A few weeks back Alex (aka percypurps on SMF.com) posted at SMF.com an artisan Norwegian soap producer named "Fitjar" (http://www.fitjarsoap.no). As many of you know I am constantly trying new shave preps and as such decided to give this company a go after corresponding extensively with the owner and soap maker Jorunn Hernes (jorunn@fitjarsaapekokeri.no). I have tried many different artisan made soaps and creams over the years and generally find that most producers rely on a generic formula and process. And generally speaking while these soaps are good, offer quality natural ingredients, and in many cases high quality essential oil fragrances, they often fall short in terms of shave efficacy. They simply don't measure up to a quality traditional cream or a triple milled soap. Let me "cut to the chase" and simply state that Fitjar's products are different. Jorunn, who provides among the finest customer service one could expect, is truly a chemist/formulator extraordinaire. She has come up with a very unique soap and cream formula that offers great natural (and in many cases organic) ingredients, smells great (using only essential oils) and is as efficacious as anything I have ever used. She doesn't use "clay" for slip and she doesn't use palm oil (due to her ethical position on the expanding destruction of rainforests to make way for palm oil plantations and CPO for biofuel) two of the most common ingredients in all natural artisan shave soaps. I won't go in to the details of the formulas but suffice it to say this is "different" than most anything I have encountered (particularly the shave cream). Jorunn is easy to communicate with (speaks/comprehends English fluently) and is very quick to respond and ship. I received my goods within a week (from Norway to CA USA) from paying via PayPal. In addition to her shave products she makes an excellent and highly emollient bath/facial soap called Nyasha. If you have dry or sensitive skin you should check this out. A tub of cream or a round of soap runs about $25 delivered to the USA (less per item if you order more as shipping is amortized) and as such is in line with most other quality shave products. If you care about what is in your product and prefer all natural (and partially organic) ingredients but aren't willing to sacrifice shave efficacy to get these benefits I highly recommned the Fitjar products. My personal favorite is the "Fjellheim" fragrance which is a subtle green/woody fragrance blended from pine and juniper EO's. It reminds me of the redwood forests here in Northern California. I find the soap and cream perform about the same with an edge to the cream as it offers a bit more "cushion." Both produce a very rich, dense and emollient lather which is atypical in my experience with artisan soap products. It's great to find a producer of this type and I hope Fitjar is around for many years to come. regards, Chris
Sounds very interesting. Why do I feel I'll probably have a couple of these soaps by the end of next month?
Thanks for the tip. What would you compare the FitJar shaving soap too, if there is a comparison? And how frequently are you using it? Did you 1st order the shaving sampler?
I see that there is also information in English, because I really cannot understand Norwegian. She sells DE's and straights too, I noticed.
I'm in too. I did e-mail the website/store today & got a reply immediately. I would be happy to try to put together a group buy (saving on shipping possibly) if there are enough willing samplers. You can post here and I will monitor the traffic & interest.
Thanks to Norseman, I received a sample of the Fitjar Villmann(Wild Man) soap yesterday and shaved with it today. It produced a quick, easy, and very slick lather! The scent was excellent...fresh and "outdoorsy". At $25 US shipped for a refill puck, I will be ordering some to keep. The English translation of the Villmann's description may have lost something??
I agree, but I am no expert. And from what I can tell, the soapmaker are far better in English than I will ever be. So my curiosity led me to consult a dictionary And The Free Online Dictionary defines it in two ways, I believe that she had the first definition in mind and not the second one. I can only assume that it may be difficult to be a wild thing and submissive at the same time meek (mk) adj. meek·er, meek·est 1. Showing patience and humility; gentle. 2. Easily imposed on; submissive. [Middle English meke, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse mjkr, soft.] But I am glad you enjoyed the soap. Thanks for the feedback
I received the Bregneskog sample, I used it yesterday. I was very impressed with how it lathered, the scent was great, it was very slick. Thank you again Noresman for the sample.
This Villman thing is very funny, because Norwegian men, are said to be "myke menn", aka soft men. Because of the parental leave and the fact that everything is so sweet and quiet here (I always call Norwegians for Bisounours). Hard to explain, but maybe Norseman can understand why reading the description made me smile... Villemann gjekk seg te storan å, Hei fagraste lindelauvi alle Der han ville gullharpa slå For de runerne de lyster han å vinne
Frode, you speak fantastic English. My English has also gotten a lot better but I still feel you're ahead of me.
Looks like he hasn't posted in over a year. Folks come & go. Some stick around and keep posting. Maybe he learned all he needed and moved on. TSD has a deep database of old post from Members that don't log in any more. May they Shave in Peace.
Yes, perhaps(I mean, yes INDEED on hoping he shaves in peace). . His avatar paved the way for me to make my "I can't get a shot past THIS avatar" comment(imagining some members' avatars to look like goalie masks).
