So, first off, I guess I’ll go over the rating system I’ll be using.
The lather will be broken into two categories: thickness, and slickness. How easily the soap is able to whip up into a nice thick lather, to be spread on the face, and then how well the lather created helps the razor glide across the skin. Never mind! I’ll just be giving one rating for overall shave quality. Thickness of lather, slickness, moisturizing properties (if any), irritation factor, etc may all come into play here. One thing to keep in mind is that I do have rather soft water, so your mileage may vary.
The scent is also being broken up into two categories. How good it smells, and how strongly it smells. How good it smells is self-explanatory, and of course likely the most subjective component of the entire review. The scent strength is, in my humble opinion, just as important to the shaving experience as how well the soap smells. I have tried some soaps that smelled quite pleasant in the container, but when lathered, were undetectable on the brush. And on the other end of the spectrum, soaps whose scents wouldn’t vacate the bathroom over the weekend!
And finally, an overall impression and recommendation (or lack thereof). All soaps will be given at least two days worth of shaving, to ensure that the review isn’t tainted by me just having a bad day, or having to change the blade. As such, I’ll try to get out 2 – 3 posts a week. The exception will be companies that produce very consistent soaps / creams, in which case it’ll only be the scent which is expected to change; they’ll get 1 day each. So far, this will be for Mama Bear Soaps, Honeybee Soaps, Kell’s Original, The Shave Den, and Mike’s Natural, but I expect that list to grow.
Any prices listed will generally be from wherever I actually purchased the stuff from (with the exception of something I bought in a retail store without an online component). This will generally be Italian Barber, as they’re my usual go-to for shaving supplies in Canada. If an item is on sale, I’ll list the non sale price. I’m not affiliated in any way with Italian Barber, or any shave company whatsoever. And of course, if I was given a free product for the purposes of reviewing it, I will disclose this.
