Shaving soap & brush

Shaving Soap - Why it is essential for beard care

For the classic shave, it is indispensable - the shaving soap. With it, you can whip up your own shaving lather without having to reach for conventional canned foam. If you have only ever used canned shaving foam, you are probably wondering why it is so worth it to whip up your own lather using shaving soap. All you need is any kind of solid shaving soap, a bowl, and a shaving brush. These are available with both genuine badger hair and synthetic fiber. The advantage of a synthetic hair shaving brush is that its lathering properties are just as good as those of a badger hair brush, and you are protecting animal welfare in the process.

And if you already have a straight razor or a safety razor at home, a vintage-look shaving set consisting of a shaving bowl, shaving soap, and shaving brush looks much better than regular canned foam. It should also be noted that canned foam is infused with fragrances. Applying this unnecessarily irritates your skin, making it prone to razor bumps and itching even before you start shaving. Not least for this reason, you should buy shaving soap to save money. A solid shaving soap made from natural ingredients is significantly more economical, allowing you to use it much more often. Furthermore, it does not require propellants. While you do have to whip up the lather yourself, a "cleaner" shave should definitely be worth it to you. Whipping up the shaving soap will quickly become part of your shaving routine and bring you and your beard a great deal of pleasure.

How to properly lather shaving soap - Getting started

If you are still a beginner at shaving with shaving soap, you might not know what to look out for. However, lathering the soap is no rocket science. You only need a shaving soap of your choice, a container for mixing the shaving lather, a shaving brush, and some water. Before you start whipping, you should adequately prepare both your beard and your face. Proper shaving preparation is just as important for a smooth wet shave as shaving correctly with a safety razor. For this, moisten the area to be shaved and your beard with warm water. This helps to soften your beard hair and open your pores. Ideally, place a warm, damp towel on your face and let it sit for a few minutes.

To lather the shaving soap, place it in your shaving bowl. Now you can moisten your shaving brush and add some water to the soap. After a short time, you will develop a feel for how much "moisture" you need for the shaving soap to create a dense lather. Then, begin to whip the shaving soap with the shaving brush using circular motions. After a few seconds, you can take the soap out of the shaving bowl and continue stirring with the excess water.

After about 45-60 seconds, you should have the perfect lather. If the shaving lather is too thin, you can use a bit more of the shaving soap. And if it doesn't start to lather at all, you should use more water. You can then apply the lather to your face. Do not be sparing with the lather, so that the wet razor can glide over your skin more easily and your hair can be properly softened. After shaving, it is important to let the shaving soap dry before you put it back in the bowl. You can rinse it briefly under the tap, pat it dry carefully with a towel, and it is ready for your next wet shave.

What is better - shaving foam or shaving soap?

When a man approaches shaving with a wet razor, there is no way around shaving foam or shaving soap. It serves to ensure that the razor glides over the skin without problems so that every hair can be caught. Through the moisture of the lather, the beard hairs are softened so that they are no longer as stiff. When men or women switch to a classic shave, they often initially stick to the familiar shaving foam and are often only concerned that using shaving soap is time-consuming because you have to mix it yourself. However, there are several other significant advantages of shaving soap compared to canned foam.

The most important reason to choose against canned foam concerns the ingredients. These contain fragrances which, although they smell good, can cause razor burn and skin irritation as early as during the shave. Additionally, propellant gas is used so that the foam can be sprayed from the can. This places a heavy burden on the environment. In most cases, shaving soaps are natural soaps. This means that they rely exclusively on natural ingredients and therefore do not irritate your skin. This also applies to our shaving soap with sandalwood scent. Furthermore, you will quickly notice that a shaving soap is more economical than canned shaving foam, meaning you will have to buy it less frequently. And if you shave in the classic way, a shaving set for preparing the soap should be in every bathroom, as it looks visually impressive.

What characterizes a good shaving soap?

There are countless shaving soaps on the market. Therefore, it can take some time until you have made the right choice. However, there are a few points to consider before you decide on a shaving soap. The most obvious point is the smell. Of course, a good shaving soap should have a pleasant scent so that your skin and beard smell good even after shaving. Whether the shaving soap smells more woody or fresh is, of course, a matter of your own preference. However, you must ensure that, despite its pleasant scent, a shaving soap should ideally contain no added fragrances, as these are not good for your skin and beard hair and can cause irritation.

The most common shaving soaps are natural soaps and contain only natural ingredients. This also applies to our soap, which also has a very pleasant sandalwood scent. You can usually find information about this on the product pages of the respective manufacturers, where the scent is also described. Furthermore, a good shaving soap should have solid lathering properties regardless of the shaving brush used. The shaving soap should therefore generate enough lather for a shave in 45-60 seconds without effort. To test this, you can try different shaving soaps to determine which one meets your requirements. If you do not achieve a good lather result, it could also be that you are mixing it with too much or too little water. Further tips for the perfect shave can be found in our free Shave and Beard Guide, which is available to you as a free download with every order.

What is Störtebekker shaving soap made of?

We at Störtebekker have placed the greatest importance on these three components. Our shaving soaps are handmade in a facility in the Netherlands and contain natural ingredients. It is a traditionally produced potassium soap made from fats based on stearin and various oils. As a result, it is a particularly nourishing shaving soap. It also smells pleasantly of sandalwood, aloe vera, coconut, or mint - depending on your preferred taste. By the way, our shaving soap is packaged sustainably and plastic-free.

How does Störtebekker shaving soap smell?

Störtebekker shaving soap is available in four different scents. Because which shaving soap or which scent appeals to you personally is always a matter of taste - and ultimately a matter of type. Our classic is the sandalwood shaving soap. It smells pleasantly fresh and tart. For those who like it a bit more neutral, the soap with aloe vera is suitable - it smells more subtle and very well-groomed. Fresh Mint, on the other hand, is for everyone who likes to smell particularly fresh. The shaving soap with coconut scent suits all adventurers and exotic types.