Andrew Baumann isn't a professional soap maker. Actually, he's a history teacher at Whitnall High School who's just really into the art of old-fashioned wet shaving.
And, just like all hobbyists think to themselves eventually, Baumann wondered last January if he could get into the business, too.
So Baumann, who is an avid fan of classic books, launched The Shave Library, a line of men's shaving soaps on the popular DIY eCommerce storefront, Etsy. He named his soaps after his favorite authors, like Shakespeare, Bronte, Twain, Kipling, Fitzgerald and Hemingway – though considering trademark issues, he's in the process of changing the lines to character names and themes that won't get him in trouble.
Take "Mandalay Bay," formerly known as "Kipling." Including oils of bay rum and lime, the scent captures the spirit of a refined jungle. Baumann says this soap is his personal favorite for summertime use.
"When I read some of these books, I get a feeling, and I can pick up on the scents that the author alludes to," says Baumann, who lives in Wauwatosa. "I actually started with the Fitzgerald soap, since 'The Great Gatsby' is my favorite book and I read it once a year. What scents would Jay Gatsby wear? I came up with a good scent; when I smell it, I smell 'The Great Gatsby.'"
Surely, there are other ways to pay homage to one's favorite authors, so why did Baumann teach himself how to make soap?
"I have all the big English and Italian brands of soap, and they're great," says Baumann. "But a lot of them are really, really expensive. Some of them are $50 to $75."
Baumann says he tried some other Etsy soaps, which smelled good but didn't lather properly, and realized there might be an opportunity for him to innovate.
"A lot of soaps you use in the shower or the kitchen are bubbly and airy. You need shaving soap to make a really dense lather," he says.
He says his goal was to bridge the gap between price and quality, and knowing nothing about making soap, he began buying pre-made soap bases and studied what his favorite soap makers added ... then tinkered with acids and Shea butters in his basement until he got it right.
It took Baumann about six months of trial and error to figure out how to make shaving soap – the kind meant to be applied with a badger or boar hair brush – but eventually he nailed it. For $13 for 4-ounce jar, this is a high-quality, smooth lathering, handcrafted soap at an affordable price.
"It was a pretty significant investment to get started because there were so many test batches that I just threw away," says Baumann, who used his own face as the test.
Baumann says his creations are as good as any old the old-school European soaps, "and honestly, better than any of the handmade ones out there." Reviews on the wet shaving message boards support this claim, too.
Is Baumann hoping to turn this into a full-time business, or is he just making soaps for fun?
"A little bit of both. Mainly more for fun, but hoping that I can get other people into wet shaving."
He says his passion comes from results and a love of nostalgia. Baumann says wet shaving with a safety razor and soap gets superlative results, but more importantly, it connects people with the past.
"Being a history teacher, I asked myself what did people use back in the day? I knew there were straight razors, but we don't go right to electric razors. I did some research and I thought it was really, really exciting."
In additional to Etsy, Baumann says his soap is for sale at M Salon in Walker's Point.
"I'd always like to sell a little more but, but I'm selling enough to keep me busy," says Baumann, whose students have recently found out that's making soap.
"But with summer here, I'm open for tons of orders."
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
