Thread: Suggestions for 100% organic shaving soaps...

Originally Posted by Fredo456

I noticed my post could lead to confusion...

No worries. I noticed that as I was looking through their products.

It seems from the reviews here and on B&B that the Mama Bears is the best of the "all natural" soaps. I'll order up a few of the Mama Bears pucks to see which fragrance I like best.

Portland Oregon, company called Escential
link
Escential Lotions & Oils: Perfume, Aromatherapy, Essential, and Massage Oils, Skin Care and Gifts since 1979

I have used their Himalaya shave soap and the Shea, White Tea shave cream in an Uberlather since HornM/Michael gave me some last year, it is incredible...

I do not know how "Pure" / "Organic" it really is because I am not into that but I thought I read it was. I do know they work and they work really really well check it out...

Originally Posted by 8man

mama bear or tade- it's French with laurel oil and olive oil i think. i have very sensitive skin and they work great. in general i try to avoid creams b/c they seem to all have more chemicals to keep the bacteria colonies at bay- they tend to itch and irritate.

Hello, 8man:

Do you mean L'Occitane's Cade shaving soap? If so, that is quality stuff, and, to my knowledge, all natural.

Regards,

Obie

Originally Posted by garth

No worries. I noticed that as I was looking through their products.

It seems from the reviews here and on B&B that the Mama Bears is the best of the "all natural" soaps. I'll order up a few of the Mama Bears pucks to see which fragrance I like best.

the only thing about mbs that some of the scents in my opinion are very strong. what's really great about the mb site is you can order samples for $1.00 - you get 1 or 2 shaves out of each. i ordered a dozen and then later bought 3 that were most mild to me since i get allergic rxns to many soaps and scents. i settled on the unscented, the orange orange and the myrrh. hope this helps.

its tade. i like it b/c it doesn't irritate. i get mild allergic reactions to many soaps and creams out there-esp with heavy fragrance, menthol or florals , but this one doesn't give me a rash . i like the scent but my wife says it smells like hippies. here's a link if you're interested. Tadé Pays du Levant • Shaving Soap • Shaving ? Men • Pure Source Barbados
ps ill have to try the cade when i get the chance- it seems to be a highly regarded one

Originally Posted by garth

Just wondering what shaving specific soaps are out there that are made with 100% organic ingredients.

For the last few years I've been using Classic Shaving mug soap but my wife clued me in on some not so natural ingredients i.e. titanium dioxide, Cocamidopropyl Hdyroxysultaine (surfactant), etc.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Well some products have Dihydrogen Monoxide so you have
to be very cautious when reading the label.

Cocamidopropyl Hdyroxysultaine ... I might pass this one by.
Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Titanium dioxide, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium
and is also known as titanium white and is used in almost
all paint pibments. It makes shave soaps white -- I would rather
they use kaolin (clay) because clays can improve the shave
quality a bit more and I care less about a soap being white
than I do about the save. It is a do not care for me...

Compounds like Sodium tallowate are simply classic soap.
One might list tallow and wood ash as more 'organic' but
the reaction product (saponification) is going to be the same.
Castile soap is made from saponified vegetable oils (commonly
olive oil) instead of animal fats. Coconut oil is a
common 'fat' that along with castor oil helps build
a rich stable lather.

Many of the 'organic' fragrances and skin friendly oils
need preservatives to not go rancid and have a shelf
life longer than a month. Eliminating all preservatives
will limit your product choices perhaps for the better.
Strong fragrances and skin conditioners mostly do
not need to be in a shave soap.

So your wife is a smart gal!

If you cannot find the ingredients
for a product online ask the vendor!
Then look behind the Dihydrogen Monoxide
like chemist friendly compound names
as you do your research.

I did see some of my favorites in previous postings
+1 to those....

So I wasn't particularly looking for a new soap but I am a sucker for menthol. I thought my proraso and MB Lime Ice were high in it but after seeing the plug for Al's soap (the Chillwhip, to be exact) I had to pick some up. I found out it's a custom soap, so just choose that option if you need to try it out.

It is amazing. I'm still having some issues with hard water and I'm darn thankful for Al's reminder that mentholated soaps require more water. Took me q bit to get it right. But hot Damn! This Chillwhip is amazing. The scent is spot on Noxzema. The lather is superb. Ample cushion and glide. Plenty of moisture. I normally only do two passes and call it a night but this stuff felt so good I went for a third and went atg. No irritation! I missed a spot so I did another atg pass. Still no irritation and I know babies who wish their butts were as smooth as my face is right now.
MB lathers great. I don't have a single bad thing to say about it. But Al's is amazing.
I can't quite quantify why, but it's a more luxe product. I'd still pick up the MB soaps, but next time you've got a spare Jackson, pick up something from Al. He sent me a couple samples that smell amazing. Clary Sage was one. I can't remember the other one but it was a something Vetivier. It has a distinct anise/fennel smell that I like. Gah, there's too many good soaps to try...

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Many of the 'organic' fragrances and skin friendly oils
need preservatives to not go rancid and have a shelf
life longer than a month.

Not necessarily. Many essential oils are are antiseptic by nature .
Also Vitamin E is a natural antoxidant which may be an additive in some soaps.
Preservatives aren't necessary unless you are looking for extra long shelf life.

I know the Mama bears EO soaps I bought in the past have lasted 2-3 years without any spoiling.

Be careful with lavender tho if you have sensitive skin. It can be a skin irritant.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Not necessarily. Many essential oils are are antiseptic by nature .
Also Vitamin E is a natural antoxidant...

I like that! I would say I would agree with that statement and add...'As opposed to antiseptics that are man made!'


Mick

I never knew lavender was an irritant. I still haven't ordered any soap.

I was reading through mama bear's site and there were some ingredients that were on the "bad list".

I found Soaptopia which looks to be all natural: Extra Moisturizing Natural Shaving Soap

as well as...

awild soapbar:
Natural Sassafras Shaving Soap with Organic Aloe

I'm going to buy both and I'll give a shave/lather report after.