I'm down to the last of the samples sent to me by Ryan B. Thanks, Ryan, for the opportunity to try all of these wonder soaps. Today I used Mike's Natural Lily of the Valley and all I can say is buy some! Here are my thoughts: Ease of lathering: 7/10--This is a very thirsty soap and it took me a little longer than usual to work up a lather. Quality of lather: 9/10--With a little patience, I was able to get a fantastic creamy lather. I think this is one of the best lathers I have ever had. It was thick, but very slick. Stability of lather: 8/10--I didn't have any problems at all with the lather deteriorating. General skincare: 8/10--My skin felt very good after the shave. However, I use Cetaphil lotion after every shave, so this takes care of any dryness problems I may have. Scent: 7/10--This is one the best smelling soaps I have ever used. I, however, like to really smell the scent of my soaps while I am shaving, so this one left me wanting. Price: 8/10--Ryan sent this to me as part of a PIF, but Mike's soaps known to be one of the best values out there. Prior to the PIF from Ryan, I had never used any of Mike's soaps. Ryan included two samples of Mike's Natural (Peppermint & Rosemary, Lily of the Valley) and I believe these are two of the best soaps I have ever used. I've got to work my way through my current stockpile of soaps so that I can order some Mike's. I cannot recommend these soaps highly enough. They are wonderful!
That is a very fine review indeed! Thanks for that. I found Mike's soaps to be exactly as you noted, especially the part about being thirsty. The soaps usually lather pretty easily in my experience, but only if there is a huge amount of water in the brush. Otherwise, as you noted, it takes a little extra effort to get a decent lather. If you like a strongly scented soap, then the Peppermint & Rosemary (EO) might be worth a try. Both pucks I ordered had a very noticeable scent, much more so than the Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper.
I used the Peppermint & Rosemary and loved it's scent. Even with it, though, I wish it had been a little stronger.
