The requirements of a shaving soap are somewhat different than those of other soaps. To be a good shaving soap the lather produced therefrom must be heavy, creamy, but not gummy, and remain moist when formed on the face. The soap itself should be of a soft consistency so as to readily adhere to the face when used in stick form. It should furthermore be neutral or nearly so to prevent the alkali from smarting during shaving. Shaving soap is made in the form of a stick, and a tablet for use in the shaving mug. Some shavers prefer to have the soap as a powder or cream, which are claimed to be more convenient methods of shaving. While a liquid shaving soap is not as well known because it has not yet become popular, some soap for shaving is made in this form. Formerly shaving soap was extensively made from a charge of about 80 parts tallow and 20 parts cocoanut oil as a boiled settled soap, but either making the strengthening change with potash lye or using potash lye in saponifying the stock and graining with salt. Soaps for shaving made in this manner are very unsatisfactory, as they do not produce a sufficiently thick or lasting lather and discolor very materially upon ageing. Potassium stearate forms an ideal lather for shaving, but readily hardens and hence needs some of the softer oils, or glycerine incorporated with it to form a satisfactory soap for shaving. The selection of materials for making a shaving soap is important. The tallow used should be white and of high titer. Cochin cocoanut oil is to be preferred to the other kinds, and the alkalis should be the best for technical use that can be purchased--76 per cent. caustic soda and 88-92 per cent. caustic potash are suitable. By the use of stearic acid it is a simple matter to reach the neutral point which can be carefully approximated. The following are shaving soap formulae which have been found to give good satisfaction: I. lbs. Tallow 360 Stearic acid 40 Soda lye, 41deg. B. 147 Potash lye, 34deg. B. 87 Water 32 Gum tragacanth 1 II. lbs. Tallow 282 Cocoanut oil 60 Stearic acid 50 Bayberry wax 18 Soda lye, 41deg. B. 147 Potash lye, 34deg. B. 90 Water 32 III. lbs. Tallow 400 Cocoanut oil 176 Stearic acid 415 Caustic soda, 40deg. B. 182 Caustic potash, 38deg. B. 108