Mitchell's Wool Fat Lanolin Shaving Soap and Ceramic Dish

Product Information

Now there are shave soaps covering the entire range of price, performance, and scent. And a lot of shave soaps perform solidly–if not exceptionally–and can provide a close, comfortable shave indeed! Available in a variety of scents (you won’t use even the best soap if you don’t care for it’s smell) or no scent at all. There are a few shave soaps that are not on the above lists but are still worth mentioning for specific reasons : There are a number of other shave soaps that I’m keeping an eye on for possible inclusion in a future update. Some are new to the market. Others have had a recent change in their business circumstances. Some have recently changed their soap formulation. And some are here simply because I don’t have enough information for a full evaluation yet.

And an omission from this list does not mean it’s a bad product— there is a lot of great stuff out there! Glycerin is a byproduct of saponification but it is not typically the main base ingredient in a non-tallow based shaving soap. The main ingredient in vegetable based soaps is most likely Stearic Acid which can be derived from various vegetable sources including Palm Oil, Kokum Butter, Mango Butter, and Cocoa Butter. Stearic acid, when combined with Potassium Hydroxide makes lather. Additional ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter can enhance the ingredient mix. Let’s look at this “embarrassment of riches” to try to determine which are merely really good and which are the top 12 shaving soaps. The Fall Of The English And The Rise Of The Italians? Tallow + Steel has been around for a few years and their tallow soap base is definitely in the “best” range. Their scents evoke exotic destinations with names like “Himalaya,” “Madagascar,” and “West Indies” but the real focus should be the performance: most everyone comments on the lubrication ability of these soaps. Post-shave feel is also noteworthy. Availability is not as widespread as other names on this list though so it may be more difficult to obtain.

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You may have heard the term “tripled milled” (or perhaps “French milled”). These are products that have been passed between large steel rollers, squeezing more air and water out of the soap (and it also provides some additional mixing of the soap, making it more uniform). Because more air and water have been removed, triple milled soaps are denser and last longer than un-milled soap. “Croap” Captain’s Choice shave soaps may be a bit weakly scented to some but no one complains about the performance! I find Captain’s Choice lather exceptionally long-lasting: if you’re looking for a particularly long or leisurely shave (maybe you are a beginner and taking more time as you work through the learning curve?) you will have plenty of lather to use for the entire time. Here’s Sharpologist’s review of the Bay Rum version. Catie’s Bubbles Contains Lanolin, which is a natural wax secreted by Sheep, which keeps their fleece waterproof. Excellent for conditioning the human skin. Oh sure, you could find a hardy artisan toiling away in their kitchen–if you knew where to find them. But they were few and far between (one notable “old-timer,” Emsplace, is still around, having stayed in business largely by word of mouth). Now Murphy & McNeil may not be a well-known name (even in the enthusiast community) but they are cranking out some great shave soaps. Their regular tallow-based soaps are very good but it’s their “Kodiak” base that’s been raising eyebrows among reviewers.

Shannon’s Soaps is an artisan sometimes overlooked in the enthusiast community…to the community’s loss. Here is Sharpologist’s review of their Botanica shave soap. Chiseled Face shave soaps enjoy an excellent reputation, particularly within the enthusiast community. Ghost Town Barber, their take on the ubiquitous barbershop scent, is a particular stand-out. Cryogen is another highlight among “menthol heads” for it’s extreme cooling (OK, freezing) properties. Declaration Grooming Another common debate rages on, about “tallow-based” vs. “vegetable-based” (or perhaps “animal” vs. “vegetable”) shave soap foundations. The process of making either type of soap is the same. The only difference is the fatty acid profile that results from the oils and fats used. Despite the “conventional wisdom,” it is technically not appropriate to call non-tallow based soaps “glycerin based.” This change is reflected in this article’s list with the inclusion of several Italian shave soaps. How Do You Make Shaving Soap? The AnatomyA traditional soap that is kindness itself MITCHELL’S WOOL FAT SOAP was first produced in the early 1930’s by Bradford chemist Fred Mitchell who realised that the natural lanolin content of wool fat, which kept the hands of local sheep shearers and wool sorters so exceptionally soft, could also be beneficial to delicate complexions and sensitive skins. A simple and natural product, this soap is still made to Mr Mitchell’s original formula, based on a recipe from the turn of the century and incorporating lanolin from the wool fat as the key ingredient.“ Remember, “Your Mileage May Vary” with these recommendations: although there is a large majority that like these products there will always be some for which a soap does not work as well. I use a bowl for only a few shaves, but I found that when I returned to lathering on my face, I was getting better lathers. The bowl lathering had helped me improve my lather process: I loaded the brush better, and I knew better the optimal amount of water — and what a good lather looked/felt like. Ease of lathering with a shaving brush using water with a variety of mineral content (in other words it works well in both “soft” water and “hard” water). Hot process uses an external heat source to (carefully) speed up the soap-making process (“saponification”). Hot process soaps generally take less time to make: a couple hours for saponification and about a week to cure. Extra ingredients are added near the end of the “cook time” and the texture of the soap is generally rough-looking.

Wet Shaving Products (WSP) “Formula T” shave soap is a “croap” with some fantastic scents and a tallow-based formulation that is both “minimalistic” and excellent-performing. Read Sharpologist’s review of WSP’s “Mahogany” shave soap for details. Some Special Cases Mitchell’s Wool Fat Soap, is a very gentle soap, particularly soothing to sensitive skins, or for frequent hand washing. And a specially formulated Woolly Wash to safely deep-clean your favorite sweaters and delicate garments. Wholly Kaw is another wet shaving artisan that has made an impact in the shaving soap world. Their “claim to fame” is the use of donkey milk (some use a less charitable term for donkey) in some of their shave soaps. Donkey milk contains a number of proteins, vitamins, and other ingredients friendly to the skin and often used as an alternative to Lanolin, which can be irritating to some people. Post-shave moisturization and skin feel are particularly good with these formulas. Zingari Man

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Cold process may also use a heat source but it’s used to liquefy solidified oils for mixing. The real saponification comes from an exothermic heat reaction between the fatty acids of the oils and and a lye (“base”) they’re mixed with. Cold process soaps take about a day to “cook” and take several weeks to cure. Extra ingredients are added early on and the soap’s texture has a smoother look. The internet abounds with conspiracy theories, rumors, and smears. If you have some specific charge or complaint, that’s one thing. Repeating scurrilous rumors is another. Zingari Man came on the wet shaving artisan scene in 2019 and after a bit of a shaky start have been surprising shave enthusiasts and reviewers with some outstanding shave soaps that produce a really rich lather formulated with their “Sego” base. Here is Sharpologist’s review of one of their shave soaps, Wanderer. Honorable Mentions

Not too many years ago there were a few high-quality, old-school, tallow-based (more on that below) men’s shaving soaps from the established high-end names (Trumper, Taylor Of Old Bond Street, Truefitt & Hill, DR Harris, etc.) that were familiar to those who use a safety razor; and some low-end, every-man products like Williams Mug Soap, Burma-Shave Soap, and (a little later) Van Der Hagen. When discussing soap, especially shave soap, a lot of terms get thrown around: hot process, glycerin, tallow, triple-milled, etc. But what do they really mean? And is one ingredient or process inherently superior to another? Let’s look at a general overview. Processes You may also see the terms melt and pour or glycerin. The term “melt and pour” defines the soap base as a ready-to-use item as opposed to someone saponifying fats and oils themselves: in effect, the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of the process are already complete. Some artisans then add additional ingredients and/or fragrances. Most of the time the prepared bases are made in large production facilities using specialized equipment. You may also see it referred to as a glycerin soap. This is a misnomer however for all shave soaps contain glycerin–it’s a by-product of saponification. Animal Tallow vs. Vegetable

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Only the very highest quality ingredients, including the purest wool fat are used in the production of Mitchell’s Wool Fat Soap products. There are basically two ways of making artisan-style soap: hot process and cold process. They each have their advantages and disadvantages: Recently one of my blog readers urged me to try bowl lathering (load brush with soap, move to a bowl to work up the lather, adding driblets of water as needed). I have done bowl lathering, but not for some years (countertop real-estate issue), but I’m open to trying things. Barrister And Mann is another established artisan with a reputation for product scents, and their “Omnibus” shave soap base performs very well even in “hard” water. They have even experimented with unusual ingredients like synthetic menthol. Captain’s Choice Stirling Soaps is another well-established, well-respected artisan whose products are widely available. They have a wide variety of scents (three of which, Ben Franklin, Executive Man, and Port au Prince, have been reviewed here on Sharpologist) and an active laboratory cranking out updates on a fairly regular basis. The reputation of Stirling Soap’s price:performance ratio is outstanding. Southern Witchcrafts