Thread: Looking for organic shave soaps

Originally Posted by binder

I am interested in finding some organic shave soaps; that are considered to have non toxic ingredients. I have tried a couple at a local health store, but they didn't make very good lather, so would like to hear of any that have worked good for others.

Thanks

Well, first off, you have to define what you mean by "organic." Just about every shave soap out there contains "organic" ingredients. From a strict Chemistry perspective, they're almost all organic (being made of organic chemicals).

If you're thinking just "non-toxic", almost all are non-toxic (even PABA is non-toxic by most industry definitions of toxicity). Again, you need to define "non-toxic".

Now, if by "organic" you mean "from plant and animal sources, not derived from petroleum", then you're on to something. Most soaps (fatty acid salts) will meet that definition. Glycerine can either be produced during the making of the soap, or derived from petroleum.

If by "organic" you mean something like USDA Certified Organic, that's a totally different story. All soap feedstock (fatty acids) will need to be produced in a way that meets that definition before they ever get processed into soap. Same for the other ingredients. I doubt you'll find anything like this.

Then, you can always make your own. If you are science or cooking minded, this can be a fun way to experiment with ingredients.

Probably way more than you ever wanted to read on this, but hopefully will set you down the track of narrowing down what it is you are looking for in shaving soaps and creams.

Thanks for the suggestions. There looks like some good choices.

The Bald Frog Soap I make has all organic ingredients. Check out the vendor's forum for it.

Gaia for men is Vegan friendly, but I don't know if it is organic. It's a Cream though so maybe not what you meant.


Mick