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Tag Archives: thyme

XPEC Original Shaving Cream

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by Palpz in British, Cream

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

8/10, cedarwood, citrus, cologne, Discontinued, floral, ginger, lemon, oak musk, pepper, Rose, shaving cream, spice, thyme, wood, XPEC

XPEC

Edit: This version had been discontinued. There is a new XPEC cream out there, but it is a reformulation, thus I wouldn’t base a purchase upon this review.

XPEC Original’s scent is based upon notes of rose, thyme, lemon, pepper, ginger, cedar wood and oak musk, with the rose being the scent that predominates. It most reminded me of Truefitt and Hill’s 1805, with perhaps a bit more “spice” added to the mix, as the pepper was noticeable, although I didn’t find it quite as strong as some other reports I’ve seen. All in all, I quite rather liked it.

The strength started off quite strong, however it didn’t stay there; it faded significantly throughout the shave, although it kind of dropped off to a level I’d describe as “so-so” and stayed there, not disappearing completely.

The cream lathered up quite nicely. Initially, with very little water, it looked like something that would work, however that turned out to be a mirage, as it was somewhat lacking in glide. However, a splash or two more fixed that right up, without appreciably thinning the lather. It ended up with a really good balance of glide and thickness, and what seemed like a rather wide “sweet spot” for water content. It was fairly voluminous as well, I’m thinking that you could get away with making a tub of it last a fair while. Very nice stuff, which left my face feeling nice and moisturized as well.

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

Overall, I give it a solid 8/10, not really rounding up or down. It’s a quality shaving cream. That having been said, I’m not sure I’d say it’s worth the price.

  • Cost: I had a sample sent to me by a kindly redditor who wanted to know what I thought of the cream. For everyone else, however, samples don’t seem to be readily available, and a 250 mL tub will cost you $66.99. And… the manufacturer’s website doesn’t list a cream anymore, so it’s possible that it’s being discontinued as well.

Gear used:

  • Brush: Ecotools Kabuki Finishing Brush
  • Razor: Yuma Safety Razor
  • Blade: Lord Super Stainless
  • Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Not quite sure. Couldn’t find a listing on-line of the ingredients for the cream, only for the soap. All I could find mentioned are that it includes Glycerin, Coconut oil, and Aloe, which let’s face it, could describe a heck of a lot of shaving creams!

Barrister and Mann – Ferox shaving soap

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by Palpz in American, Barrister and Mann, Soap

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

9/10, Barrister and Mann, citrus, grapefruit, herbal, rosemary, sage, shaving soap, tea tree, thyme, vetiver

Barrister and Mann - Ferox

I’m pretty sure that Barrister and Mann’s formulation doesn’t change between their scents, with the exception of the fragrance portion. The Ferox performed quite like I expected: it’s a rather thirsty soap, kind of. I mean, if you only use a bit of water, it’ll be ok, but if you use a fair large splash, it’ll be great. It’s not quite as thirsty as Mike’s Natural is, but almost. Anyways, it works up into something really slick, nice and thick, with great moisturization properties.

The scent is quite nice. If I had to pick one word for it, it’d be “invigourating”. It’s a blend of grapefruit, sage, thyme, rosemary, tea tree, and vetiver. The grapefruit gives a nice tartness and pep, which is tempered nicely by the herbal elements, and supported by the earthiness of the vetiver. It was designed to be a “springtime” scent, and I think it fits that bill.

The strength was pretty decent. It came on reasonably strong, and didn’t fade much during the course of the shave.

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

I’ll happily round this one up to a 9/10. It’s quite an enjoyable shave, and although perhaps a little stronger would have been nice, but I’ll generally prefer a middling-strength scent that doesn’t fade much to a strong one that disappears quickly.

  • Cost: A 3.75 oz puck of Ferox goes for $12, or you can get it included as one of 6 1/2 oz samples for $10. Also, they’re the only soap-maker I know that takes Bitcoin, if that’s your gig.

Gear used:

  • Brush: Mühle HJM Black Fibre
  • Razor: 1966 Gillette Tech
  • Blade: Merkur Super
  • Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4

Ingredients: Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Aqua, Glycerin, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Citrus grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Salvia officinalis (Sage) Oil, Thymus zygis (Thyme) Oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil, Andropogon zizanioides (Vetiver) Oil, Coconut Milk, Potassium Kokum Butterate, Sodium Kokum Butterate, Unrefined Shea Butter, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate, Lanolin, Allantoin, Silk Protein, Tocopherol Acetate.

Thyme Products Shaving Soap

01 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by Palpz in American, Soap

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

9/10, acne, herbal, shaving soap, thyme

Thyme Products Shaving Soap

The main “claim to fame” for Thyme Products’ lineup, including their shaving soap, is that their blend of “Benchmark” Thyme Oil and Thyme extract works as a potent skin cleanser, which is especially potent at fighting acne. After a bit of googling, it appears that there’s research out there to support that claim.

Then scent is, naturally, a nice herbal thyme smell. Since, you know, that’s the only ingredient in the stuff with any particular aroma to it. I find it pleasant enough, and I’m sure most of you have a decent idea of whether or not you’re a fan of the scent too.

Strength-wise, it’s middle of the pack. Definitely noticeable while shaving, but not strongly so.

The lather itself is unfortunately where this soap mostly fails to perform. With what I’d say is the average amount of water, it is easy enough to build up a lather which gives a nice and thick cushion, and provides a reasonable amount of lubrication. And if that was the end of this paragraph, I don’t think I’d have a problem giving this soap at least a 8/10 for lather quality, if not a 9/10.

Unfortunately, the lather isn’t really all that stable. To the point where you can lather up your face, shave one cheek, and need to re-lather by the time you get to your other cheek. Bowl-lathering is just out of the question for this stuff, for one thing. You’ll need to face-lather, and I found that when I was shaving, I needed to re-apply thrice per pass; left side, right side, and mouth / chin (muzzle?). Needless to say, it’s a bit annoying, and enough to substantially drop my rating for the average shaver.

That having been said, for the acne prone shaver, it might still be worth it for the medicinal effects, so I think I’m going to give this one dual-ratings.

  • 9/10 Scent Pleasantness
  • 8/10 Scent Strength
  • 9/10 Lather Quality (if acne prone)
  • 5/10 Lather Quality (if not acne prone) (reflects new scoring as outlined here)

So, overall, I guess I could see it being a 9/10 if you’re using the stuff to try and attain a clear face (worth a shot at least!), but if you’ve already got clear skin, I would not bother; 5/10.

  • Cost: I was provided this jar by the manufacturer for the purposes of doing this review. It normally goes for $13.50.

Gear used:

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

Ingredients:  Blend of 100% Certified Organic Palm and Coconut Oil (Saponified), Purified Water, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Benchmark Thyme Essential Oil, Thyme Herbal Extract.

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