’re taking a hot shower.

This should give it enough time to absorb water.

Make sure to put just enough water to soak the bristles halfway.

Remove excess water

Please don’t let the water reach the handle because it can erode the handle, especially if it’s wood. Water can also damage the adhesive that holds the bristles in place.

Knock off excess water, then you’re ready to load. When I say knock off, you don’ have to wring the bristles, just shake off excess water, and you’re ready to go.

Personal preference

The next steps would depend on your choice. Some men like to soak the puck in hot water to get a better lather.

Others would just prefer twirling it around the puck without loading. Whether going clockwise or counterclockwise, it doesn’t matter.

Loading will take between 30 seconds to a minute. It’ll take longer if the soap is hard. One telltale sign that the brush has enough soap is if the bristles clump up.

After that, you have two options – loading it on a mug or your face. It’ll be all up to you.

A technique that a lot of wet shavers use if using a triple-milled soap would be soaking it in hot water to reduce prep time. Some brands will not even need soaking even if it’s hard.

Softer soaps will load easier even without soaking.

Shaving Soap Recommendations

Before I go to the specific product recommendations, let me briefly go over some critical points.

Manufacturers are either artisans or mainstream.

Artisans are independent manufacturers that only produce limited quantities but use high-quality ingredients.

Unfortunately, these brands can come and go, and their formulations do change over time, so availability will be an issue.

Some examples of artisan brands are Catie’s Bubbles, RazoRock, and Maggard Razors.

Mainstream products are available in more places because these companies have more resources at their disposal.

The ingredient list may not be as natural as artisan brands, but it’ll be easier to find these products because of the reach these companies have.

An excellent example of a mainstream brand is RazoRock.

What are the best shaving soaps?

Italian Soap: RazoRock XXX

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A hunt for alum sticks for his father-in-law led to Joseph Abbatangelo to a grooming business named RazoRock.

RazoRock XXX is an Italian shaving soap that now uses the new Super Tallow recipe that includes tallow, shea butter, aloe vera, argan oil, and lanolin.

These ingredients combine to provide excellent moisturizing properties even up to post-shave.

You will not need to apply aftershave when using this!

The softer consistency means this will be easy to load, and you don’t need a lot to create a rich, luxurious lather.

Men have described its scent as “traditional Italian” inspired by Acqua di Parma Colonia Classica.

There’s also a hint of citrus with the orange, lemon, and bergamot complemented by earthy scents.

Pros

• Very slick
• Excellent lubrication and hydration
• Easy to load
• Great post-shave
• Natural ingredients

Cons

• Scent is subjective
• Price on the high side

If there’s one good reason to buy an artisan product, it’s the high-quality ingredient list. This product is no different, and it reflects in the luxurious lather it produces.

Just to give you an idea of how this product performs, watch this video…

Why is it a favorite?

This product is a favorite by a lot of wet shavers, and the video above shows you why. It loads easy, has very slick lubricity, and post-shave is excellent.

A slick lather will allow you to shave closer even without going against the grain with a very sharp blade.

Even if you do multiple passes, it’ll provide enough protection to prevent razor burn and tugging.

This is available in Amazon for about $13, and it comes with free shipping!

Bottom line: The RazoRock XXX is an excellent option for men looking for a slick soap that’ll help them get a close shave. This is classified as a croap, so it’ll take around 30 seconds to load. It isn’t the cheapest, but you don’t need a lot to create a rich lather, so a tub will last a long time.

The Spice Of Life: Catie’s Bubbles Le Piment de la Vie

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If you’re familiar with artisan soap makers, then Catie’s Bubbles should be a familiar brand to you.

This family business is based in Forked River, New Jersey, and named after the owner’s daughter, Catie.

The Le Piment de la Vie scent, which in English means “The Spice of Life,” is their most popular scent. It’s a combination of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

They also have other scents available:

• Le Marché Du Rasage
• A Midnight Dreary
• La Terre Verte
• Un Jour Gris
• Le Nude
• Irish Coffee
• And much more…

What makes this a popular option is its incredible slickness and post-shave moisture thanks to the coconut oil and glycerin content.

The glycerin content makes this “hygroscopic” in nature, which means it can absorb large amounts of water.

If you shave at night, you will not need to apply aftershave because the soap itself will provide enough post-shave protection.

Pros

• Excellent slickness and lubricity
• Easy to load
• You don’t need a lot to create a rich lather
• Masculine Scent
• Top notched quality of lather
• Great post-shave

Cons

• Expensive
• Scent can be subjective

Some have described the smell as “sweet with a kick.” But the subject of scent is very personal, so your mileage may vary.

You’ll read in some reviews that some men did not like the nutmeg part of the scent, but again, it’s subjective, so it’s not something that’ll please everyone.

Here’s a lather review done by Nick Shaves on the hand and shaving bowl…

It did not take too much effort and product to create a rich lather. A tub of this can easily last a few months, even if you shave every day.

Another video review, this time a shave review…

This product has everything you need in a shaving soap – exceptional slickness, easy to load, and excellent post-shave. The scent is subjective, but this is a popular scent, so give it a try.

You can buy this from stores like West Coast Shaving for around $14 for a 4-ounce tub. It’s also available on Amazon but a bit more expensive.

Bottom line: Catie’s Bubbles is a popular shaving soap for a good reason. It’s easy to lather, has excellent lubricity, and great post-shave – it basically checks all the must-haves. Definitely not the cheapest, but you’ll only need a little to create a luxurious lather, so that offsets the price.

Old School: D.R. Harris Shaving Soap

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D.R. Harris is one of the oldest brands in the grooming industry.

Established in 1790, they literally have centuries of experience in making high-quality shaving products. Their product may be the last “old school” soaps with tallow.

Their product line has some scents that will suit any man’s preference:

• Almond – combines almond fragrance with warm, “woodsy” notes.
• Arlington – a mixture of citrus and fern
• Marlborough – some describe this to have a tobacco-like smell, but it’s a mixture of wood (fern and cedar)
• Windsor – men have described this to have a pleasant citrusy, leathery scent with a hint of pepper, patchouli, and vetiver.

One unique property of this product is the ease of which you can load even if it’s a hard soap.

This is a huge time saver because a lot of triple-milled soaps need soaking.

The lather is rich, luxurious, and thick with a lot of lubrication. Post-shave is also great. In short, it has all the characteristics you want in shaving soap, but it comes at a price. A 100-gram refill puck will cost around $15 in Amazon.

Pros

• It has an excellent slickness and rich lather
• Easy to load
• Vast range of scents available
• Slickness allows you to comfortably shave even with a sharp blade

Cons

• Very expensive

Bottom line: D.R. Harris is one of the last old school brands that produce tallow-based soaps. Performance is superb thanks to the stearic acid and tallow content inside. It’s easy to load and has a luxurious lather that’s very slick, but this is one of the most expensive soaps here. If you can afford this, by all means, purchase one, but other brands perform as well that are cheaper.

For Sensitive Skin: Soap Commander Shaving Soap

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Soap Commander is another artisan soap maker that has “commandeered” a lot of following in the wet shaving community.

This company was born out of necessity because their daughter had eczema.

They did not sell shaving soaps when starting out. Instead, it was a handmade soap from natural ingredients to help soothe the itching that plagued her skin.

Eventually, they’ve expanded to the wet shaving niche, and the rest is history. Darren (the original Soap Commander) is a retired Navy veteran who explains the name.

One thing to note – their soaps need some pre-soaking to get the best lather.

Right now, they have 15 scents available, and some of them are available on Amazon.

Pros

• It comes in a big 6-ounce jar – it’ll last a long time!
• Rich and slick lather
• An excellent option for men with sensitive skin
• Lots of scent options

Cons

• Takes time to load
• Needs soaking to soften

Men with sensitive skin will benefit from this product because of the moisturizing properties it provides along with the slickness. The razor will literally glide on the face with this.

Even with a sharp blade like a Personna, it’ll offer enough protection that’ll prevent razor burn.

Bottom line: Soap Commander is a big reason why artisan soaps are fantastic. You need to spend a little bit of time to pre-soak this, but the results will be worth it because it provides excellent protection and post-shave. You’ll get the best deal when you buy this directly from their website.

Tiki Set Sail Soap

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Tiki Bar is a tallow-based soap created by Amanda, who resides in Alabama.

I’ve read that Amanda is a true artisan in every sense of the word. Being a chemist is a big plus because soap making requires a lot of knowledge in chemistry.

All her products are handmade, which means she does not use any machines, so availability is an issue in most cases. But if you can get your hands on this, it is worth a try because it is that good.

Her shaving soap mixture includes tallow, stearic acid, coconut, and lanolin, which make it easy to load and create a rich lather. If you’re allergic to lanolin, you may want to steer clear of this, but it’s a rarity.

Scents available

The Set Sail Scent combines lavender, cedarwood, rosemary, and mint, so it’ll have a minty smell with herb mixed in. Other scents include “Into the Forest Tallow,” “Barber Shoppe Tallow,” “Fougère Vegan,” “Pumpkin Lager Tallow,” and much more.

This is a soft soap (or a croap), so it’ll be effortless to load. It won’t take a lot of time to create a rich lather.

Slickness is excellent as well as moisturization – things you’d expect from a superb artisan brand.

But since this is handmade, availability is an issue because it’s always out of stock.

Pros

• Easy to load
• Great slickness and moisturizing properties
• A wide range of scents
• Nice post-shave

Cons

• Availability an issue because it’s handmade

Bottom line: This is a must-try shaving soap if you can get your hands on this because of its slick and creamy lather that provides excellent moisturizing protection thanks to the lanolin content. It’s a soft soap, so it won’t take a lot of time to load, but this is very difficult to find because it’s always out of stock.

Underrated: Sir Hare Old Fashioned

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Not a lot of men know about Sir Hare.

One reason is the failure of their first formulation didn’t lather well.

Wet shavers in forums have claimed that this second formulation will perform better.

This shaving soap contains tallow, shea, and mango butter, so it’ll moisturize, shave smooth, and leave a great post-shave.

It comes in a “Classic Barber” scent that’s not too overpowering, but if you’re into timeless fragrances, this is a good option.

Sir Hare sells the 4-ounce soap for around $15 in Amazon, so that’s approximately $3.74 per ounce – a bit on the high side. You can also buy it directly from Sir Hare and save $1.

But it already has a tub, so it saves you money from buying one.

Pros

• Scent not too overpowering
• Easy to lather and provides excellent moisturizing properties thanks to the shea and mango butter
• Comes with a tub, so you don’t have to buy one
• Great post-shave
• Natural ingredient list

Cons

• Expensive

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a classic scented shaving soap that isn’t too overpowering, then give this product a try. It’s another option for men with sensitive skin because of its moisturizing properties. The tallow content helps in terms of slickness for a smooth shave.

New Scent: Barrister & Mann Latha Oceana

Barrister & Mann is yet another artisan soap maker based in the USA. Its tallow-based soap, but it won’t have any issues with hard water, according to the Sharpologist.

The scent is a combination of aquatic, sandalwood, bergamot, and jasmine fragrance. Nick Shaves describe this to be “masculine and fresh.”

The infusion of argan and shea butter means this will moisturize well, leaving a layer of protection on the skin up to the post-shave. Loading is easy, so novices will also like this soap.

You can buy this directly from their website for the best deal, or if you have Amazon Prime, get this from Amazon, but it’ll be a bit more expensive.

Pros

• Easy to load
• Slick lather
• Excellent post-shave
• Won’t break the bank (if you buy it directly)
• Good scent variance

Cons

• Tallow-based so it may have issues lathering with hard water

Bottom line:  Barrister & Mann is another excellent option for wet shavers because it’s easy to load and offers excellent moisturizing properties and post-shave thanks to the glycerin, argan, and shea butter content. Other scents have issues with hard water, but this should fare better.

Other options

Mama Bear’s

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Mama Bears is another artisan maker who specializes in handmade soaps, and this includes shaving soaps! They offer a wide range of scents that include British Leather, Aged Spice (smells like old spice), Sandalwood Vanilla, Frankincense and Myrrh, Lavender and Vanilla, and much more.

Their soaps are very easy to load and provide excellent lather, but it is a bit lacking in slickness. This brand may not work for men with sensitive skin due to the slickness deficiency, but your mileage may vary.

Try this out and see how it works on your skin. You can buy this in several stores like Amazon and Shave Nation or direct from their online store.

Tabac Original

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Tabac is another popular product because of its thick lather and strong masculine scent that lingers.

This soap uses a scent that’s considered the most famous men’s fragrance in Germany. It’s equivalent to what Oil Spice’s smell is to Americans.

It’s not a surprise with a fragrance company making this soap.

The scent is sophisticated that combines “peppery, spicy notes and elegantly rounded off by exotic woods, musk ambergris, and floral complex.”

To some, it smells like cologne, but this scent will be subjective. If you don’t like strong scents, this soap may not be for you.

Despite being a hard soap, this will be easy to load. The lather is rich and luxurious, but it lacks a bit in terms of slickness.

The lack of slickness is somewhat troubling since this is considered a high-end soap priced at over $3/ounce if you buy it with the tub.

The verdict

There you go, just summarized the best shaving soaps that are available in the market. Soaps above “other options” are recommendations while “other options” are also good choices but have some potential drawbacks that do not justify the price.

Here are some tips to help you further narrow down your choices. For those who live in areas where there is hard water, try to avoid tallow-based soaps because hard water affects the lather it produces. It can be tricky, creating a great lather.

Opt for a vegan-based soap that does not use tallow – like Catties Bubbles or Soap Commander. These soaps will react to hard water better, and creating that perfect lather will not be as tricky.

D.L. Harris is one of the oldest brands that make shaving soaps from tallow and triple-milled. And despite being a hard soap, this still loads easy.

Having tallow and stearic acid helps it in terms of slickness and moisture, so if your area doesn’t have hard water, this is a good option.

RazoRock is a favorite by a lot of shaving Vloggers like Nick Shaves and ShaveBusta because of its slick nature and excellent post-shave. It’ll allow you to use a sharp blade like a Feather but still provide enough protection to get really close without irritation.

The Tiki soap is another excellent option again because of its skin-friendly ingredient list.

Like all the top soaps in this list, it’s easy to load, but the biggest con is availability. This product is often out of stock because it isn’t mass-produced.