Shaving Soap with Kaolin

Shaving soap is a wonderful product and very easy to make. You don’t need any specialist equipment – just use a washed and dried Pringle’s can as your mould and then cut the soap into discs.

The recipe I use for shaving soap is pretty basic:

45% Olive
25% Coconut
10% Castor
10% Hazelnut or Avocado
10% Cocoa Butter
2t white kaolin for every 500g of base oils

This soap has a quick, fluffy lather that’s very stable and will last throughout the shave. It’s also gentle and conditioning, and won’t strip the skin.

The magic ingredient in this soap is the kaolin. It acts sort of like ball bearings in the lather, adding slip and glide so that the razor passes easily over the skin. It also helps to thicken the lather so that it blankets the skin better.

You can easily tweak this recipe to create some wonderful variations. Try subbing some of your recipe’s water with aloe vera for a soothing soap. Honey also makes a great addition, as do milk powders – especially butter powder since it adds such a luxurious creaminess to the lather.

Shaving soap is great on so many levels. It’s easy and pleasant to use. There is no wasteful packaging, as you can simply pop it into a mug for use. Unlike aerosol shaving foam, shaving soap is environmentally friendly. And let’s face it, those little brushes are a hoot!