What's new

Shannon's Soaps......way too underrated!!!

Guys let me tell you something. I'm beginning to think this tallow based soap maker from Ohio can make give the big names a run for the money.

Oh yes, I love the newly reformulated Noble Otter, & Oleo, and then of course everyone knows Wholly Kaw, Declaration Grooming, Sudsy Soapery, Grooming Department, Tallow & Steel, and B&M Reserve are all legendary performers in their own right.

But guys for $12 you can get a 4oz soap that is just as good & maybe even better than some of those mentioned. No I'm not talking about Stirling's superb value. Everyone knows that. But I'm talking about a soap that hardly gets any discussion in today's growing artisan soap race. It's Shannon's Soaps!!

This soap is incredibly slick, silky, creamy, dense. It is very yogurty like. And guys this is the very same characteristics that I love about all those top tier soaps! This is right there with them!

I used Shannon's Bay Patchouli Grapefruit (BPG) for my shave today. The lather was just incredible. The pictures & the lighting doesn't do it justice to seeing in person, but it is a super wet, heavy, silky, creamy lather.
2018-08-10 16.58.48.jpg


And for comparisons sake, here is yesterday's lather with B&M Reserve Cool. Also phenomenal lather characteristics:
2018-08-10 17.01.09.jpg

And then lastly, this is a very good picture with very good lighting, but these other two are equally good in person. Here is Declaration Grooming:
ADC097D0-C72B-4E5A-A9A5-9BF907C98788.jpeg


Guys, I'm telling you right now, Shannon's Soaps are right up there with the well know, we'll talked about soaps here. The lather quality is just as good (though as I said the pics don't do it justice).

Let the silence be broken!! This soap needs more attention. Please check out their website & also Maggards & get some tallow goodness!
2018-08-10 17.06.51.jpg
 
Looks like it’s available at Q Brothers and Pasteur’s Pharmacy. I’ll have to check out the scents when in I’m New York in a few weeks.
 
Funny thing is I was just on her website a few hours ago, but placed my Maggards order yesterday. Great comparison pics you posted. Definitely looks like a winner. Valley Parkway scent caught me eye.
 
I really enjoy Shannon's Copaiba Rose and Lakeshore Drive (her newest Reserve Line soap). I have those full tubs and a few other samples that I need to get around to using. But I agree with @ShavePastor that the lather produced can hold its ground with many of the top tier makers.
 
Looks like it’s available at Q Brothers and Pasteur’s Pharmacy. I’ll have to check out the scents when in I’m New York in a few weeks.

Yep there is more scents I'm curious about also. I know this one I have is a fantastic bay rum style scent. Post your thoughts back here on the soap. More people need to know about Shannon's Soaps!
 
Those lather pics look so much slicker than anything that I have experienced so far on my shaving journey.
Thanks, they do look pretty incredible if I may say so.

Yeah I definitely like my lather to be super wet & heavy, silky, & a dense yogurty type feel. Nothing of foamy, frothy, light, airy, or bubbly. Not meringue-like, but rather more like sour cream that's been stirred good. Sort of looks like a hand dipped in glossy latex paint. Everyone is different, but this is how I like mine.

It's not that hard to do. The key for me is a squeezed & shaken out but damp brush, then load real heavy. I'm talking super clumpy, pasty bristles all over the surface of the knot, not just the middle. Then lather in bowl, hand, or face adding a little bit of water at a time. It takes longer to go for this type of lather but I enjoy all this & I don't rush my shaves so I take time to get my desired lather.
 
I’ve had a few days off of shaving. Other than a a dry post shave, Arko is great.
Oh I’m just playin... I think Arko performs fine, but I wouldn’t want to use only that for an extended period because of the post-shave feel (lack of it) like you mentioned.
 
Oh I’m just playin... I think Arko performs fine, but I wouldn’t want to use only that for an extended period because of the post-shave feel (lack of it) like you mentioned.

I may cheat once or twice. I am loving the convenience of a stick.
 
I was debating picking up a puck of Haslinger while in New York. Now I’m seriously debating picking up some Shannon’s instead. They seem to be comprible in price.
 
Shannon's for me has been great. I love my Bay Patchouli Grapefruit puck. Probably my favorite scented soap. Performance is always great, and prices reasonable. I also have the Lime and it too is wonderful. Great performance, great scents, even better prices.
 
Been wanting to try Shannon's soaps as I like some of the scent profiles and I recall a lot of positive feedback when they first came out.

Like that dense lather picture. Im finding that is the way I want my shave soap to perform.
 
Looks like great soap!

The secret to great shaving soap has been known for quite a while, I think. There are lots of ways to get there, and lots of ways to get good post-shave feel. High stearic/palmitic acid, low oleic and linoleic acid, at least 60% KOH as lye, and whatever oils you want as superfat for post-shave feel and you should have good to great shaving soap. Different oil/fat combinations will give minor differences in lather quality, but getting good lather isn't rocket science, nor is it an unknown by now.

Scent is another issue, and not "performance" in my book. I'm good with no scent at all, I just want the soap to do a great job of lubricating the edge for my shave. Other people, of course, care more.

At this point in time there is really no excuse for producing shaving soap that doesn't make excellent lather. My own soaps are great, although I will probably improve them some with subsequent batches. Won't be any time soon, though, I get six months of shaves on 125g pucks, and probably more now that I use less.
 
Top Bottom