Grooming Dept club

[Bogeyman]

Top Dermatologists Explain How Great Moisturizers Should Actually Feel on Your Skin

 

[Badger in the Sun]

I second the endorsement of Declaration Grooming's bison base soaps. To me, the post shave is close to or equal to GD soaps.

 

[RayClem]

I am one who puts a lot of importance on post-shave feel as I have sensitive skin. However, I have never paid much attention to post-post-shave. However, thinking though some of the great soaps in my den, some of the ones I think compete favorably with Grooming Department in this aspect would be:

Ariana and Evans new yogurt formula
Barrister and Mann Excelsior formula
Murphy and McNeil Eisteacht formula
Wholly Kaw Bufala formula.
Caties Bubbles Luxury Cream Soap

 

[mmill2]

Another vote for Declaration's bison tallow and Ariana and Evans. Both companies also make great post shave products.

 

[Shavemd]

When I was at Maggard’s meetup I picked up Oleo’s collaborations soap called Dragonsbeard. Yes it is a collaborative effort with Frank aka Dragonsbeard. The soap has wonderful slickness and cushion but what sets it apart is the post shave benefits. There are a lot of ingredients put in the soap and aftershave specifically designed to improve your skin. I can honestly say nothing can compare to the way your skin feels after using the soap and aftershave for a few days. It doesn’t leave an oily feeling just good skin feel. PannaCrema was my favorite till I used this.
There is a pass around currently on another forum and it is getting very good reviews.

 

[AJSharp]

@Chan Eil Whiskers I am by no means a soap expert but "I know what my face likes" and I recently reviewed (on another board's PIF) Dragonsbeard release (he's been doing that over 1 year shave off of DE razors) and it is fantastic from a post shave feel. I won't comment on the scent other than it is primarily Oud and scent is entirely subjective and a personal preference. Regarding effectiveness/slickness all the soaps mentioned so far can compete with each other as artisans have figured out how to make a soap that works well for wet shaving. But this Dragonsbeard initial release stands out in it's post- shave feel leaving the face moist and hydrated such that one can actually skip the after-shave routine. Other reviewers on the pass around have come to similar findings so my experience is not unique. I don't think many soaps are that good and you may want to consider this new "artisan" in any conversation for exceptional post-shave hydration. I for one am looking forward to any future releases.

Best of luck AJ

 

[AJSharp]

When I was at Maggard’s meetup I picked up Oleo’s collaborations soap called Dragonsbeard. Yes it is a collaborative effort with Frank aka Dragonsbeard. The soap has wonderful slickness and cushion but what sets it apart is the post shave benefits. There are a lot of ingredients put in the soap and aftershave specifically designed to improve your skin. I can honestly say nothing can compare to the way your skin feels after using the soap and aftershave for a few days. It doesn’t leave an oily feeling just good skin feel. PannaCrema was my favorite till I used this.
There is a pass around currently on another forum and it is getting very good reviews.

I recently tried Pannacremma Blu and it was not as good as Dragonsbeard regarding the post-shave feel. The Dragonsbeard post-shave hydration blew the premium-priced Pannacremma away as it just cannot compete for my "average and typical" skin.

 

[Bad Badger]

I’ve owned all the GD bases. Murphy & McNeil trumps GD hands-down for me in the performance and post-shave categories. Also costs a lot less and scents are much more to my liking.

 

[M14Shooter]

I would say Murphy and McNeil fits that bill .I like Grooming Dept a lot but Murphy and McNeil is as good or better .

 

[BigJ]

Some recently posted about Grooming Dept soaps and their post-post shave.

I'm not entirely sure what they meant, but I took it to mean that they've experienced the same thing I have. I was told by the gentlemen who introduced me to Grooming Dept soaps to use the soap for a week and see what it did to my skin. I took his advice and haven't looked back.

Grooming Dept soaps have great post shave performance, but are there others just as good or better?

It's not that I don't have any experience with other soaps. I know there are some really excellent soaps out there. In my experience with Grooming Dept soaps they compete on an equal basis with the performance aspects of all the soaps I've tried. Where they excel is in the post-post shave department.

it's also not that I've tried every soap. So, my question is this. Are there any soaps that you've used enough to say they are as good as GD soaps in all aspects of performance particularly including post shave benefits to the skin?

Here's a partial list of some of the soaps I've tried.

1. Most of the classics, triple milled soaps and such.
2. MdC*
3. Arlington
4. MWF
5. Vitos and most of the not terribly expensive Italian soaps
6. Proraso
7. Soapy Science
8. Wickham*
9. Tabac
10. Fine
11. WSP
12. SV*
13. ABC
14. AB Mondial
15. B&M Vespers
16. N.O.'s Texaus
17. PAA
18. Stirling
19. Wholly Kaw King of Oud*

There are probably thirty or forty others. Most of them are in boxes. The soaps with a * are the soaps I regarded as top tier until I tried GD.

I've learned a couple of important things.

• The most expensive soap is the soap you don't use (you bought it and it sits there unused).
• Not all soaps are equal.
• Most soaps are very good indeed.
• A few smell so bad I hate 'em, but most scents are okay by me.
• GD is the soap I reach for because it's as good as any in all respects and because of its stellar post shave.
• I don't want to buy and not use soaps just to see what they're like.

I'd like to hear of other soaps you think lose nothing to GD soaps in any respect and also have the post shave qualities of GD either to the degree GD does or to a better degree.

Frankly, I'm not sure any soaps out there meet that standard, but, if they do, tell me about them, please.

Note: I use Grooming Dept Preshave, soap, and Serum as a package which introduces complexities, but I'm not sure how to address all of them here.

Thanks in advance for any good suggestions either here or via a PM.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Excellent thread!!

I agree that, ‘The most expensive soap is the soap you don’t use....’ That’s for sure!

That said, everyone’s skin is different. So what works well for my skin may not be that great for you.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I'm seeing that a lot of people like two or three soaps I've not tried.

• Murphy and McNeil
• Dragonsbeard
• Ariana and Evans

I'm in no hurry to try anything new, but am particularly drawn to the soap with the great reviews mostly because of what you gentlemen say about it but also because of its origin. Our own B&B member and friend, Frank, contributes to the design and manufacturing of it. Dragonsbeard is Frank. I know Frank knows the industry and have wondered in the past why he didn't make a soap and a product line.

Murphy and McNeil seem to have a lot to choose from both in bases and scents. I'll have to explore what the differences are and try to get a handle on their scents.

Thanks, gentlemen, and happy shaves,

Jim

 

[A. Feitar]

Wow! 25% increase in the soap content and 15% reduction in price. Free shipping to Europe and Canada.

Some news from Mohammad at GD:

“I’m pleased to announce price reduction on Grooming Dept top tier soaps. All prices will decrease from the current range of $25-28 to $24 per jar. Additionally, the amount of soap in each jar will increase from 4oz to 5oz.

Grooming Dept now offers one of the best shipping rates to Europe and Canada. Free shipping starts at $120. Free shipping in USA starts at $40.

The new price and shipping structures will take effect starting with the upcoming release.”

 

[mrlandpirate]

all the same yea and nay-ers
we all have our favorite brands and I doubt I could change anyone's mind by saying X is better then Y
I find that PPSF is very real and look for the soap that provides it most for me.
that is the most important quality for me over scent,price,or longevity

 

[A. Feitar]

Wow! 25% increase in the soap content and 15% reduction in price. Free shipping to Europe and Canada. With the $15 for 5 ounce Fortis base announcement and this news, Mohammad is really responding to his customers feedback.

Some news from Mohammad at GD:

“I’m pleased to announce price reduction on Grooming Dept top tier soaps. All prices will decrease from the current range of $25-28 to $24 per jar. Additionally, the amount of soap in each jar will increase from 4oz to 5oz.

Grooming Dept now offers one of the best shipping rates to Europe and Canada. Free shipping starts at $120. Free shipping in USA starts at $40.

The new price and shipping structures will take effect starting with the upcoming release.”

 

[SonofdavidS]

Wow! 25% increase in the soap content and 15% reduction in price. Free shipping to Europe and Canada.

Some news from Mohammad at GD:

“I’m pleased to announce price reduction on Grooming Dept top tier soaps. All prices will decrease from the current range of $25-28 to $24 per jar. Additionally, the amount of soap in each jar will increase from 4oz to 5oz.

Grooming Dept now offers one of the best shipping rates to Europe and Canada. Free shipping starts at $120. Free shipping in USA starts at $40.

The new price and shipping structures will take effect starting with the upcoming release.”

Where did you read this quote?

 

[GlazedBoker]

Where did you read this quote?

Social Media site. FB....

 

[SonofdavidS]

Social Media site. FB....

Awesome, thanks!

I don’t have Facebook, has anybody heard a timeframe for his next soap release? It’s been quite a while.

 

[A. Feitar]

If you go to the GD website and "join the mailing list" which is located at the bottom, you should receive email updates when drops occur.

 

[naughtilus]

Wow! 25% increase in the soap content and 15% reduction in price. Free shipping to Europe and Canada.

Some news from Mohammad at GD:

“I’m pleased to announce price reduction on Grooming Dept top tier soaps. All prices will decrease from the current range of $25-28 to $24 per jar. Additionally, the amount of soap in each jar will increase from 4oz to 5oz.

Grooming Dept now offers one of the best shipping rates to Europe and Canada. Free shipping starts at $120. Free shipping in USA starts at $40.

The new price and shipping structures will take effect starting with the upcoming release.”

And all is well again. Congrats to all GD fans on the great news!

 

[guitarslinger]

Bummer you have to spend $40 to get free shipping now.