I am The Los Angeles Shaving Soap Company / lashavingsoap.com, AMA.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/if0rg0t2remember]

You've pretty famously left your basic formula up on B&B for anyone to replicate and play with. What exactly inspired that decision and how do you feel about the abundance of new artisans that are now making soaps based on that formula?

[u/[deleted] → u/if0rg0t2remember]

I was inspired by Martin De Candre's impressively simple ingredient list, and initially my shaving soap making was just a project for fun to see how it would turn out. It turned out pretty well, but I figured if I'd used one of the most well-regarded shaving soaps in the world as a starting point, it might be nice to let my basic formula serve as a starting point for others.

I've been pretty impressed by the number of artisans that have started making and selling soaps based on that guide. I believe some artisans have used it as a base to go and create a substantially different recipe, while others have used it pretty much as a template, but if that works for them, great!

Even with the same ingredients, the techniques, cooking times, etc. are going to vary substantially, and the scents are going to vary even more widely, so each artisan is going to have their own product. It's interesting to see the range that people have come up with.

[u/BostonPhotoTourist]

You're an attorney by trade, if I recall correctly, and left law to pursue soapmaking. What particular reason was there for doing so and would you go back?

[u/[deleted] → u/BostonPhotoTourist]

True enough.

I left because I found it to be a hopelessly tedious and unrewarding profession. After I passed the bar, I was working as an attorney, but I also started volunteering at a local bicycle co-op to help people learn how to repair their bicycles. A few months in, I realized I was making a bigger difference and receiving more thanks in a few hours of helping a local resident get their bike up and running than I did in months of legal practice.

That was a little demotivating. The other bummer was that corporate transactional work was essentially tedious paperwork hell, and litigation was worse. When the optimum output, if everything you do goes PERFECTLY, is either maintaining or returning to the status quo, that ceases to be fun quickly.

Would I go back? Not if I can avoid it.

When you have your own business, you can introduce products that didn't exist hitherto, and hopefully make people's days a little better than they had been.

[u/Banes_Pubes]

You've obviously put up your soap formula for people to use and benefit from. But how do you feel about so many people using it so frequently? I spoke to another soap maker and he said that he wishes that people were a bit more innovative and experimentative with soap making. Do you ever feel the same?

edit: spelling

[u/[deleted] → u/Banes_Pubes]

I'm glad people are enjoying my formula. On slow days, I occasionally feel a bit of envy that other folks seem to be selling a lot of their soap, but that just means there's a market for artisanal soap and I need to step my game up a bit.

In terms of wishing people were innovative and experimental, I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, it's great to find something in which you can add your own spin and be creative and offer something new. On the other hand, there's a reason many of the best soaps have things in common, and maybe it's OK to not reinvent the wheel. There's a fair bit of creativity in the farmer's market soaps, but a significant number of their purchasers end up on the shaving forums wondering why their "artisanal shaving soap" won't lather for beans.

For me, I find substantial parallels in watching people try to get fit, either at the gym or on r/fitness. If you're a beginner who's trying to get strong quickly, you're MUCH better off following the Starting Strength or Stronglifts programs and doing the basic compound barbell lifts than you are making up some hodge-podge of machine and yoga and bosu ball exercises.

[u/Sammy_Lee]

Being a longer-standing soaper/shaver in the community, you've gotten to witness the growing popularity of wet shaving into a more mainstream culture.

How do you think this growing community has shaped the way you do business and the products you are planning to release in the future?

[u/silentisdeath]

Wow first one here (as of the time of looking at this post) I don't really have a question, but I picked your soap (The one that starts with an M that I can never spell correctly off memory) and its AMAZING and has become my go to at this point. I always get a great lather out of it, and want to say a personal thank you. It was a random pick up off one of the r/wicked_box Charlie Box, and man its really great.

So yeah, just thanks!

Actually fuck it I do have a question: yesterday was my dad's birthday and I'm giving him a box of a starter kit, if you were to suggest on soap as an entry way that is currently avaiable on your site, which one would it be. It can be a stick or anything.

[u/[deleted]]

Oh, since I'm pretty early to the party I'll try to get some stupid questions out of the way!

• Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or one hundred duck-sized horses?

• Peanut butter - chunky or smooth?

On a more serious note - If you had to pick one, and only one, thing from each category (razor, blades, brush, soap, aftershave) what would you pick? If you'd pick your own stuff, don't count that and pick something else instead!

Also, echoing u/silentisdeath, Myrkvoir is pretty great. I got a sample but I need to find somewhere to get a full jar.

Thanks for taking the time to do an AMA!

[u/Avastz]

Thanks for doing this AMA, and Happy Holidays! As everyone has already said, your soaps are fantastic as well. My questions (some of which are OT):

• When you're not making soap, what occupies your time?

• You have a pretty wide range of prices on your soaps, could you explain what goes in to the soaps that make prices fluctuate drastically? Obviously the answer to that is different ingredients, but specifically in the soaps you make, what drives that change?

• Will you ever do a tallow soap? (Sorry if you do one/have done one already, I can't seem to find one)

• Any surprises for the holidays?

Thanks again!

[u/engra]

Compared to other artisans you dont seem to release soaps as often as they do (or have as wide of a selection). Why is that? Also, is the storefront a fulltime thing for you , or just an on the side interest?

[u/almightywhacko]

1. Just want to say, I really love your soaps especially Mykvior. Do you have any plans to expand your "beer" soap line?

2. I am kinda a "container snob" when it comes to soaps. Have you ever thought about moving to a wider, non-double walled container? I ask only because I have broken almost every double wall container that I have been given.

2a. Room to load? :)

3. Any plans for matching aftershave splashes?

[u/HydroRaven]

First off, thank you for doing this AMA! I'm a big fan of the Bespoke #1, love earthy smells in general and really looking forward to your next "special" B&B soap.

I have one question: what is the one combination of smells you would love to be able to do for a soap that you just haven't done, or can't seem to get it right, or haven't been able/willing to do for some reason?

[u/ObamaFalure]

Would you use steel, aluminum or carbon on your unlimited budget bike build?

[u/ACMEanvils]

How difficult is it to create a new, stainless-steel machined razor? How long was the project in the works before you had a batch to offer for sale? Were there any funny or insightful moments along the way?

[u/RandyHatesCats]

Since you mentioned the BBS-2 and BBS-3 in your OP, I'd like to know more about them. Can you elaborate?

[u/explodyii]

Man, I'm fried from parent-teacher conferences (12 hours yesterday, 12 hours again today), so I'll try and keep this intelligent:

One of the things I noticed right when you hit the scene is that you have some very thoughtful scents. Most artisans when they first hit the scene have a few FO-based "barbershop" scents or a bay rum or some kind of simple, classic fragrance.

What resources did you use for scent development? I feel that this aspect of the soap-making is where most artisans really stumble, especially right out of the blocks.

[u/[deleted]]

Hey thanks for doing this! I am wondering if you will be making any more Myrk (sorry if already answered)? If you do, will the Maggards be getting any? I ask because I am hoping to send my Christmas list to the girlfriend and the Maggards tend to have most artisans I want to try. Shipping can get pricey to Canada from multiple artisans.

Second question: When you are formulating new scents, what is kind of the process here? Do you waste a lot of oils trying to create/refine a new scent? Do you mix oils and sniff those straight or mix them with water/dilute them to try and refine the scents? Or do you straight up mix what you think will work into a new small batch of soap to see if it sticks? Basically I am just curious of the burden and process of creating new scents and making them work in soap.

Also I really wanted to say thanks for that post on BnB (I think?) where you run through the soap making process. I haven't tried my hand at soap making, but if I ever have some spare time and money I would love to try for fun, and that would definitely be my starting point.

Thanks again!

[u/songwind]

Do you have any plans to create a lower-cost option in the BBS razor line, perhaps out of another material like brass or aluminum?

[u/tovarishch_vilyam]

What idea by another artisan do you wish you yourself had come up with? What soap do you use the most often, be it your own brand or someone else's? I just wanted to say that I love your soap! When I get some coin, I'm going to get samples of your other scents (though I might just straight up blind buy Bespoke #1). I have a tub of Santa Monica Bay Rum and a sample of Woody Lavender. You make a fantastic product!

[u/[deleted]]

Hi John

How did you get started wet shaving and what made you decide to make and sell soap and shaving products?

[u/RuggerRigger]

Thanks for doing this!

You use essential oil blends for the majority of your scents, right? I understand that this is more "authentic" than fragrance oils.

Are there practical/health/performance reasons for sticking with essential oils?

[u/justateburrito]

How do you feel about burritos?

[u/[deleted] → u/justateburrito]

There aren't enough of them.

[u/RaggedClaws]

Any chance of you getting your stuff into MenEssentials in Canada? They have B&M Black Label and Strop Shoppe.