Artisan Shaving Soap

Stuga shaving soap is a hard, coconut-oil puck, handmade in small batches in Moss Vale. Swirl a wet brush across it and it whips into a thick, cushioning lather — the kind that protects the skin and makes a close shave something you look forward to rather than rush. Clean, close, and built to last.

At a glance

Why a soap, not a cream

A traditional soap puck builds a denser, more protective lather than a canned gel or aerosol cream — better cushion for the blade, and more shaves per dollar than any cream or tub soap in its class. It works with a brush, which lifts the hairs and gently exfoliates before the razor touches your skin. Less packaging, better shave, better value. That's the whole case for shaving soap over cream. It's also most of the answer to razor burn — a cushioned blade is a blade that isn't scraping skin.

What it actually costs per shave

Everyone selling soap says it's cheaper than cream. Here's the arithmetic instead. An 80g Stuga puck at $29.95 gives 3–4 months of daily shaves — call it 100 shaves, and it lands around 30c a shave.

• Stuga puck$29.95 for roughly 100 shaves — about 30c each
• Mid-range imported soap or creamAround $17–$28 a tub, and most of them are smaller than they look — roughly the same money or a little more, for a lather you didn't have made for you
• Premium barbershop cream$44–$90 a tub. Genuinely lovely soaps, several times the cost per shave
• Supermarket aerosol$3–$5 a can, about six weeks each. Cheaper per shave than anything else here, and it will stay cheaper

So no, soap is not the cheapest way to lather your face — a $3 can of foam is, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. What the puck beats on cost is every soap and cream in its own class, and what it beats the can on is the shave itself: real cushion under the blade instead of aerated surfactant, no propellant, no drying alcohol, and a tin instead of a pressurised can in landfill four times a year.

Prices above are what those products were selling for in Australia when this was written. They move.

How to use it

Works with any brush — badger, synthetic or boar.

1. Wet your brush under warm water and shake out the excess.
2. Swirl the bristles on the puck for 20–30 seconds, until the brush is well loaded.
3. Build the lather in a bowl or on your face in slow circles — you want it thick and creamy, not thin or bubbly.
4. Shave with short, steady strokes, then let the puck dry between uses so it lasts.

Chasing better lather? Our complete lathering guide covers technique, bowl lathering and troubleshooting.

Every scent, three strengths

Every scent is made in Regular, Double and Triple — same soap, different intensity. Not sure? Start with Regular; you can always go stronger next time.

Choose from Australian Lemon Myrtle, Cedarwood • Amber • Orange Peel, Coconut • Fresh Lime, Sandalwood • Black Pepper • Lime, Silver Birch • Bergamot • Forest Cassis, Tasmanian Lavender, Tobacco Leaf • Guaiac Wood • Spiced Plum and Wild Fig • Sea Salt • Vetiver — or Unscented for sensitive skin and anyone who already wears a fragrance. Several match a Stuga eau de parfum (Sandalwood No. 413, White Musk No. 421, Fig No. 431 and Tobacco Leaf No. 407), so you can carry the same scent from the shave right through the day.

Puck, stick or croap — what's the difference

Three shapes, and they're less different than the packaging suggests.

A puck is a hard round of soap you load with a wet brush. That's what this is. It's the densest of the three, so it lasts longest, and it takes a few seconds more to load.

A shaving stick is the same soap moulded into a tube so you can crayon it straight onto a wet face and brush it up from there. Handy in a travel bag, and quicker if you face-lather. It also runs out faster, because you use more of it per shave than a brush would lift off a puck. We don't make one — the tin travels fine, it just doesn't go in your pocket.

A croap (cream–soap) is a soft soap in a tub. It loads in about ten seconds and it's the easiest of the three to lather badly-and-still-get-away-with-it. It's also mostly water, so you get fewer shaves per dollar.

If you're choosing on longevity, the puck wins. If you're choosing on speed, the croap does. The stick sits in between and mostly wins on luggage.

The details

• BaseCoconut-oil base, tallow-free
• Lasts3–4 months with daily use
• ScentsSignature scents plus unscented — each in Regular, Double or Triple
• UseLoad with a brush; lather in a bowl or on the face
• MadeBy hand in Moss Vale, NSW

Coconut, not tallow — by choice

Plenty of traditional shaving soaps are built on tallow — rendered beef fat — and it makes a genuinely good bar. I've rendered suet down to tallow and made soap from it myself, so this isn't me talking it down. But here's the part most people miss: the cushion and slickness a great shave needs don't come from the tallow itself, they come from its stearic acid. Build that from plants instead — a coconut base with the right stearic content — and you get the same thick, meringue-like lather that holds firm and protects the skin. I've whipped up both side by side, and the coconut stands up every bit as dense. The creaminess here comes from that coconut base, added stearic acid, and a little goat's milk and oat protein — no rendered fat needed.

Build your ritual

Lather straight from the tin, or drop the puck into a Stuga Shaving Bowl sized to hold it. Add a shaving brush, keep it tidy on The Wave stand, and finish with Stuga Shave Oil for extra glide. Want the lot in one box? The Shaving Set and Complete Shaving Kit bundle it together.

Still weighing it up against what's in your cabinet? Shaving soap vs cream, foam and gel puts all four side by side.

Questions, answered

How do I use shaving soap?

Load a wet brush by swirling it on the puck for 20–30 seconds, build a thick lather in a bowl or on your face, then shave with short strokes. Let the puck dry between uses.

How long does a shaving soap puck last?

With daily use, a single puck lasts 3–4 months — far longer per dollar than cream. Drying it between shaves makes it go further again.

Is shaving soap better than cream?

It builds a denser, more protective lather and lasts significantly longer per dollar, with less packaging waste. Used with a brush it also exfoliates before the blade.

Is it good for sensitive skin?

Yes. There's no tallow, no sulfates and no synthetic detergents, and the Unscented option removes fragrance entirely — a good choice for reactive skin.

Is this a tallow shaving soap?

No — it's coconut-oil based and tallow-free, though not vegan (there's goat's milk in it). Traditional shaving soaps often lean on tallow for cushion, but that cushion really comes from stearic acid, which we build from plant oils instead — same dense, protective lather.

What scents are available?

A range of signature scents plus an unscented option, each in Regular, Double and Triple strength. Start with Regular if you're unsure.

Can you shave with regular soap?

Not really. Regular bar or hand soap won't whip into the dense, cushioning lather a blade needs, and it can leave skin tight and dry. A dedicated shaving soap is built with stearic acid and glycerin to cushion the blade and protect the skin.

Does it work with a safety razor or straight razor?

Yes — it's made for traditional wet shaving with a safety razor, straight razor or cartridge. Load a brush, build a lather and shave.

Do I need a shaving brush?

A brush gets the best from it — it works air and water into the soap and lifts the hairs before the blade. You can raise a lather by hand in a pinch, but a brush is worth it.

Is this a men's shaving soap?

It's made for anyone who wet shaves. It's a popular men's shaving soap for the face and head, and works just as well on legs and body.

What soap is good for shaving?

One built for it. A shaving soap has a high stearic-acid content and added glycerin, which is what lets it whip into a dense lather that stays standing on the face and cushions the blade. Body soap, hand soap and shampoo bars are built to clean and rinse, so they collapse under the razor and leave the skin tight. If you're picking between shaving soaps, look at the base — coconut or tallow for cushion — and whether there's an unscented option if your skin is reactive.

What is the best shaving soap available in Australia?

There isn't one answer, and anyone who gives you one is selling something. The honest fork is the base. Tallow soaps are prized for slickness. Plant-based soaps suit anyone avoiding animal fats or with skin that reacts. Ours is coconut-oil based, tallow-free, made by hand in Moss Vale, and comes in eight scents plus unscented so you're not stuck with one fragrance. We've compared the main Australian-made options side by side in our guide to the best shaving soap in Australia, including the ones we don't make.

How many shaves do you get from one puck?

Around 100 from an 80g tin with daily use, which works out near 30c a shave. Letting it dry between shaves rather than leaving it sitting wet is what makes the difference between the bottom and the top of that range.

Do you sell a shaving soap stick?

No. A stick is the same soap in a tube so you can rub it straight onto a wet face — handy for travel, and it runs out faster than a puck because you use more per shave. The tin travels well enough that we'd rather make one thing properly.

Daily shaver or weekend ritualist, this is shaving the way it should be — simple, effective and built to last.