Tags
3/10, citrus, Coriander, green tea, Lime, petitgrain, Seattle Sundries, shaving soap
So, about a month ago, I got a message on reddit from the esteemed LeiusureGuy. You know, that fellow who literally wrote the book on wetshaving? It read, and I quote, “If you should want to give a review to what seemed to me a pretty bad shaving soap, try Seattle Sundries. Indeed, if you want a free puck of their soap, let me know.”
Well, how could I possibly pass up an offer like that?
And he was right, it was indeed pretty bad. The lather was nice and slick, good lubrication. … Oh, I’m sorry, did I say lather? I think I meant “collection of bubbles”. Because I wouldn’t really call what was produced lather, and even if it did start out as lather, is sure as heck didn’t stay that way. Seriously, no stability at all. I’d estimate that the lather had about a half-life of under 5 seconds. Needless to say, by the end of each pass, there really wasn’t much there at all.
Anyhow, if I wanted something that only provided lubrication, I’d be using a shave oil or something like that. Once again, the perils of a soap maker thinking that a shaving soap is no more complex than taking some regular soap and throwing some clay into the mix.
The scent at least was nice. The “smooth” scent is made up of essential oils of coriander, lime, and petitgrain, with some green tea on top. All together, it turns into a rather pleasant scent, which I’d consider to fit the “barber shop” type aroma. The strength was pretty decent, and at least didn’t fade as fast at the lather does.
- 9/10 Scent Pleasantness
- 7/10 Scent Strength
- 3/10 Lather Quality
All told, yeah, I’d recommend against it. If they put the effort into doing the research into what actually makes a good shaving soap, a new formulation with this scent might be worth it, but for now, I’ll give this a 3/10.
- Cost: As mentioned, I got this one for free for the purpose of the review. You could pick it up for $9.50 for a 2.5 oz tin.
Gear used:
- Brush: Mühle HJM Black Fibre
- Razor: Edwin Jagger DE81BL (Red)
- Blade: Big Ben Super Stainless
- Bowl: Hand painted by myself (Yes, I know it’s ugly).
Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Bentonite Clay, Green Tea, Shea Butter, Vitamin E Oil, Coriander Essential Oil, Lime Essential Oil, Petitgrain Essential Oil
Palpz's Shaving Soap Reviews 
Sorry that you didn’t like the Smooth Shave Soap. It’s made with a high percentage of olive oil, which does not produce great lather, but is very mild to the skin, which is the way this soap is advertised. You might prefer one of my two varieties that are primarily tallow-based. Their lather is much richer and more substantial. Let me know if you’d like to give one of them a try.
I do have a tin of each of them which was passed along to me; hadn’t noticed the ingredient listing was that different. I shall eventually get around to reviewing them!