Mama Bear's- Ye Olde Barbershoppe

Well, B&B asked for a negative aspect, and "It isn't free" is about the only thing I could think of.

All of Mama Bear's soaps build lather incredibly easily, but I've started to find that if you stay with it longer, past the point where the lather is built, then it really condenses into a hedonistic rich cream. I easily rate YOB as a top-tier soap that proudly stands up there with top-dollar soaps.

As for fragrance, in all honesty that is the one thing I have to slightly ding this for, and it's a very petty and trifling thing at that. This ALMOST nails the classic barbershop scent for me. The only difference is, this is slightly sweeter than I would like. Like I said, trifling.

My favorite shaving soap scent of all time. In terms of the lather, it's very slick and cushiony. Decent mosturization too. All in alll, a great soap.

I need to raise the flag for Mama Bear's Ye Olde Barbershoppe. I read some good things about it on this site and decided to dive in, and I'm glad I did. My favorite thing about YOB is the wonderful aroma. As I kid (I'm 56) the frequent Saturday ritual was going down to Vincent's Barber Shop in "downtown" Lake Ronkonkoma with my Dad and my kid brother to get that haircut. The aroma of YOB will likely bring that memory rushing back to your as well.

YOB creates a nice, creamy lather without too much work, but the water soap mix has to be just right, based on your water quality and brush of choice. I find YOB to provide great face lubrication and just the right amount of moisturizing with the proper water/soap mix. My suggestion is to experiment with YOB a bit and you'll soon find just the right quantities for your needs.

I'm looking forward to trying some of Mama's other scents in the future, but you won't go wrong starting with Ye Olde Barbershoppe.

This was my first Mama Bear's order, and I'm quite pleased with it. I now see what the fuss on B&B is all about regarding these soaps. I didn't think I would be a fan of a Glycerin soap but, my apprehensions were unfounded.

I chose this scent, as I was intrigued, and it seemed like a good starting point to experience the Mama Bears brand. As another poster had said, I think that to me I smelled more Vanilla in the mix than Bay Rum, and it also had a more sugar like base note. I guess from the description, I was expecting more of a Bay Rum, Old Spice combination, but it wasn't quite that to my nose. As with many shaving goods YMMV.

Just to be descriptive, the name Is spelled out as " Ye Olde Barbershoppe " which also had my mind thinking English, shave and scent combos, but to be sure this scent is mainstreet U.S.A, It definitely lightened a bit after adding a splash of water to make lather. My wife called it a " Manly Scent" and was pleased with it on my skin post shave.

The lather is Prodigious, and thick, but sensitive to how much water you may add to either the bowl or your brush tips. I like thick, Meringue like lather so I add only a little water. The efficacy is outstanding as well, I had a fabulous shave using my GEM Micromatic OC, and Gem stainless blade.

The price is a fair 9.99, but price is always relative. If you love Williams or Van Der Hagen the price will seem steep, but If you like vintage tallow soaps, this soap is a bargain.

I will certainly be exploring more Mama Bear's soaps in the future, and happily supporting a business so close to B&B's heart.

My second MB. Barbershoppe is one of my favorite scents ever in a soap and it sticks with you for a while. No AS just a splash of unscented generic witch hazel. My dad thinks I'm crazy shaving with a DE, but he loves this soap after I lent it to him for a week.

It's now just about 12 hours since I achieved the easiest, smoothest BBS since I started De shaving about 6 months ago. I used my Futur, a Rapira Lux Premium, a Rooney Emillion 2, Prosaro pre shave cream, AND Mama Barbershop.

I admit I am a cream guy, but after hearing about Sue I figured I'd give her soaps a try.

WOW

I am blown away. Icredible lather, enough for multiple passes. And the scent, although seeming a litte vanillery in the jar, became a perfect barbershop powder scent when lathering.

Excellent cushioning, super smooth shave, and as I noted, I still have a BBS face 12hours later - something unheard of for me in the past.

Of course all my elements worked together, and the Rapira Lux along with that incredible Futur had a role, but IMHO the soap produced the overall result.

This a great soap. My only caveat is that Mama Bear and I have different ideas about what Bay Rum smells like. I find this to smell more like amber and vanilla. That said, I love this stuff and have the matching aftershave as well. The girls at home and work love it and its very affordable.

This is my first glycerin soap. It has a wonderful powdery scent, much like the powder the barber used to whisk across the back of my neck when I got a haircut in the 1960's in Brooklyn.

I paid $7.99 (20% off sale), which is a great price for a quality soap.

Scent is a 10. Brought me back in time.

The lather is rich and thick. I spent more time making lather than with my tallow soaps, but the quality of the lather is excellent.

Great shave. I used ASL and Tabac EdC.

My face was not dry after a three pass shave, but it sure was smooth!!

Overall, a quality soap at an excellent price.