First off I just want to say that this will be my 1,000th Post on The Shave Den, and I purposely selected this soap review to be the perfect post to mark this memorable milestone. The Concept Yesterday I started a thread discussing a new concept that some friends and I wanted to start here with our fellow den members regarding shaving soap review crews. We basically assembled and started discussing this concept via a PM thread, and found a cost effective way to test and try new shaving soaps. I will admit that I suffer from SAD pretty BAD, so I took the reins as the first "host" of our soap sample exchange. I distributed 2 shave soap samples to each member of the group, and gave them a couple weeks to do some test lathers and gauge their overall performance. My goal was to see how each member would rate the characteristics based on what they value most in a good quality shave soap. The 2 artisans that I chose are not the most widely talked about soap makers, nor do they often appear on shave soap reviews or SOTD photos. I found that they worked well for me, and wanted to share that experience with some fellow den members. I will begin by posting some general information about the soaps used for our review, as well as some personal thoughts and of course...lather shots. As the host, I simply want to make everyone aware of the products used, where their website can be found, and a product description. The actual performance reviews and breakdown will be provided in the following posts by the other group members. Soap Sample #1 - Beer Soap Brewing Company - Orange & Ylang Ylang (Mentholated by Request) http://beersoapbrewingcompany.com/product/orange-ylang-ylang-shaving-soap/ Product Description Beer Used: Orange Blossom Sweet notes of orange are combined with the sweet, exotic floral notes of Ylang Ylang. These two oils are great on their own, but when brought together, they create a perfect match of floral and citrus. A touch of Dark Patchouli Essential Oil has been added to anchor the scents. Ingredients Tallow Shave Soaps: Beer, Saponified Oils of (beef tallow, palm oil, castor oil, Stearic Acid, cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter, glycerin, fragrance, and kaolin clay.) We use Sodium Hydroxide and Potassium Hydroxide. Non-Tallow Shave Soaps: Beer, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Potassium Cocoa Butterate, Glycerin, Fragrance, Tetrasodium EDTA I have done a few reviews on Beer Soap Brewing Co. soaps in the past, and will continue to be a loyal customer. The owner Kevin, has always gone above and beyond to communicate with me and gives thorough scent descriptions each time I have a question about his scents. As some of you may already know, he is the mastermind behind Country Club for Men Aftershaves, and will soon be migrating some shave soaps over to the www.countryclubformen.com website. His soaps have increased to 6 oz. offerings at $15. Soap Sample #2 - Ian S. Soap - Orange Geranium http://iansoaps.bigcartel.com/ Unfortunately this particular scent is no longer available on Ian's website, but the other soaps in his current stock are just as nice in terms of performance. His soap ingredient list includes: Stearic acid, Coconut oil, Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Palm Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Scent, Castor oil, Beeswax, Cocoa butter, Lanolin, and Gum Benjamin. Price $7.50 for 5+ Oz. Ian made a positive impression with me when I emailed him about a negative reaction I had due to a skin sensitivity to cinnamon essential oil. He immediately offered me a replacement soap at no additional cost, and explained how that ingredient often times can irritate sensitive skin. Not all soap makers go that extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction, and I have to applaud the way he handled that situation. Here are some photos to show my lather test with this soap... The prep: The Load: Bowl Lather: Ready to go: I've done my part to roll out the red carpet, and now some friends of mine will give you their impressions and reviews of how these two soaps worked for them. Each member is at a different point in their shave journey, and each member values different key aspects to a great performing soap. We may not all agree, but that's the beauty of this review concept. 4 guys - 2 soaps....Let's see how it goes....
Congrats JR on 1000 posts...since I am one of the others...I have had a blast laying the prep for this! JR has taken the lead on this and I have now tried two soaps I NEVER would have tried on my own...the fact that I made three TSD friends in the process makes it even more special and fun. I hope others do this...Pick 4 people, buy some soaps and make some friends...let's make 2015 on TSD the best yet! You won't be sorry! 4 Guys - 2 Soaps Inaugural Review of Jar Sample #1 4 Guys...2 Soaps! So excited to be doing these reviews...the days spent planning this and testing the soaps were an absolute blast! @JRReyes coordinated this round of reviews and we plan to do this all year long...it's a lot of fun, and something that is easy to organize. He selected two samples, which I used along the way...with a little foreshadowing on SOTD. A little about me first. I am Chris and I live near Denver. I have been traditional shaving since August 2014 or so. My soap experience is rather limited, and my most often used setup is a Utopia/GSB or Voskhod. I like menthol a lot. Really. A lot. So far my fave performer is Arko, and TSD Sticks get the nod for ease of use. I love DE shaving, writing about DE shaving, and consider myself a technique freak. I am currently involved in the 30 Day Rule discussion group, the ongoing Yuma Razor Pass Around, and support the MTO pass around. I also really like soap. I really love menthol soap. Mostly, I love menthol! I also really enjoy the group activities on TSD, and plan on doing a lot of them in 2015! Vintage collecting is a sideline, I have a small yet thought out collection to play with in 2015 as well. I own four brushes...a 48, a Plisson synthetic, a VDH Kit badger and an AoS Fine Badger. I am looking to find a solid rotation of soaps for my den, and match them to the best brush possible. Soap Sample #1 - Beer Soap Brewing Company - Orange & Ylang Ylang (mentholated) This soap was used for my SOTD on 21 December, 2014. This jar was labeled #1 and upon opening yielded a lovely orange aroma, accentuated by floral notes ylang ylang and a touch of menthol, maybe a whiff of patchouli on the nose. Think a floral "Lucky Tiger" aroma. I also used it on a menthol Monday with the soap info redacted. I found this soap to perform as well as it smelled. A pea sized portion in the bottom of the shave bowl easily turned to lather with minimal effort! For this shave I used an AOS fine badger, presoaked and whipped up enough lather for easily three passes. This soap yielded rich thick and creamy lather that would easily hold peaks. The cushion and glide on this soap are amongst the best I have yet tried. Pass one was easy, the slick foam providing ample cushion to allow the Voskhod blade to perform like it should. The menthol level in this soap is mild, like Proraso green mild, but added a nice twist to the orange aroma. Another little stir of the badger and it yielded a 2 pass DFS. I really enjoyed the aroma filling the room as I finished my shave. 12 hours later, my skin looked and felt great. I found no issues with either dryness or irritation. The skincare on this BSBC soap is very nice. I did not require any special moisturizers, and the alum block indicated the foam had indeed provided more than adequate protection on my skin. My verdict: I like the BSBC Orange/Ylang Ylang. If you have SAD, or just like quality citrus soap...give it a try! They are based in my home state of Alabama, just a bonus! This soap gave solid performance and great skinfeel. This soap can take quite a bit of water, and even in the CO hard water, made absolutely beautiful lather. I think this soap is easy to use, even for a newbie like me. It may earn a slot in the rotation here really soon! Check them out! Jar #2 later tonight!
Really enjoying the reviews and might I add I am thrilled to see that no x/10 ratings are given (as they have, to me, become rather pointless) - and instead more thorough written reviews are posted (with some great photos might I add!). Well done!
Very impressive Chris, well stated sir. And I will also encourage more den members to get on board. I'm already involved with two groups and not afraid of a third. I think it's a great way for newer members to interact and see what SAD is all about..lol.
Many thanks for the kind words gents. 1,000 down and ??,??? to go...lol. This is a great place to share experiences, and I enjoy the family feel that is the shave den.
@JR Reyes Congratulations on 1,000 post! Ive enjoyed them all. Hi Chris! Welcome! Super review! I'm a HUGE fan of 4 guys 2 soaps. Happy Lathering!
LOL...I don't live in Vegas any more so I can't tell you the odd on that one....but I will do my best to cover the spread...lol
Hello Gents! I am honored to be one of "the four" and hope that it spreads like wildfire to become one of many. My name is Daryle and I use the handle, Derhey. I live in Omaha, NE but grew up in Wisconsin and went to school in Minnesota (I am a proud Gopher). I grew up wetshaving the spent 7 or 8 years going the electric route (4 blade razors were killing my skin) before trying de shaving about four months ago. I was quickly hooked and regret inevitably set in over the fact that I wish I had started 20 years earlier. I have also started to dabble in shaving with a straight edge. I have four razors (Razorock de, Synergy open comb, 1970 Gillette black beauty [birth year razor], and a Genco De Roma straight). I have two brushes including a WhippedDog silvertip badger and an Omega boar (and a Plisson on order from eBay). My real addiction is soaps. Over the past few months, I have tried about 30 soaps. That being said, thanks to the shave den, I have found friends who share this little passion of ours. We share, question, and openly converse about our shaving obsession. That is the foundation for the "4 guys - 2 soaps" idea...that's why I believe it's a great idea and can be replicated as often as needed for all who are interested. That being said, here are my reviews: Soap #2: I tried this soap first because I thought the scent was more mild and the texture intrigued me. Because it was softer, I pulled out my boar brush which quickly whipped up a lather with just a dollop of soap. The scented was incredible but not over-powering. The lather was cushioning and allowed me to use four razor passes (one pass was used to practice my straight razor techniques). I could have easily gotten two more passes with the lather that was produced and I never had to "whip it back into shape". A few shaves with this soap over the course of three days left my skin feeling refreshed and moisturized. I had never tried the Ian S. soap, but I was left very impressed and looking forward to trying other scents by the artisan in the future. Here are a few pictures from one of my shaves with Ian S... Next came soap #1...I didn't mention that I am a big fan of Beer Soap Brewing Company shave soap. As soon as I saw this sample, I knew it was from BSBC. The scent was intoxicating and more complex than sample #2. The texture was thicker and just a small amount of soap produced a thick lather using my silvertip brush. To me, the best feature (alright, maybe second to the outstanding scents) of BSBC soaps are their amazing slickness. If you are prone to razor burn, this soap is a must try. Because of the thickness and slickness, I felt that the soap really protected my skin from nicks and cuts, thus providing a very "confident" shave. This soap is a bit thirstiest IMO and, after a few uses, left my skin well hydrated and smooth. Here are a few quick picts of my experience... Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase either soap and thoroughly enjoyed both. That being said, the complexity of the scent and slickness of the soap made me favor soap #1 over soap #2. I feel it worth noting that I would put the BSBC in the top 3 on my list of favorite artisan soap makers. If you haven't tried their soaps, I highly recommend them. Thank you for letting me share my experiences with you and I can not wait to share our next swap experience. Finally, thank you to my new friends and comrades...that is what it's all about. Derhey
Awesome job D, I like the format and the pictures help tell the story. I'm glad you enjoyed the experience. I'm also looking forward to the next exchange.
