First Use Of Harris Eau de Portugal Hair Lotion

[Phog Allen]

Good evening chaps. I wanted to relay my first experience using D.R. Harris hair lotion. They really do not get much play on any of the traditional mens shaving forums and I always wondered why. There really is no review material for them. Of course they are not sold everywhere either. I purchased mine from Straight Razor Desgins @ $22.99 per 100ml bottle. It is the same clear glass bottle as their aftershave splashes with the same type of Victorian/Edwardian era apothecary style labels. I love the old world, different era looks of Harris products. I also like the fact that most of their products just work and usually quite well. No stuff and nonsense with Harris. It is also available in 150 and 500 ml sizes. I like the glass bottles and I am willing to pay the extra dollars per ounce compared to Pashana to get it. I have no idea if the larger sizes are glass or plastic but I am sure the 500ml size would be plastic.

Now the product. I have to say that so far it is an instant favourite. I will say up front that I like Eau de Portugal scents a lot. In fact they are a favourite. If I had the extra money a bottle of Penhaligon's Lords would wing its way to me quickly I assure you. I love Pinaud's Eau de Portugal hair lotion too and was surprised to find that I like the scent of the Harris even better. It has a much sharper and slightly drier orange note to it that I cannot get enough of. And the performance was grand. I normally decant hair lotions into four ounce bottles with pump atomisers and give my hair a good 4-6 strong sprays. I then work it into the hair and scalp with my fingertips for a good three or four minutes. I will sometimes buff my hair with a towel afterward but not always. Since this has an orifice shaker like the a/s splashes I used it as is. It worked fine and I just rubbed the lotion over my plams and fingers and went to it.

The Harris lotion left my hair feeling like it had a bit more body and definitely a mild hold. Some quick and vigorous brushing with my Kent military style brushes whipped the locks into fashion straight away. The scent was quite nice and never overpowering like any good EdP should be. Unless something untoward comes up I can see this being a go to type product for me. I am sorry for the lack of photos. I shall try to remedy this soon. I have not posted pics of any of my latest batch of purchases and I think it would be nice for the forum to get an up close shot of the hair lotion bottle and its label. I will try to get it posted soon.
Regards, Todd

 

[Austin]

Todd, does it have oil?

 

[Phog Allen]

No Andrew, it does not. I considered the version with oil but as always I have to be quite sure of it with my light coloured hair. So I opted for the regular stuff. While the brilliantines work superbly on black or very dark brunette hair they are dodgy at best with light coloured hair. You can go from well groomed to looking like a punk on Cops real fast.

Harris lists their version with oil as "1/4 oil". I have tried to find out whether that means 1/4 percent oil or literally 1/4 of the solution as oil. They did not bother to answer my email request for this information so I cannot say for sure. I have a small bottle of Pahsana Blue Orchid with oil that I use only occasionally. It does not feel heavy when going on but if I use just a tiny bit too much my hair looks dirty within an hour.

I think the Harris and Pashana brilliantines use castor oil rather than mineral oil. This is interesting. I have seen it posted elsewhere that castor oil stays suspended in the lotion rather than floating on the top like mineral oil lotions do. I have seen Jeris with oil at Sally's and man doe it have a LOT of oil. Probably at least one fourth of the bottle. So you can see why I am a bit hesitant at the Edp with oil. Even if it stays suspended and may possibly be lighter in weight than a tonic with mineral oil, it is still a lot of oil to use on my hair. I wish you could still get the Harris lotions with differing percentages of oil in them. A 1/16 version like in the old days would be a nice one for me to try.

Regards, Todd

 

[RF1963]

Does the oil confer greater hold and (I would presume) shine?

I'm keen to try hair lotion and am thinking of the DR Harris Bay Rum w/out oil. My hair is quite thick and I like to keep it short. I'm presently using American Crew pomade. How much lotion do you gather in your palm?

Some basic questions I'm afraid but I like to know as much as I can before I buy.

Cheers

Roy

 

[Phog Allen]

Hi Roy. Indeed, the oil does confer a bit more hold. But it is not as simple as that in and of itself. It more like adds shine hence; brilliantine. I am sure you gathered that already so I am not trying to insult your intelligence. The oil does make the hair lay down a bit but you can go to a plastered down look in a hurry. I would say you are on the right track with your thicker hair. The thicker and darker your hair, the better brilliantine works. I use roughly half the volume of a seamstresses' finger thimble. Sometimes a bit more. It depends on how much I want to massage into the scalp. And remember, these lotions act as humectants. They attract water so if you live in a humid climate as I do, they can make your hair look almost wet at times.

Regards, Todd

 

[Austin]

Todd, a little off topic, if you get a chance you should try DR Harris coconut shampoo. It is concentrated and comes in a tub. A little goes a long way. It smells great and leaves your hair clean. A tub will last you a few months.

 

[Phog Allen]

Todd, a little off topic, if you get a chance you should try DR Harris coconut shampoo. It is concentrated and comes in a tub. A little goes a long way. It smells great and leaves your hair clean. A tub will last you a few months.

Thank you for the tip. Good shampoo products are hard for me to find. Well, at least ones I like. I saw that product at SRD and almost pulled the trigger on it. I cannot recall if I was looking at the coconut or another variety.

Regards, Todd

 

[Antique Hoosier]

I received a bottle of the Harris Eau de Portugal WITH oil along with the Harris Lemon Cream Shampoo, Marlborough Soap Shave Stick, and Harris Marlborough Aftershave yesterday and used ALL for the first time today. Once I have repeated use of these products I will provide reviews. I obtained them from Phil at BullGoose. Initial indications are very positive on all of this cache of Harris software!

 

[Phog Allen]

Excellent Mike! Do tell us how the EdP with oil works. I really like the version sans oil. It has a slightly tackier hold than my Pinaud EdP. Pinaud's is almost all sweet orange and I REALLY like it. However, the blend of sweet and bitter orange in the Harris gets the nod from me. I like it that I do not have to settle for one or the other.

Regards, Todd

 

[Phog Allen]

Hey Mike. Once you are done testing the EdP with oil, maybe we can swap samples? Unless of course you have already used version without oil. Either way, great score. Harris is rapidly becoming my favourite English toiletries maker.

Regards, Todd