Barrister & Mann Shaving soaps arrived in the mail today!

[mctmatt]

Well, my AD has kicked in and so I have been on a little shave soap and cream shopping spree. Two weeks ago I purchased QCS Ice Key Lime and the Fougere, this pas Sunday I placed an order for the first time @ http://www.barristerandmann.com/shop.html after reading some of the reviews here and on the Shave Nook Forum. I chose Ferox which is described;

A bright, invigorating combination of grapefruit, sage, thyme, rosemary, tea tree, and vetiver. An unusual soap sure to get you ready for Spring.

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.

Approximately 3.75 oz per puck.


The second soap of choice was Vetiver, Heather, & Clary Sage;

A floral but subtly earthy scent that calls to mind the fragrance houses of Jermyn St., St. James, and Savile Row.


Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Aqua, Glycerin, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Fragrance, 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.

Approximately 3.75 oz per puck.

The also sent me a small sample of Seville which has a nice scent as well;

A traditional barbershop scent, this soap contains bergamot, lemon, patchouli, oakmoss, lavender, and rosemary. A fresh, clean fragrance that goes with pretty much anything. Please note that our bergamot essential oil has been treated to remove the photosensitizing qualities (bergaptene).

You will notice I copied and pasted from their web site. The soaps themselves are very soft and can be easily molded into any container you decide without the use of heat, or grater. The packaging is just a simple thin pliable wax type paper with the ingredients list on one side and a their sticker emblem on the other. I will hold off using them till probably Saturday as we are currently in the process of replacing a leaking hot water tank (What a Mess!). I did do just a quick test lather with some cold water just a small amount with probably all of 10 seconds of lather building ...boom the lather just jumped onto the brush. It is a thirsty soap I can see and they tell you this on their web site. The price is a little high some may say, but I think I will be pleased with the results. I have also placed an order for TSD Wheat Shave Cream with the Aqua Gio Fragrance. I have more soaps than I will ever finish but I am so enjoying just trying what is out there and exploring the different fragrances that intrigue me. Some day when I am in a Senior Care Facility with the standard Barbasol Can and probably someone else shaving me...hopefully I will remember all the wonderful shaves I had with all those different shave soaps and creams and I will be thankful that I tried the ones I did and wished that I had tried more.

 

[mattdenicola]

I am a big fan of this soap ... haven't tried scents other than the Ferox. But I'm intrigued by the Vetiver, Heather, Clary Sage as well. I treat this soap exactly like I treat Mike's, and they give very similar lathers in my opinion.

 

[mctmatt]

Matt,

I have a few tins of Mike's as well as MW, and QCS so it will be fun to see how these compare. The ingredients seem to be top quality and I cannot complain about the service as I ordered on Sunday and it arrived here in North Texas today so that is pretty fast.

 

[mctmatt]

Hot water heater got installed earlier than expected so I tried it out tonight along with the new soap that arrived yesterday. I chose to go with Ferox for my first time shave with Barrister & Mann. This is a very soft soap very much like Mike's and Mystic Water in terms of texture. I found it to lather very very easily with volumes of luxurious lather without requiring much loading from my experience. This soap will last a long time as it seems to take very little to produce a great lather. The shave smooth, protective and provided great glide. It was everything we have come to expect from top quality shave soaps. This is just one shave and more uses will provide much more on the quality of Barrister & Mann shave soaps, but my first impression is Yes! This is some very very good shave soap.

 

[mattdenicola]

... Yes! This is some very very good shave soap.

Here here! Agree 100%.

 

[Taborcarn]

They announced a new Earl Grey Tea scent today on their Twitter feed. I definitely think I'll have to pick some up when they go on sale Sunday.

 

[mctmatt]

I like the fact that it is another small Artisan Soap maker, who seem to do only one thing which is just make Shave Soap. There are no other items offered other than just Shave Soaps.

 

[petr]

what can you compare the performance to?

 

[Black Adder]

Interesting. They sure are up front about their ingredients, and they believe in their product. I'll probably have to try this one.

Can't say that I like the name Ferox, though. Sounds like a pre-emergent herbicide from Monsanto !

Don

 

[mistercitizen]

I noticed that it said that the new Earl Grey soap would be available as a sample on Sunday as well. I wonder if they will be adding it into their sample pack. Ferox sounds good enough to blind buy.... but I wouldn't mind trying the sampler pack initially either. I like the looks of this brand and everything else I've read about them seems good..... especially their ingredients.

Ben

 

[petr]

This *looks like it has real potential. Great ingredients reveal that these guys are tuned in. Smart move for them to offer the sample pack for 10$.

 

[mattdenicola]

what can you compare the performance to?

I think it is very similar to Mike's in every way, from consistency of the puck to thirst level to performance of the lather.

 

[mctmatt]

I have 3 different shave soaps of Mike's and 3 different of Mystic Water....I have had just one shave with Barrister & Mann so that is all I can go by. With that said I had real issues with both Mike's and Mystic Water with the first shave and several after that before I was able to dial them in. I had no issues with Barrister & Mann and the one lather I produced with that one shave impressed me a great deal more than the initial shave and many after that with Mike's and MW. Trust I am a fan of both Mike's and MW. Time will tell if my impression of Barrister & Mann changes.

 

[petr]

I don't understand these scents. I can't say that I find any of the scents pleasing. I suspect that my samples got jumbled up and leached into each other during delivery. That or each soap has a lot of notes going on.

Shaves like a miracle though. Tabac quality (or better) shave.

edited: by not pleasing I mean I am getting a lot of juniper and sage. I'll give them each a more time.

 

[mattdenicola]

I don't understand these scents. I can't say that I find any of the scents pleasing. I suspect that my samples got jumbled up and leached into each other during delivery. That or each soap has a lot of notes going on.

Interesting. I have only sniffed the Ferox, but I absolutely love it. There is quite a bit going on in there, but my puck at least is obviously "grapefruit forward" with the herbal elements coming secondarily and the greenery definitely lingering in the background.

Shaves like a miracle though. Tabac quality (or better) shave.

Agreed. If more people tried this soap, it would get a lot more love.

 

[petr]

So far the Bay Rum is the only recognizable scent; it is spot on for Captain's Choice no clove type Bay Rum.

 

[Deuce_AGR]

Interesting. They sure are up front about their ingredients, and they believe in their product. I'll probably have to try this one.

Can't say that I like the name Ferox, though. Sounds like a pre-emergent herbicide from Monsanto !

Don

Good grief, I couldn't imagine shaving with a soap that smelled like certain premerge herbicides. The only use I could see for such a soap is gifting to worst enemies. Bonus points for yellow-staining properties. My first thought when reading of Ferox was rust.

 

[BrentS]

If the stuff in my garden shed smelled like Ferox I would have not a weed in my yard. I bought a puck of Seville and the sampler and would happily shave the rest of my life with any of them. The unscented is a little bland.

 

[mctmatt]

The only thing you get with this soap is luxurious lather that provides as great a shave as any other soap mentioned on this forum. The fragrances are different, but I do know that the one I like the most is Seville which I was provided a sample. It in my opinion is much better than Mike's Barbershop fragrance soap which I have a tin of, and the quality of the lather is just as good if not better. You will just have to judge it for yourself and decide if this is a shave soap you want to have in your rotation.

 

[petr]

The only thing you get with this soap is luxurious lather that provides as great a shave as any other soap mentioned on this forum. The fragrances are different, but I do know that the one I like the most is Seville which I was provided a sample. It in my opinion is much better than Mike's Barbershop fragrance soap which I have a tin of, and the quality of the lather is just as good if not better. You will just have to judge it for yourself and decide if this is a shave soap you want to have in your rotation.

I used Seville this morning. Superb shave. This is very protective and slick soap.