Thread: Difference in Shaving Soap and Face Soap

Now, I have read all about how one should not use regular soap for shaving because of lather and slickness.

Those are two things I completely understand. In fact, one of the issues with most soap is it dries out the skin, where as shaving soap would not.

So, what are the issues or drawbacks, besides using it up, with using your shaving soap to wash your face?

I was thinking of practicing my lather technique every morning until I can get it down to 2 minutes with Williams, and yet I don't have to shave every day. Rather then let the lather go to waste, I could use it to wash my face.

The ingredients for high end face soap is the same, so I know that's not the issue. There is a difference in the amounts of those ingredients though.

I am talking hard soaps here, not creams.

I use to use williams to wash my face with daily a while back, It started to dry out my face so bad it was close to unberable. Not sure if you would have the same effects or not. I would just use some face wash.

I don't see why you couldn't, but shaving soaps aren't formulated for washing. i wouldn't do it. If you're practicing to get your lathering right, you're not wasting it.

Considering how long a puck lasts you'd have to do quite a few practice lathers to make a difference.

I had a bad experience this past week with a non-shaving soap. Picked up a bar of Shea Butter soap. Was using it on my face as it stripped all the oil from my face and beard and let more moisture in on the beard. Great, I say, until several days ago, I started to get an extremely stinging and needles and pins reaction on my lower cheeks, jaw line and neck. Burn, burn ,sting, sting. Crazy, I say, I've never had any allergic reaction on my skin before. Well this is now, not before. Process of elimination was easy. Start with the latest and work back - right to the Shea Butter soap. Immediately started scrubbing affected area with Cetaphil Skin Cleanser (my dermatologist recommended it years ago for general skin care) and followed with a good rub in of Gold Bond Ultimate Diabetic Skin Relief cream. And you don't need to be diabetic to enjoy this cream that I use exclusively after shaving to relieve razor burn. Three days now of diminishing discomfort -from a roar to a whisper. Just in time since this morning I'm off to visit with my local Mentor for a morning of honing, testing and talk, talk, talk. I think I'll take my DE with me and use it at the end to clear my neck, still sensitive, and will only test razors on my face.

Soaps are formulated for different things. Heavy duty soaps like the old brown octagon soaps loaded with lye that really clean your hands and the old lava soap with bits of pumice in it. More mild hand soaps are for when you don't need the really heavy duty cleaning and face soaps to moisturize and clean gently. Shaving soaps aren't meant to clean at all just lather well and provide cushion and lube.