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Grooming Dept Kairos SE 2023 review

Grooming Dept's latest drop featured a few different scents all in the upgraded Kairos SE base. Mo tweaked formula of the original base which i believed to be the best soap i've tried to date, and so i was skeptical this drop would be any better- after a few shaves with this base it's still the best soap i've used and it's better than the original version. I've been getting some killer shaves with this soap. Mo also developed splashes to go along with the scents, but more on that later.

The one significant upgrade was improvement in residual slickness. With many soaps, you scrape the lather off with the steel and you're left with bare skin- if you continue to pass the blade over the skin without lather you're going to run into problems. This soap leaves a slippery thin film after you've taken a pass with the blade- I've found this gives me some extra cushion in between the blade and my skin and the residual slickness allows me to continue passing the razor over my skin without having to reapply lather. Of course, this lather is so amazing why would you not re-apply it, two, three, 4 times, anyway? You can continue taking passes after the lather is gone without causing any irritation at all.

The other main difference is the lather is richer, more unctuous, and luxurious than the original formula- probably along the lines of marshmallow fluff. While i enjoy the lighter original Kairos SE as it felt quite soft on the face, this version still feels very soft and luxurious.

The post shave feel is still the best i've encountered- i don't need any balm or aftershave. The skin feels soft, supple, and like a sheet of ice many hours after the shave and probably into the next day. This soap is spectacular so if you're able to treat yourself to a soap these are the ones to get.

The scent i purchased was Luxor. I was pretty undecided about which one to get (i would buy them all if i could), but i limited myself to one set- i chose Luxor (with the help of @RayClem) and it's pretty amazing. The scent notes are Mandarin, Fruit Accord, Spices, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vetiver. The fruit accord is a mixture of sweet fruits- i get lots of strawberries and maybe some apricots. There is a mandarin accord right on the top of it all and it's all chained together with a soapy creamy vetiver scent. To be honest, i probably would have been very happy with any of the scents- Mo is very good at what he does and i've not been disappointed at all since i've been blind purchasing his soaps.

I believe Mo is sending some of these scents out to stockists pretty soon (Pasteur and TRC) but i don't know which scents will make it...maybe all?

The Aftershave splash-

It's interesting. It's not a traditional splash. There is no refreshing feeling of alcohol or menthol. It's not meant to be a refreshing cap to your shave. So if that's what you desire then this product is not for you. The purpose of it is 1. skin care and 2. to project the scents. It does both jobs very well, if you adjust your thinking on what an aftershave is supposed to be. I don't particularly enjoy the initial 'gel' feeling of the splash but it dries down amazingly and leaves your skin feeling like a newborn's. The splash is quite thick and gel like, probably in between an alcohol splash and a balm. It does not contain any alcohol. Again, its purpose is skin care and scent. I also hate the reducer it came with. I really have to shake the bottle hard to get any product out, but i guess that's OK because adding too much will make your skin feel tacky and won't dry properly.

The cost of a set if pretty high. I'm sure some may think it's not worth what it costs (the soap was $29 for a 4 oz tub), but i think it's the best you can get- if you want to treat yourself i'd recommend the soap- it's actually so good at post shave you don't even need to use a splash unless you want to keep the scent around even longer or apply it elsewhere.
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Well, that's pretty much a mic drop of a review! Nice job, amazing photo.

I took some lather shots, but we were having overcast and they didn't make the cut, but mine looked the same(Lavender).

I guess I got lucky and got a pump top, you might want to look at the pictures a few of us have taken and see if you can purchase one somewhere. Two squirts on a damp face is so easy to do repeatably with it. I have also done a simple alcohol splash before cleaning up and then applied these non alcohol aftershaves after cleaning up. It hasn't had any negative affect and works perfectly as long as the scent is strong in the alcohol aftershave.

The last thing to mention is that I add menthol to my lather and smear whatever I can squeeze out of the brush on my face. I get a nice lasting cooling even after rinsing and applying the aftershave.
 
I do like some zing after my shaves so kind of wish Mo would add some synthetic cooling agent to the splashes.
Given how little splash you need I have a feeling the splashes will outlive the soap by a significant amount. I've been applying to other areas that could use moisturizing.
 
This is my first artisan soap/splash set and it has not disappointed. I also went with the Luxor. The skin food is incredible. As stated, the soap is loaded up with so much good stuff that you really don’t need the aftershave. The scent is wonderful though, so why not indulge oneself?

The aftershave is a little tacky at first but if you apply it with wet hands or to a wet face there is no problem. My skin feels so nice, even now, twelve hours after my shave. I’m a happy camper.
 
I only have GD soaps up to the Janus tallow base. I have enough soaps for another 3-6 years. I have heard this version of Kairos brings back the Janus formula texture. I’m now tempted.

I read on another forum that you only need 3-5 drops of the preshave to produce a nice feeling, and a lasting effect.
 
Mo does make some top-quality soaps. I just wish they were more like a puck and less like a Crop. They don't last long. And Ray is the one who got me hooked a few years back on GD. He is the top soap enabler in the world. LOL I still pick his brain about soaps.

The soaps from this drop seems to be lasting longer than usual. A divot would have formed after 6 uses and I don't see it, yet. Pretty sure my tub has more than 4 oz of soap, it was probably pushing closer to 6 oz when it was new. I dont quite have an empty tub to tear the weight to prove it.
But i hear you- they last about as long as the other artisan soaps do, probably 40 shaves a tub and you can extend that out even more if you're a cheap loader.
 
I noticed the Lavender scent sold out first. If i didn't already have a bunch of Lavender soaps i would have bought one. Unfortunately i may end up getting one more from Pasteur.
Glad you are enjoying your Chubby 2 Manchurian, have you noticed no new 2 band Silvertips on the Simpson site, also all Manchurian knots have the hybrid shape, but not the silvertip.

Very interesting.

Doug
 
Glad you are enjoying your Chubby 2 Manchurian, have you noticed no new 2 band Silvertips on the Simpson site, also all Manchurian knots have the hybrid shape, but not the silvertip.

Very interesting.

Doug
I am enjoying it. This last shave it did not shed a hair unlike the prior shaves i was losing a bunch. A tell tale sign you have a simpson brush is the shedding.

I'm not sure what to do with my Duke 3. It's my bastard child.
 
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This tub has 6 shaves already. Mo is overfilling them. An empty tub is ~ 1.26 oz. This was at least 6 oz of product and not the advertised 4 on the label. Cost-wise this is not at all different than what the other artisans are charging and its a better product. Definitely getting at least another from Pasteur.

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I only have GD soaps up to the Janus tallow base. I have enough soaps for another 3-6 years. I have heard this version of Kairos brings back the Janus formula texture. I’m now tempted.

I read on another forum that you only need 3-5 drops of the preshave to produce a nice feeling, and a lasting effect.

I have been collecting Grooming Dept soaps for several years. I have Janus Tallow, Lusso, and Primus. While all three of those bases are excellent, they pale in comparison to Kairos SE, the latest Mallard, and the updated DonkeyBase soaps.

I have enough superb soaps to last for the next 20 years, so I decided to skip this release. But after the detailed review provided by Barbarian80, I am beginning to regret not purchasing one of the updated Kairos SE soaps. I might have to look for one when they hit the stockists. Like Barbarian80, I considered Kairos SE to be so good that it would be nearly impossible to improve it. However, Mohammad has demonstrated the magic of his alchemy on multiple occasions, so when he said he has improved the performance, I have learned not to bet against him. Every time I think it cannot get any better, Mo makes a liar out of me.

Although I have not tried Luxor, based on the scent notes, I figured it would be a wonderful scent, so I recommended it to Barbarian80. If I do decide to purchase one from the stockists, that is the one I would pick.
 
Compared to last years SE (I have a Ketoret) - is it any slicker or does it really produce move volume for cushion? Now i am kicking myself for missing the drop with the lavender.
 
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