Kappus – Men Active Rasiercreme

Tags

6/10, herbal, kappus, shaving cream

So, another instalment of “shaving creams that I’d never heard of but bought anyways because it was cheap and I was already ordering something from that place anyways”. Today’s guest star: Kappus Men Active

The scent is what I suppose I’d call a herbal scent. It most reminded me of the Kaloderma shaving cream I tried a few weeks back, also from Germany. The Italians seem to be obsessed with their sweet almond scented shaving soaps, perhaps herbal scents is a similar trend for German creams? Anyways, it wasn’t unpleasant or anything, but it just didn’t do all that much for me. It started off at what I’d consider to be a medium strength, and then faded a fair chunk during the shave.

The lather was pretty decent. Not really voluminous at all, I did find I ended up having to use a fair bit more than I would have for some other creams in order to get the lather needed. It whipped up thick, with a good amount of glide for a little bit of water, but a bit of experimentation showed that it did seem to have a reasonably wide range of allowable water content in order to get a decent shave. I didn’t really notice anything much in the way of moisturization after the fact. Still, a solid enough shave.

• 7/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 7/10 Scent Strength
• 8/10 Lather Quality

Overall, I’m going to say it’s a 6/10. It’s a solid middle of the road cream, nothing outstanding, nothing terrible. Decent price for what you get though.

• Cost: Well, I had picked that tube up from shaveabuck.com for $3, however they don’t seem to be carrying it anymore. For those of us in North America, it’s still carried by Axelkraft for $3.50, or it can be found from Germany for  €1.39.

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: Vintage Bakelite Slant
• Blade: Merkur Super
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Aqua, potassium stearate, potassium palmitate, potassium cocoate, glycerin, sodium stearate, sodium palmitate, sorbitol, stearic acid, palmitic acid, sodium cocoate, parfum, menthone glycerin acetal, butylphenyl methylpropional, hexyl cinnamal, linalool, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium silicate, sodium silicate.

Proraso Blue Aloe & Vitamin E Shave Cream

Tags

7/10, aloe, licorice, menthol, Proraso, shaving cream

So, I guess it was finally time to get around to reviewing some Proraso. Proraso’s Blue formulation is the newest cream they carry, having only come out late last year.

The scent is a bit difficult to describe. The most common example thrown out there is that it’s licorice / anise-scented, which makes sense given that there is indeed some licorice root extract in the cream, but it’s not just a licorice scent. It is tempered by something that I’d consider a fresh / green scent, which might be due to the aloe. There’s a also bit of menthol, although apparently not nearly as much as you’ll find in the Proraso Green.

Overall, I found it to be a pleasant scent. It wasn’t all that strong, just enough to be noticeable it you go trying to pay attention to it, but I couldn’t really tell it was there for most of the shave.

The cream lathered up easily, requiring very little water for a really thick lather that had good glide. I found this cream to be a fair bit above average in the moisturization department, which I’ll chalk up to the inclusion of the aloe juice, and perhaps the vitamin E.

• 8/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 6/10 Scent Strength
• 9/10 Quality of lather

Overall, I’ll say 7/10. Scent just doesn’t have the oomph to do it for me, but it’s a good shave otherwise.

• Cost: The 1/4 oz sample shown was from Garry’s Sample Shop, for $2. A full sized 150 mL tube can be found for $7.50.

Gear used:

• Brush: Wee Scott
• Razor: Gillette NEW Ball-handle
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox

Ingredient list (my apologies if I messed some of this up, I was typing it out by hand off of a rather low-res picture of the ingredient listing; couldn’t find another one online!):  Aqua, stearic acid, cocos nucifera oil, potassium hydroxide, glycerin, lactic acid, parfum, sodium hydroxide, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, tocopheryl acetate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, menthol, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate, sodium metasilicate, tetrasodium EDTA, hydroxyethylcellulose, hexyl cinnamal, linalool, butylphenyl methylpropional, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate

Sultans Original Shaving Soap – Sandalwood cream

Tags

8/10, Discontinued, sandalwood, shaving cream, Sultans

Edit: It looks like the entire line has now been discontinued.

The last shaving cream I tried from Sultans Original was their now-discontinued Vanillawood, and I found the performance of this cream to be far better than that one was.

This is a rather soft sticky cream in comparison to the Vanillawood, which was more on the thicker side of the croap spectrum. The problems I had with the cream clumping together and resisting being lathered up were non-existent with this jar, either scooping some into a bowl for lathering, or loading up your brush directly in the jar.

It lathered up easily, and had what I would consider to be a very wide sweet-spot. A little water, a lot of water, it seemed to make it work regardless, Generally speaking when this is the case, I try to err on the side of less water, for a thicker lather, but this cream maintained a good level of thickness even with a fair bit more water than what was needed for a suitable level of lubrication. Pretty good moisturization-wise, overall I’d say a very fine shave.

The sandalwood scent was nice and sandalwoody (or at least according my my recollection of other sandalwood scented products, never actually having smelled real sandalwood!). Not too strong; enough that during the shave if I stopped and paid attention to it, I’d notice it, but not enough to really smell it without trying. Not much in the way of fading at the very least.

• 9/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 7/10 Scent Strength
• 8/10 Lather Quality

Overall, I’d say I’ll round this one up to a 8/10. I’d certainly recommend at least trying a sample pack of their new creams.

• Cost: I should mention how I got this tub of shaving cream; it was randomly mailed to me. Considering I hadn’t ordered it, or anything from them other than the sampler pack I got previously, I was a bit surprised. I’m not sure if they figured out who the guy doing these reviews was based on their customer records, or if they just fixed their formula (I tested a few of the other samples from the previous batch, and they performed much in the way the Vanillawood had) and were randomly sending samples of the new one to some of their customers. Anyways, to get your own, a 2 oz jar is $5, a 4 oz jar for $10, or a quarter oz sample of each 7 of their scents for $10.

Gear used:

• Brush: Wee Scott
• Razor: Gillette NEW Ball-handle
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox

Ingredients: Not sure! They specify it’s a “Plant based shaving soap”, but don’t go into any more detail than that.

Art of Shaving – Lemon cream

Tags

6/10, Art of Shaving, citrus, lemon, shaving cream

Art of Shaving was my introduction to the world of wet shaving, after a drunken purchase of one of their carry-on kits; pure badger brush, unscented shave oil, balm, and cream. I’ve since moved on to better things (seriously, that brush kinda sucks, and lord knows I rarely use unscented!), but it’s time to revisit the brand for a review!

The performance of the lather is much like what I remember, rather good. It lathered up quite well, although not all that voluminous, needing a medium splash of water. It provided very good glide with a reasonably thick cushion. The moisturization was not too shabby either.

The scent, meh. It didn’t really manage to avoid the whole “cleaning products” smell that a lot of lemon / citrus scents tend to get. Strength-wise, it also wasn’t there all that much, although given the above that might not have been a bad thing.

• 6/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 6/10 Scent Strength
• 8/10 Lather Quality

So overall, I’m giving it a 6/10. It give a pretty nice shave, but nothing desirable scent-wise.

• Cost: I got the quarter ounce sample shown from Garry’s Sample Shop for $1.50. If you want to go full-sized, a 150 mL / 5 oz tub will set you back $25.

Gear used:

• Brush: Ecotools Kabuki Finishing Brush
• Razor: Gillette NEW Ball-handle
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Water/Aqua, Palmitic Acid, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Acid, Glycerin, Triethanolamine, Fragrance/Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Edta, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Methylisothiazolinone, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone

Top Ten List – My favourite shaving soaps and creams

Tags

shaving cream, shaving soap, top 10

Well, you asked for it, you’ve got it. Here is the current list of my top 10 favourite soaps and creams. I will be updating this list as I go, bumping scents off as need be. Also, I’ll be avoiding having too many similar scented ones on the list: there’s no need to have 4 Bay Rums for example. Also, max 2 spots per company. Gotta have a bit of variety to the list! Without further ado:

1. The Strop Shoppe – Baker Street shaving soap 
2. Al’s Shaving Products – Calypso shaving cream
3. Barrister and Mann – Cheshire Shaving Soap (Earl Grey) 
4. Kell’s Original Hemp Blend Shaving Soap – Energy
5. Barrister and Mann – Bay Rum shaving soap
6. The Strop Shoppe – Special Edition Teak Wood shaving soap
7. Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet shaving cream
8. Wm. Nuemann & Co – Old Fashioned Soda 
9. Taylor of Old Bond Street – Avocado shaving cream
10. Knockout Shave Cream – Citrus of Paradise

Honourable mentions :

• Crabtree and Evelyn – Nomad shaving cream
• Razorock – Caprician Lemon shaving soap
• Mike’s Natural Soaps – Lime shaving soap 
• Tabula Rasa – Herbs shaving cream

QEDman – Pine and Cedarwood Shave Stick

Tags

8/10, cedarwood, Discontinued, pine, QEDman, shaving soap, shaving stick, wood

Edit: apparently the owner of the place that made the QEDman soaps for QEDman has retired; the line has been discontinued.

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Pine and Cedarwood; a classic scent, done quite well. Of course, since this soap uses essential oils for its fragrance, this isn’t all that surprising. Strength-wise, it’s pretty good. About a medium level aroma, without any noticeable fading during the shave.

The lather is good; this is only the 2nd time I’ve used a shave stick, but unlike last time I managed to not use wayyyy too much. It gives a good balance of lubrication and lather with plenty of cushioning. I found I needed to add enough water until I just got to the point where it was just starting to thin out in order to ensure it had enough glide. No stability problems like I’d seen out of some other similar soaps, and an average level of moisturization.

• 9/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 8/10 Scent Strength
• 8/10 Lather Quality

A nice solid shaving soap, I can definitely see why its name gets so many positive mentions. 8/10.

• Cost: The 2oz shaving sticks are available for $9.95, or a 5oz jar is $13.50. While they do ship to Canada and some places outside the US, the shopping cart feature only works within the US, so you’ll need to e-mail for a quote.

Gear used:

• Brush: Wee Scott
• Razor: Edwin Jagger DE81BL (Red)
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox

Ingredients: Saponified 100% food grade coconut, palm, castor, and safflower oils, with kosher vegetable glycerin, soybean protein, aloe vera extract, and essential oils.

Kiss My Face – Pomegranate Grapefruit Shaving Cream

Tags

8/10, citrus, Fruit, grapefruit, kiss my face, pomegranate

I really like the scent of pomegranate. I really like the scent of grapefruits. I really love this scent. The two come together quite nicely, and while they’re the two prime scents used, there’s a veritable army of other scented ingredients also used, that augment it nicely.

The strength is quite strong at first, however it does fade off rather quickly, with not much being left by the time you get to the end of your pass.

The lather quality was good, as expected from the last time I tired Kiss My Face. A decent splash of water is needed to start the lather going, but that and a little bit of elbow grease produces a nice lubricating lather, with plenty of glide to it. It had what I’ve consider average moisturization properties; nothing outstanding, but no irritation or anything like that.

• 10/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 8/10 Scent Strength
• 8/10 Lather Quality

A rather solid 8/10 overall; wish it could have been a bit stronger on the strength. Still, a damned good value, considering the price.

• Cost: $4.99 for the 100 mL (3.4 oz) tube shown, or a 325 mL (11 oz) hand pump type container for $7.95. Also, it’s one of those brands that is more likely to be available locally, especially at places that specialize in organic foods (both in Canada and the US).

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: Gillette NEW Ball-handle
• Blade: Bolzano Superinox
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Aqua, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Allantoin, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Arnica Montana (Arnica) Flower Extract, Hydrastis Canadensis (Golden Seal) Root Extract, Equisetum Hyemale (Horsetail) Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris (Lady’s Mantle) Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium (Lime) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Saponaria Officinalis (Soapwort) Root Extract, Nasturtium Officinalis (Watercress) Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Extract, Natural Fragrance Hydroxyethylcellulose

Kaloderma Men’s Mild (Camomile) Shaving Cream

Tags

8/10, camomile, Discontinued, herbal, kaloderma, shaving cream

Edit: Looks like this stuff has been discontinued. Sorry!

I’d consider this shaving cream to be yet another bit of evidence that inexpensive and cheap are not always the same thing.

It lathers up quite nicely. Very little water was needed to whip up a nice thick cream that still had plenty of lubrication and glide. Good lather stability, and the moisturization was pretty darned good as well. Left me feeling pretty damned good.

The scent is what I’d say is nice, but not great or good. Camomile, with a bit of what seemed like a medicinal tinge and maybe some other herbs, and a bit of a soapy undertone. Strength-wise, it’s just about right, reasonably strong without significant fading.

• 7/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 9/10 Scent Strength
• 9/10 Lather Quality

Overall, I will give this a 8/10. Pretty good value for the price.

• Cost: I picked up a 100 mL tube for $4.99 when browsing around London Drugs, also available from them online.

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: 1966 Gillette Tech
• Blade: Lord Super Stainless
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Aqua, stearic acid, palmitic acid, potassium hydroxide, coconut acid, palm kernel acid, propylene glycol, caprylic capric triglyceride, parfum, olea europaea oil, dimethicone, cetearyl alcohol, tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, glycerin, butylene glycol, bisabolol, chamomila recutita extract, tetrasodium EDTA, sodium hydroxide, pentylene glycol, alpha-isomethyl ionone, limonene, linalool.

RazoRock Boston Tea Party Green Tea Soap

Tags

7/10, Boston Tea Party, Discontinued, green tea, RazoRock, shaving soap

Edit: This soap has been discontinued

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We were merry, in an undertone, at the idea of making so large a cup of tea for the fishes. – Joshua Wyeth

Personally, I think there’s a bit of a mis-match in the name of this soap, as I would have expected a black tea scent out of something named after the Boston Tea Party. But, instead we’ve got a green tea scent.

Update: Apparently I’m somewhat wrong! There was indeed some green tea thrown overboard at the Boston Tea Party, accounting for about 22% of the volume of the tea “used”.

It’s a nice fresh light scent, rather reminiscent of green tea with a little bit of something else I can’t place, something I think I’d say is in the “aquatic” family of scents.

It’s a bit hard to describe in part because it’s a light scent, and I’m sure most people reading this review are aware that I prefer my soaps to be reasonably strongly scented. This one isn’t all that strong in the tub, but once lathered, it’s really only barely noticeable while you shave.

As for the lather quality, well, as far as I can tell the only difference between this and RazoRock’s Caprician Lemon was the scent, both gave quite a spectacular shave. Very easy to lather up, with just a smidgen of water, it’ll produce a wonderfully thick lather with a lot of glide, and superior moisturization properties. Seriously top-notch.

• 8/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 5/10 Scent Strength
• 10/10 Lather Quality

So, overall I’m giving it a 7/10. A great lather, but not enough scent. There’s plenty of other soaps out there that provide both, or at least a better balance of the two.

• Cost: $10 for a 125 mL tub. I should note that this line seems like it is often plagued by availability issues. As it’s all still made in small batches by one artisan soapmaker in Italy, the popularity of the soap seems to be outstripping the supply.

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: Gillette Old Style with WWI US Service Set
• Blade: Lord Super Stainless
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Tallow, Water, Cocos Nucifera, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Green tea), Potassium Carbonate

Castle Forbes – Lime Shaving Cream

Tags

8/10, castle forbes, citrus, Lime, shaving cream

So, I’ve finally gotten around to trying a sample of Castle Forbes, provided to me in a trade by a kind fellow redditor.

First-off, the cream itself is quite thick, honestly only a bit less thick than a few of the softer “croaps” on the market, such as RazoRock Cacao. It didn’t need all that much in the way of water to work it up, and did so with great vigour, producing a veritable mount of lather. What it did produce gave a really good glide, with a fairly decent level of thickness. After a bit of fiddling around with it, it seems to have a reasonably wide “sweet spot”, although it will start thinning out a fair bit as you add water past that.

The scent was a very nice heady lime scent. Which shouldn’t be all that surprising. It started off very strong, but did experience a fair bit of fading during the shave.

• 9/10 Scent Pleasantness
• 8/10 Scent Strength
• 8/10 Quality of Lather

Overall, I’d say it’s a 8/10. It was good, I’d dare-say the best lime cream I’ve tried yet, although it doesn’t beat Mike’s Natural Lime if we’re including soaps in the equation.

• Cost: A 200 mL tub will set you back $38. Some places also carry a 50 mL travel-sized container, that goes for $16, although the couple places I checked seem to be out of stock. Joe over at Italian Barber had mentioned when asked on his facebook page that the production of Castle Forbes often seems inconsistent, which seems to often lead to shortages by retailers.

Gear used:

• Brush: The Colonel
• Razor: 1966 Gillette Tech
• Blade: Lord Super Stainless
• Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

INGREDIENTS: Water, Stearic Acid, Aloe Vera, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Coconut Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Lime Essential Oil, Citric Acid, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylisothliazolinone, Potassium Sorbate, Limonene, Citral, Geraniol, Linalool