I shaved with Northern Elixir, my first NO soap, for the first time this morning. The scent, as expected, was just pure menthol. The quantity of menthol, for me, was just right- cold, but not too intense. Performance was top notch. Thirty seconds of loading then face lathering created an over abundance of thick, rich lather. The shave was ultra-slippery and protective with zero irritation even in places that I get minor irritation except with the elite soaps (a scar on the tip of my chin and Adam’s apple). Post shave, my skin felt soft and moisturized. I highly recommend Noble Otter, but unless you’re a menthol lover like me, choose a different scent.
First Noble Otter Shave
- Thread starter agrippas
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I've never tried their menthol, but have most of their other soaps. One of my favorites. Anyone tried Monarch? That one looked interesting to me.
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Can you recommend a scent for someone who likes less complex scents?
I would probably recommend Barrbarr. All of the scents are fairly complex IMO, but Barrbarr is sort of a straight forward barbershop scent. I can't see someone really disliking it. My personal favorites are Noir et Vanille and Nectar Amissa, but I wouldn't characterize those as simple scents.
I am a big fan of Noble Otter soaps and I own all the scents except "Texaus" and "Monarch". In my opinion, the simplest scent by far is "The Trail". A very straightforward pine scent. All the others are far more complex, Barrbarr maybe the lest so.
I would agree with The Trail being a straight forward pine scent, but the AS is a lot more complex and one of my overall favorites. Texaus is probably the lightest scented which sucks because I really love the scent. Great soaps!
Noble Otter is a top notch soap. Favorite scent is Noir Et Vanille- its like a black tea complex scent that would make a great men's cologne IMO.
I wish i was getting the "straight forward pine scent" yall are taking about. All i detect from The Trail is a strong camphor/euculyptus scent. Not bad but would love it if it was heavier on the pine. This is the older formula, so perhaps the scent has been tweaked.
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Thank you. I like my current barbershop scents, Seville and WSP, so I’ll give this one a shot.
Noble Otter BarrBarr is great stuff. I liked the lower strength scents of the Noble Otter soaps that I tried
Lots of love for Noble Otter here!! 
I can confirm that my piney scented Trail is the newer formula.
I had a sample of Barrbarr from Maggard and to be frank I thought it was just OK, but that's just my two cents. The scent was feeble for me and although the resulting shaves were decent, they were nothing to do somersaults over. However, the guy has great potential and perhaps with a reformulation or two he'll be on top. Who knows as so many makers have come & gone in the last five years.
At this point, if you are a soap maker, it makes little sense to chase performance standards that are being set by GD and and a couple of others. Sure...you may be able to get there, but the differences are getting very minor. The current NO base is so good that it competes favorably with the most hyped bases in the hobby.
Where NO really shines is in the scent department. You managed to sample the scent that is probably my least favorite. BarrBarr is pleasant, but not unique or all that interesting. Cinnamon christmas cookie is what I think it smells like, and it reminds me of Eufros Zanzibar which I also thought was "meh".
NO has better scents for sure. Here are my favorites in order of preference:
Lone Star = Hay, leather, magnolia and more. Super unique and manly.
The Noir et Vanille = extremely unique scent that while being gourmand doesn't come off like actual food/drink. Just pleasant tea, strawberry, vanilla and milk.
Flying Hide = Bergamot and leather and really close to CRSW Bergamot & Bay but with leather note added. Great on sunny days.
The Trail = Plain pine scent that comes off as deep and resinous and will work well with any wood based EdT. Not particularly unique but well executed.
Nectar Amissa = dead on clone of Houbigant Fougere Royale. Lavender, ferns, green notes and a tiny sweet note. Clearly not an all-natural scent, but not artificial smelling either.
Barrbarr is the most generic scent of the 6 I own, so I would encourage you to try one or two more before throwing in the towel. One word of caution...performance is identical for all these soaps...which I consider a pro since I know what I get no matter what scent I choose on a given day.
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Got a sample of NO Northern Elixir today. It smelled of menthol, but I’d not notice it was particularly cold. It was on par with a Proraso green in so far as the menthol.
In terms of performance , I’d say it’s in par with Phoenix & Beau, which I used a day prior. It was slick, but I’ve used soaps and creams with more slickness. The lather was good and rich and thick. More than enough for 3 passes. Post shave is good, again on par with P&B and other top performers.
The photo below is after loading,
face lathering and applying a layer of lather to my face.
In terms of performance , I’d say it’s in par with Phoenix & Beau, which I used a day prior. It was slick, but I’ve used soaps and creams with more slickness. The lather was good and rich and thick. More than enough for 3 passes. Post shave is good, again on par with P&B and other top performers.
The photo below is after loading,
face lathering and applying a layer of lather to my face.
Tried my first Noble Otter shave today, Two Kings. I absolutely love it. I also order The Noir et Vanille. I can't wait to use it. The black tea, vanilla, and strawberry scent is intoxicating.
