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Pears soap?

K

karol.elec

Member
2025 Sabbattical
Hi
I have a few questions.
As a part of preparation I wash my face with a soap. Then rinse the soap and face lather.
I have realised most of you as prep use a Pears soap.
What is the difference between just any soap vs Pears?
Is it any Pears soap like from Chemist Warehouse or it has to be a special one? Or particular brand?
Are you rinsing the Pears soap or you use it as a pre shave and put lather over it?

Please share your secret😂
 
karol.elec said:
Hi
I have a few questions.
As a part of preparation I wash my face with a soap. Then rinse the soap and face lather.
I have realised most of you as prep use a Pears soap.
What is the difference between just any soap vs Pears?
Is it any Pears soap like from Chemist Warehouse or it has to be a special one? Or particular brand?
Are you rinsing the Pears soap or you use it as a pre shave and put lather over it?

Please share your secret😂
Click to expand...
FWIW, I use Pears transparent 3 pack from Chemist Warehouse as the cheapest in my area, though some discount stores i.e. Silly Solly's, Choice etc may sell cheaper? I use it for the high Glycerine content to help moisturise the skin and I believe it creates a smoother ''razor'' glide/cushion as I don't wipe off prior to face lathering?
 
@karol.elec, Pears Transparent soap comes in three different scents; original (brown in colour), lemon (green) and mint (blue). They all perform equally well in the pre-shave face wash.

After trying many different soaps, I now use Pears soap exclusively for my pre-shave wash. I prefer the scent of the original. In my opinion, with no scientific facts to back it up, Pears soap is the best for removing oils from my whiskers to allow the water to penetrate into the hair and soften it for cutting. Pears soap is based solely on glycerin with no added oils (found in most other bath soaps) to compromise this water absorption into my whiskers.

Pears is a brand name. It is made in Saudi Arabia and India, to the same formula. It doesn't matter were you buy it, a chemist, supermarket or you local discount store. It is all the same. Only the price may vary. I last bought 30 cakes of Pears soap at my local discount store as it was only AU$1 per cake. At my age now, I should have enough until I'm 95 years old.

I thoroughly rinse off all soap residue from my face before lathering as I have found that some (not all) of my shaving soaps lose some performance when even a small amount of Pears soap is left on my face. To play it safe, I just remove all traces of the Pears soap, irrespective of the shaving soap that I am going to lather with. Others prefer to lather over their Pears soap residue.

Of course everyone's face is different, otherwise we all be as incredibly handsome as you. Just try different pre-shave routines until you find the one that works best for you.
 
rbscebu said:
I last bought 30 cakes of Pears soap at my local discount store as it was only AU$1 per cake. At my age now, I should have enough until I'm 95 years old.
Click to expand...
This is wise. There was a spell a while ago when Pears was discontinued (in the '90s or early noughties?). I think there must have been many howls of protest, as they eventually brought it back.
 
I use the mint and lemon Pears, not keen on the original scent. I don’t wash off the residual before applying my lather.
Also use this method for head shaving.

I have recently bought a 3 pack of Goats milk soap (Aldi $4) I will be trying this as a pre shave once the current bar of Pears is finished.
 
If you have access, Costco stocks it. The last time I got some it was $25 for a 24-pack. I'm nearly out so I will need to recheck the price soon.
 
Years ago somebody in the wet shaving community probably posted a thread stating that Pears soap is the best thing since sliced bread and everyone bowed down and prayed. @rscebu says, " Pears soap is based solely on glycerin with no added oils (found in most other bath soaps) to compromise this water absorption into my whiskers". Then why does the packaging say, "PURE & GENTLE with NATURAL OILS". The list of ingredients shows Sodium Palm Kemelate (derived from palm oil), Sodium Palmate (derived from palm oil), etc.

Most of us stopped using canned goo because of the number of chemicals in it such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (the World Health Organisation has issued several warnings concerning SLS). Pears contains SLS. It's not really good for humans.

People with a history of sensitive skin, hyperirritable skin and people suffering from skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (eczema), rosacea and psoriasis are best to avoid products containing SLS.

I use an SLS-free soap as a pre-shave to remove excess oils from my whiskers and it works for me. It does cost a bit more than Pears! :)
 
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Phil Harmonica said:
Years ago somebody in the wet shaving community probably posted a thread stating that Pears soap is the best thing since sliced bread and everyone bowed down and prayed. @rscebu says, " Pears soap is based solely on glycerin with no added oils (found in most other bath soaps) to compromise this water absorption into my whiskers". Then why does the packaging say, "PURE & GENTLE with NATURAL OILS". The list of ingredients shows Sodium Palm Kemelate (derived from palm oil), Sodium Palmate (derived from palm oil), etc.

Most of us stopped using canned goo because of the number of chemicals in it such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (the World Health Organisation has issued several warnings concerning SLS). Pears contains SLS. It's not really good for humans.

People with a history of sensitive skin, hyperirritable skin and people suffering from skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (eczema), rosacea and psoriasis are best to avoid products containing SLS.

I use an SLS-free soap as a pre-shave to remove excess oils from my whiskers and it works for me. It does cost a bit more than Pears! :)
Click to expand...
This is very interesting👍🏻
I do not have a sensitive skin, use just some cheap soap. But the price of the bar of soap does not matter that much as if I use it purely for the pre shave purposes it is going to last forever. And compared to the shaving soaps is going to be very cheap anyway.
What are the SLS free soaps? Where to find them? Are they labeled as SLS free or I have to go through the ingredients list?
Can you give me an exampe of the good soap?
Also do you rinse it before lathering?
 
karol.elec said:
This is very interesting👍🏻
I do not have a sensitive skin, use just some cheap soap. But the price of the bar of soap does not matter that much as if I use it purely for the pre shave purposes it is going to last forever. And compared to the shaving soaps is going to be very cheap anyway.
What are the SLS free soaps? Where to find them? Are they labeled as SLS free or I have to go through the ingredients list?
Can you give me an exampe of the good soap?
Also do you rinse it before lathering?
Click to expand...
Lots of SLS-free soap out there. I use Bluebeards Revenge. SLS-free and contains glycerin. I rinse it off before applying shaving soap/cream. Available from Amazon cheaper that Beard & Blade.
www.beardandblade.com.au

The Bluebeards Revenge Big Blue Bar of Soap for Blokes 175g

The Bluebeards Revenge Big Blue Bar of Soap for Blokes will make light work of man-sized dirt and grime, leaving you smelling clean and fresh. Made in UK.
www.beardandblade.com.au www.beardandblade.com.au

Another is Washpool handmade soaps in Stanthorpe, QLD.

Nevea Creme Soft Soap ($2.24/2 bars) at Amazon. Contains Tallow, Glycerin and Lanolin. No SLS.

Always double check the ingredients.
 
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Phil Harmonica said:
Years ago somebody in the wet shaving community probably posted a thread stating that Pears soap is the best thing since sliced bread and everyone bowed down and prayed. @rscebu says, " Pears soap is based solely on glycerin with no added oils (found in most other bath soaps) to compromise this water absorption into my whiskers". Then why does the packaging say, "PURE & GENTLE with NATURAL OILS". The list of ingredients shows Sodium Palm Kemelate (derived from palm oil), Sodium Palmate (derived from palm oil), etc.

Most of us stopped using canned goo because of the number of chemicals in it such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (the World Health Organisation has issued several warnings concerning SLS). Pears contains SLS. It's not really good for humans.

People with a history of sensitive skin, hyperirritable skin and people suffering from skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (eczema), rosacea and psoriasis are best to avoid products containing SLS.

I use an SLS-free soap as a pre-shave to remove excess oils from my whiskers and it works for me. It does cost a bit more than Pears! :)
Click to expand...
Yes, SLS (chemical name Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate) is a sodium salt. It is a primary skin irritant. It can irritate very sensitive skin but this is a rare occurrence. It has no other effects (such as being carcinogenic or systematically toxic). It is used in most toothpastes. Like any skin product, if you find that the product irritates you skin, stop using it and try something else.

My understanding is that sodium palm kemelate and sodium palmate (both derived from palm oil) do not compromise water absorption into hair.
 
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Phil Harmonica said:
Then why does the packaging say, "PURE & GENTLE with NATURAL OILS". The list of ingredients shows Sodium Palm Kemelate (derived from palm oil), Sodium Palmate (derived from palm oil), etc.
Click to expand...
SLS and SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) are both derived from palm kernel and/or coconut oil. They are what you get when you boil up a fat of this kind with a strong base such as NaOH and/or KaOH. In simplistic terms, that's how any soap is made. There's no need to be alarmed about either in this case, since they are not used in isolation. Yes, I have used SLS (labelled as sodium dodecyl sulfate) in labs at Uni, and it is a bit rough on your skin. But nobody uses it in that form for grooming purposes.
 
Thank you all for a very informative discussion.
I have to admit I have learned more about soaps today than in my entire life😂. For me soap was a soap. Any soap my wife bought I used😂.
Now I am going to try Pears and one of the @Phil Harmonica soaps and I will see what I like more. And an olive soap of course as well. Luckily they are very cheap compared to the shaving soaps😂
Till now I was sure the main purpose of using soap before shaving was to clean the face and remove the residue fats. So most of the time I was using just a liquid hand soap standing on the sink😂
 
Ok.
So I decided to check the Pears soap myself.
After you guys explained Pears is a brand I have bought a bar of pomegranate Pears.
Very nice scent. And looks good as well.
Now the tests results:
1. The soap is very slick. I understand how you could use it as a shaving soap.
2. After washing my face I have washed my face with clean water. This did not give me any extra slickness during shaving. The feeling was exactly like after using any other soap including the basic hand wash.
3. After washing my face I did not clean the soap and just started face leathering. That gave me probably a bit of extra slickness but it can be a placebo effect.

I like the soap but I think comparing with just any soap the difference was not observed.
This is my opinion and you can have different experiences.
 
@karol.elec, your observations concur with mine regarding Pears soap. The reason I like it is because it easily rinses totally off your face, leaving no residue.

I have found with some of my shaving soaps that their performance can deteriorate if there is any prior soap residue on the face when lathering. It is for that reason that I prefer Pears soap for my pre-shave facial wash.

I tried Pears soap as a shaving soap but found it not as good for lathering when SR shaving. "Safety" razor shaving may be different.
 
rbscebu said:
@karol.elec, your observations concur with mine regarding Pears soap. The reason I like it is because it easily rinses totally off your face, leaving no residue.

I have found with some of my shaving soaps that their performance can deteriorate if there is any prior soap residue on the face when lathering. It is for that reason that I prefer Pears soap for my pre-shave facial wash.

I tried Pears soap as a shaving soap but found it not as good for lathering when SR shaving. "Safety" razor shaving may be different.
Click to expand...
I will use the soap for longer. I have a new bar anyway😂. Maybe with the time my experience change.
Also I did not perform a proper experiment. I was mixing all my gears and it could give me not clear results. Maybe I will use it for a week or 2 with only one setup. Maybe one day. But for now it is hard to use the same soap etc day by day if I have so many to choose from😂

Also there is a chance that with all those positive comments about Pears maybe my expectations where too high?
 
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