for soaps, theres really 2 or 3 camps to fall into. 1) tallow based soaps, 2) glycerine based soaps, and 3) the other stuff. For tallow, tabac (in the bowl) is AMAZING. If you like glycerine, google Mama's Bear Soaps, that lady makes some AMAZING stuff. You can really go soap crazy.
For brushes, there are boar hair brushes, badger hair brushes, and synthetics. Badger seems to be the most popular, and there's loads to choose from.
Its a slippery slope.