Who's afraid of Virginia Woolfat?

I've gone and ordered Kent due to being a couple of quid cheaper on Prime than Mitchells.

Was Kent compared to at the time Mitchell's was producing apparent duds?

I'm happy with Lea and Speick for afterfeel (afterfeel is what I like to judge a shaving soap) but thought I'd try this infamous soap and see what all the fuss is about.
 
Craig1984 said:
I've gone and ordered Kent due to being a couple of quid cheaper on Prime than Mitchells.

Was Kent compared to at the time Mitchell's was producing apparent duds?

I'm happy with Lea and Speick for afterfeel (afterfeel is what I like to judge a shaving soap) but thought I'd try this infamous soap and see what all the fuss is about.
Click to expand...

AFAIK it doesn't matter. They will use the same soap from the same batches but use different labels. So there have been bad batches of Kent as well as good ones, just the same as MWF.

Do you use the new Lea Stick? I'd say MWF is like a vegan version of the new Lea Stick in some ways.
 
donnie_arko said:
AFAIK it doesn't matter. They will use the same soap from the same batches but use different labels. So there have been bad batches of Kent as well as good ones, just the same as MWF.
Click to expand...

Cheers.
donnie_arko said:
Do you use the new Lea Stick? I'd say MWF is like a vegan version of the new Lea Stick in some ways.
Click to expand...

For me, the vegan formula for Lea and Speick (ok only 90-odd % vegan due to the lanolin in Lea) proves tallow isn't the silver bullet for shaving soap.

I remember TOBS Jeremy Street being the same effect - which they don't do unfortunately, they still do the sandalwood I think?
 
Just got the Kent (late for an Amazon delivery) it's certainly milled (would you say triple?) it seems a lovely lavender scent with a creamy note to it, I'll give it a go tomorrow!

The vintage Cussons' is definitely the best afterfeel of a shaving soap I've had.
 
Craig1984 said:
Just got the Kent (late for an Amazon delivery) it's certainly milled (would you say triple?) it seems a lovely lavender scent with a creamy note to it, I'll give it a go tomorrow!

The vintage Cussons' is definitely the best afterfeel of a shaving soap I've had.
Click to expand...

Do you have a batch number for the Kent?
 
Just had a shave with it.

For me, no better after feel than Lea, Speick or any other 1st rate afterfeel shaving soap.

I certainly don't have a rapport with soaps and blades but the best afterfeel I've had is from the vintage soap I posted the other day - do you reckon it's about formulation or due to maturation?

If so - I'd certainly pay more for aged soaps.
 
Probably a bit of both ...

Formulation, or rather source of ingredients is probably the key. I'll take a guess and say that soaps today err on the side of cost-effectiveness rather than absolute quality of ingredients.

For me, lovely lanolin lifts a soap above other for the post-shave face feel ... MWF particularly (it's my favourite soap) and the Haslinger I'm using at the moment.
 
pjgh said:
For me, lovely lanolin lifts a soap above other for the post-shave face feel ... MWF particularly (it's my favourite soap) and the Haslinger I'm using at the moment.
Click to expand...

Considering the tiny amount of lanolin in Mitchell's, do you think it objectively adds anything, considering P&B has a ton of the stuff in comparison you'd think the post feel of the latter would be like silk?
 
Craig1984 said:
Considering the tiny amount of lanolin in Mitchell's, do you think it objectively adds anything, considering P&B has a ton of the stuff in comparison you'd think the post feel of the latter would be like silk?
Click to expand...
There's glycerine in there too, and a bunch of other skin friendly stuff. I could care less about the skin benefits. The slickness lanolin adds is the important thing to me. The skin softening is just a nice side benefit.
 
PLANofMAN said:
There's glycerine in there too, and a bunch of other skin friendly stuff. I could care less about the skin benefits.
Click to expand...

I'm not a soapmaker/chemist but any mention of glycerin in soap is due to the process - and not being added.

A ''bunch of other skin friendly stuff" just isn't in the ingredients.
 
Last edited:
Craig1984 said:
I'm not a soapmaker/chemist but any mention of glycerin in soap is due to the process - and not being added.
Click to expand...
Correct, and I never said glycerin was added. I said it's "in there."
Craig1984 said:
A ''bunch of other skin friendly stuff" just isn't in the ingredients.
Click to expand...
Potassium Cocoate and Sodium Cocoate both help to remove dirt and oil from the skin. Because they are, well, soap.
Titanium Dioxide can help to protect the skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation.
citronellol has been found to have antioxidant properties.
linalool has been found to have antimicrobial properties.

These are all in addition to the aforementioned lanolin and glycerin. When I said "skin friendly" I meant "having a net positive effect on the skin." I'm not exactly sure what your definition of skin friendly is? Probably "hypoallergenic," in which case, the answer would be "no."

Edit: if you want amazing skin care, buy seven potions shave cream. If you want an amazing shave soap, buy MWF. There's a reason MWF consistently appears in the the "top 5 shave soap" threads on every forum, going back decades. Wait until it's hydrated and you've gone past the surface of the puck to really judge it.
 
Last edited:
PLANofMAN said:
Potassium Cocoate and Sodium Cocoate both help to remove dirt and oil from the skin. Because they are, well, soap.
Click to expand...

Anything saponified removes dirt. The only difference is that potassium makes what we think of shaving soap. e.g. a stable moisturizing lather.
PLANofMAN said:
Titanium Dioxide can help to protect the skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation.
Click to expand...

Titanium dioxide in soap manufacturing is intirely for being made 'white', there's absolutely no way it can protect against sun rays - unless you use at least 10% to obtain an SPF of 10/20 and even then, the product needs to be kept on the skin.
PLANofMAN said:
When I said "skin friendly" I meant "having a net positive effect on the skin."
Click to expand...

Apart from glycerin - that plays the ultimate part of post feel of a shaving soap - what else can provide a better "positive effect on the skin" when concerning shaving soap?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom