Thread: Soap vs canned foam vs cream cost effectiveness

I make soap and have noticed in my trials and recipe refinement that soap tends to last longer than tube or tub shaving creams. I have tried many in my tests too.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I think it is the puck hands down. I know I use creams faster but I might be using more than I need to begin with. I began using soap/brush in 1972 or '73 when I bought a badger brush. I find the puck of soap so much more cost effective, and the lather so much more pleasing, that it wasn't even a question in my mind which way I was going to go. I cannot remember the last time I bought a can of goo. If I was in a pinch, and no soap or brush, I'd lather up with a bar of hand/body soap or even dish soap and shave before I went to a can of that aerated stuff. OTOH ..... maybe the current stuff isn't the same as the stuff from back then ?

For you and others who used canned foam 40 or more years ago, was it a thicker, richer, better quality product than it became in later years?

Until I got fed up, and REALLY fed up and began looking for an alternative means to shave, I didn't know I had choices, or that DEs and other retro-shaving methods still existed.

Originally Posted by Mastershake

I make soap and have noticed in my trials and recipe refinement that soap tends to last longer than tube or tub shaving creams. I have tried many in my tests too.

Im just starting with making my own soaps. I've gathered a few recipes online but nothing thats come out right. Trying to figure out a balance between a hard puck and a soft grease type soap. Have you noticed any one particular ingredients like castor or coconut oil that results with a harder longer lasting soap?

I've tried shaving with just about every form of preparation to try to honestly evaluate them, all the way down to using Dawn Dishwashing Liquid applied with my hands. I've even used the so-called "canned goo" from time to time just to see if there is a difference in shaving effectiveness. I haven't seen any at all. I can get a fine shave with a sharp blade and just about any kind of lather, "canned goo" included. The logical next step for me is to forego lather altogether and shave with just water. I might give that a try tonight for the heck of it.

I did the math once.

Arko (from Turkey) is CRAZY good quality at a price-per-shave I cannot figure out how to beat. And the aroma, not long lasting, is still free.

I also think how you lather is a factor. If I face lather with a puck, there is very little waste. When I bowl lather, I always make too much. That said, I have been wet shaving almost 3 years and some of my low rotation picks have been in use that long with more to go.

+1 on the Arko, it works great and lasts forever and it can be bought for $1.50 or less

Originally Posted by MisterMoo

I did the math once.

Arko (from Turkey) is CRAZY good quality at a price-per-shave I cannot figure out how to beat. And the aroma, not long lasting, is still free.

do you sell your soap?

Originally Posted by Mastershake

I make soap and have noticed in my trials and recipe refinement that soap tends to last longer than tube or tub shaving creams. I have tried many in my tests too.

Hard soap all the way...last much longer and I find I get a better lather from them.

Creams are nice, but they do tend to go much faster.

When I consider the fact that I probably already have enough soaps and creams to last the rest of my life, I don't bother trying to do the math on it. But I will say that if you pick up a puck of DR Harris, it'll shock you how long it takes to use the whole thing up. Its a small puck but never seems to go anywhere. Same thing with MDC. After a dozen uses it still looks exactly like it did when it arrived. But if value for your money is a primary concern, I have to second the Arko suggestion by MisterMoo. It performs exceptionally well and is really cheap. I don't know what product (soap/cream/goo) lasts the longest but when it comes to value, Arko is tough to beat.