Henri et Victoria Unscented Shave Soap

[Hooman]

Hi All,

I was wondering if any of you ever tried Henri et Victoria Unscented Shave Soap, the artisan brand from Quebec Canada and would be able to provide some feedback on that. It is a vegan soap at a relatively reasonable price. In particular, I'd like to know more about its cushion and glide.

Like many with sensitive skin, my face reacts to scented soaps / creams. I'm looking for a soap or cream with top-notch cushion and glide for very thick, wiry stubble on tender, sensitive skin prone to acne and rosacea. I'm also considering Barrister and Mann Latha Unscented as well as Soap Commander Integrity (unscented). Mike's Natural Soap is out of question because it contains lanolin. I tried First Canadian Shave Soap unscented which contains lanolin and it caused irritation.

I am currently using Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermin Street for Sensitive skin without any issues or irritation. However, that cream tends to dissipate or thin out and I'd have to reapply the lather during a single pass. I feel TOBS Jermin Stree doesn't have the teeth, so to speak, to soften thick facial hair whereas Geo F Trumper's Rose shave cream provides a much smoother shave. Unfortunately, the dye or perfume in Trumper's Rose kept irritating my face.

I also tried Proraso Blue and was quite happy with it. I experienced slight irritation but not as bad as Trumper's Rose, Musgo Real Classic cream, or First Canadian Shave Soap unscented with Lanolin.

On a different note, I switched from Merkur 34HD to Merkur 37 Slant and the shave is much smoother, closer and with less irritation.

Many thanks to those who contribute and share their experiences, I personally benefited tremendously from their feedback )

 

[Bobcat]

I used my H et V Nautilus this morning. It is the second jar of H & V I have used. I personally consider it a Top Tier soap and keep one in my rotation. I have used B&M, Soap Commander, and Proraso Blue. I can't comment on the unscented in particular, but it is the same formula.........

 

[CallMeChris]

I used a Henri et Victoria Absinthe sampler I was given for my shave last night. I know it's not exactly what you asked for but this one was a fantastic soap that was among the easiest to lather I've tried and super slick...gave me one of the best shaves I've had but that could be due to my technique improving. Either way, they make a great soap, its a soft soap and I've seen the word croap thrown around. I will be purchasing more.

 

[hush]

I have not used the unscented. I do use their “Fall’s Lumberjack” and am really happy with it. Nice protection, glide. Use it for head and face. Groomatorium has samples of the unscented.

 

[Hooman]

Bobcat, Chris and Hush,

I'm very grateful for your comments / feedback!

Bob, Nautilus which you used contains lanolin and is scented so I'm advised to avoid it. Musgo Real and First Canadian Soap unscented both contain lanolin and irritated my face though slightly. I ordered B & M Latha unscented today (lanolin free) and I'm eager to use it soon. I'm also considering Soap Commander Integrity which is their unscented line. I'll do more digging here to get more info on its performance for sensitive skin. Bob, would you kindly tell me between B & M and Soap Commander which one you liked better, aside from the scent? Thanks!

Chris, Henri et Victoria's Absinthe has the same ingredient as the unscented. Just because it does not contain Shea Butter for extra protection made me decide to buy Barrister Mann Latha unscented. And now I'm wondering if I made the right choice!

Hush, I have room for one more unscented soap to be bought on boxing day, it will be Soap Commander Integrity (unscented for sensitive skin) or Henri et Victoria unscented or La Toja cream for sensitive skin.

 

[CallMeChris]

The Absinthe has a wonderful faint citrus smell. I've seen others talk about smelling the anise and I might have gotten a faint whiff, but that was it. Definitely not an overpowering scent if you decide to try it.

 

[jesseix]

Just because it does not contain Shea Butter for extra protection made me decide to buy Barrister Mann Latha unscented. And now I'm wondering if I made the right choice!

I think you'll do very well with the B&M unscented, the Latha soaps have great performance and I think the skincare properties are pretty darn good especially considering the price.

 

[jesseix]

Another skin friendly option you might want to look at is Institut Karite soap, or even Provence Sante. Both hard french soaps with shea butter and no lanolin, lightly scented.

 

[Hooman]

Thanks jesseix! I've heard of Institut Karite soap, 25 percent shea butter, and for some odd reasons it is not as popular as some american artisans or the classic british products but the ingredients are right on the spot in terms of what suits my sensitive, acne-prone skin.

So today I tried my new Barrister and Mann latha unscented soap for the first time. This was actually my second option soap as I was planning to buy Henri et Victoria unscented, the very topic of this thread. I bought B & M latha as it seemed to be more popular than HV unscented. B & M latha is tallow-based and lanolin-free.

I was very impressed with its performance specially considering that I had the facial hair growth of 5-6 days, really thick, wiry stubble on a tender, trouble-prone skin. I used my new Simpson's Duke 3 along with Merkur 37 Slant bar razor, and an Astra Blue blade second or third use. Whipping up a thick and protective lather through face-lathering was quick and effortless. I would say that creating a good lather so fast was on par with Geo F Trumper's Rose cream. I liked the fact that the thick creamy lather retained its yogurt-like consistency throughout each pass and didn't dissipate. I tend to take my sweet time with Merkur slant during each pass practicing short, gentle stroke with abundance of caution. The two-pass shave was very smooth with minimal irritation. The post shave feel was also very good as the soap left my face soft and fresh. I sure need more practice to 'dial in' this soap because I suspect I could have added a few more drops of water when face-lathering to create an even slicker lather. Overall for a first-time use, I'm very happy with B M latha. I just can't help but wonder how great the regular line of B M should be compared to the 'Latha' series.

I chose B M latha basically as an experiment to see if lack of lanolin in a tallow-based soap would help reduce irritation. Some people tend to have allergic reaction to lanolin. My face also felt irritated when I used Musgo Real Classic Cream (an absolutely amazing product) and the First Canadian Shave Soap Unscented, both of which contain lanolin. With the lanolin-free B M latha, I had much less irritation during and after the shave.

Next, I would like to try a glycerin or vegan-based soap. This is because of my quite positive experience with the Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street's Sensitive Cream which has been giving me the least amount of irritation among. The only problem with that cream is that the lather tends to dissipate soon after applied and you would constantly have to re-apply the lather during a single pass. In particular, I'd like to see between a tallow or glycerin based soap which one would be more suitable for sensitive, acne-prone skin like mine. A very knowledgeable dermatologist once advised me that too much moisture or greasy creams aggravate acne-prone skins. I would assume that lanolin could be a good example of that. Soaps with lanolin felt very slick but burnt the skin when I reapplied the lather for a second pass and after the shave my skin look a bit too glossy and more on the greasy side.

For a glycerin-based soap / cream, my top candidates are: Soap Commander Integrity, Henri et Victoria Unscented (this one is just glycerin and no other lubricants like shea butter or argon oil), TOBS Organic cream, Institut Karite soap, and Stirling Beewax unscented. I came across comments left by a knowledgeable gentleman 'Herbert' discussing unscented soaps suitable for sensitive skin. I will message him for his advice. I would also appreciate if others kindly share their favourite soaps and creams.