The Best Shaving Soaps for Men in 2023

As men, we have become complacent about what we use to shave with. We’ll spend hundreds on a good razor and then slather our face with whatever 99-cent cream we find at the store. We think anything that can make a lather is good enough for shaving, and we often pay for the results in literal blood through countless nicks and cuts because we don’t have the proper tools to do the job. If you’re tired of being let down and want to try something different, consider something from our best shaving soaps guide.

What is shaving soap for?

Shaving soap provides a slick layer of protection between the blade and your skin, reducing the chance of injuries and irritation, and allowing the blade to glide more easily. It’s usually more transparent than other options, allowing you to better see where and what you’re cutting as well, but it should still produce a generous lather. Additionally, shaving soaps tend to last longer than other options and also moisturize your face like a shaving cream does.

What to look for

Ingredients: Traditionally, tallow was used as the base for shaving soaps along with fatty oils. Some options still use animal fat, but ingredients like palm oil are used in other variants if you’re looking for something without it. Fatty oils like coconut oil and castor oil are still commonplace, however, along with potassium hydroxide (for lathering) and sodium hydroxide (for puck soaps). Much like other grooming products, it’s best to avoid stuff like parabens, silicon, and mineral oils.

Lather: You want to look for a thick and lasting lather so the bristles on your brush can effectively apply it across your face.

Scent: This is ultimately a personal preference, but classic scents like sandalwood and menthol are always a safe bet.

Common Types of shaving soap

Puck: These hard and dense soaps are convenient for travel and are designed to easily fit in a bowl or shaving mug. They’re denser than the other options, which means they’ll last longer, but that means you also have to do some blooming (a process of wetting the top with hot water before brushing) before use.

Bowls: Bowls are another common medium for shaving soaps and will house softer soaps in general. They’re also convenient because you don’t need an extra bowl or mug for your brush, and require less work to get a lather going.

Triple-Milled: Triple-milled, or French-milled, shaving soap has gone through a refinement process that entails getting pressed through a mill under high pressure three times. This makes it smoother and denser, so if a soap’s label says that it’s triple-milled, then that’s a sure sign of quality.

How to use shaving soap

Grab a bowl (or a mug) and put a bit of shaving soap in it (if it’s not already in a bowl), then take your shaving brush and work it into a lather. You’ll need a shaving brush with stiffer bristles to get the desired effect out of shaving soap, but once you do, you’ll find it gives a better cushion to help protect and moisturize your skin, though your stubble might not stand up as well.

Proraso Shaving Soap in a Bowl

The Best Soap for Coarse Beards: This Italian-made shaving soap from Proraso is perfect for even the thickest of beards. It’s made with a shea butter base and sandalwood oil, along with Proraso’s “hot soap” process, which provides a supremely rich lather. On top of that, 91% of the soap’s ingredients are sourced naturally, and it doesn’t contain parabens, artificial colors, or mineral oils. And the fact that this brand has been trusted since 1908, means that you can trust it too.

Italian Barber Cella Shave Soap

The Best Budget Soap: Since 1899, Cella soap has been used by professional barbers in Italy, so you can trust that even with a reasonable price, you’re still getting trusted quality. Cella is soft soap that comes in a convenient bowl which makes it great for traveling or just a convenient daily driver. This soap does include tallow, which is ideal for some and not for others, so do keep that in mind. Cella is soft soap that comes in a convenient bowl which makes it great for traveling or just a convenient daily driver.

Stirling Noir Shave Soap

The Best Smelling Soap: This is another shaving soap made with tallow, making the Stirling Noir a classic choice for those interested in one. Shea butter and fatty oils work with the beef tallow to provide a rich lather, slick shave, and simple wash afterward that won’t leave any residue. As for the scent (and the name), Stirling was inspired by the classic Drakkar Noir scent, which is why they’ve included something similar in this shaving soap, along with hints of almond.

Antonio Puig Tabac Original by Maurer and Wirtz

The Upgrade: Created in 1959 by Maurer and Wirtz, the Tabac Original puck shaving cream comes in a convenient bowl and has the classic Tabac scent. This tallow soap provides a rich and silky lather, and will leave your skin moisturized long after the shave. The glide that it provides makes also makes shaving a breeze, and the dense puck will ensure that you have multiple uses, which you can lather and store in the provided bowl.

Williams Mug Shaving Soap

The Classic Pick: Williams Mug Shaving Soap will keep your skin moist, won’t dry you out, gives you a quick and easy lather, and can work with almost any razor. Despite the tiny price tag, you’re still getting a quality-milled soap that gives you a very long-lasting lather and won’t go dry on your face. Even if you use something more refined for other occasions, having a chunk of Williams on hand for day-to-day shaving or long business trips is never a mistake. You can turn any mug into a shaving dream and will get a strong lather that works well.

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Soap

The Best Soap Overall: This is a hard soap that feels more like a bar than many of its softer contemporaries, so you’ll want a harder brush – we suggest horse or boar – since softer ones will have a hard time really getting the most out of it. What you get here is not the deep peaks of lather as you would with a cream, but rather a more visible shaving experience that goes great with a safety razor and lets you truly see what you’re doing. Despite this slightly thinner lather, your face will still be protected from nicks and cuts, though the lower glycerin content means you’ll probably want to hit your skin with a moisturizer or aftershave lotion to keep it from drying out.

D.R. Harris & Co Marlborough

The Best Soap Made in England: Don’t let the name throw you off; this soap doesn’t have anything to do with tobacco, though it is almost certainly the choice of many a hard-bitten range rider thanks to its sturdy, no-nonsense design and classic texture. It’s triple-milled to soften your whiskers for an easier shave if you’ve got coarse hair or a 5 o’clock shadow. The hand-turned mahogany bowl adds a touch of homespun class, as well as a gentle wood scent to your lather. It works especially well with difficult beards or ingrown hairs so that even if you suffer from issues, you’ll still be able to come out looking as smooth as the day you were born.

Antica Barbiera Colla Almond Oil Shaving Cream

The Premium Pick: Besides the heavy price tag, and the fact that the best way to get the soap is to fly all the way to Italy, there is almost nothing wrong with this product. It provides natural moisturizing thanks to the almond oil base that smells slightly nutty with undercurrents of distinctly earthy smells that tease the palette. With almost any brush, you’ll quickly have a supple lather that leaves you refreshed. If you have stubborn stubble, this might be a little too gentle, but mostly it astounds with almost every swipe of the blade.

The Best Safety Razors for your Face

You’re going to need a razor to use your new shaving soap. That’s why you should check out our best safety razors guide.