Impressions of Mike's Natural Soaps coming from a QCS fan...

[ODJ]

So my package from Mike arrived today, which is VERY impressive. I live in San Diego, and ordered the soaps Friday evening and they ship from Brooklyn! Ridiculously fast shipping! The tins were all dented a bit, but this is not the fault of Mike, as this almost certainly happened during shipping, and obviously in no way affects the performance of the product. My choices of scents were limited since many are currently out of stock (but I am taking that as a good sign since these are so popular (I am looking forward to eventually getting my hands on the Pine & Cedarwood), and I am sure he is having trouble keeping up with demand, and have read somewhere on here that he is also in school full-time (I am a nurse and work full-time and am in school full-time as well, and can't even imagine running a business on the side as well!).

The scents I purchased were Lime, Lemongrass & Eucalyptus, and Lavandin & Eucalyptus. As I have stated before, I am a huge QCS fan, but do not agree with a few of their scents, the Cedarwood Lemongrass being one of them, but am pleased with Mike's Lemongrass & Eucalyptus. The Lavandin & Eucalyptus is also a surprisingly pleasant, medicinal, albeit unique scent. If you've ever smelled Burt's Bees hand salve, this soap smells very similar, which is definitely a very different scent for a shave soap or cream. The lime is probably the only disappointing scent (regarding scent only, as I have not used these yet to shave with), because it actually reminds me of Mr. Clean or some other sort of cleaner that I'd use to mop my floor with but also has some sort of spoiled undertone to it (please Mike, if you are reading this, please do not take offense to this, as I am just trying to describe the scent the way I am experiencing it, and know that everyone's sense of smell is different, and was in no way meant to be an insult to the product!). For whatever reason the lime scent just does not agree with my sense of smell at all, but the others, which, as I mentioned, are not even remotely close to what you would expect as traditional scents, which is nice in this case, as it definitely gives you a change from the norm. Mike also included a sample of the Rose & Cedarwood, which to me is much more rose than cedarwood, and this particular scent of rose to me smells more like fragrance than essential oil, and immediately reminded me of old ladies who douse themselves in perfume that you can smell for a while, even after they have left the room. It reminds me of what my grandmother used to smell like after a bath, which is not an offensive scent, but not what a 36 year old guy wants to smell like! (Sorry, but I am a tough customer when it comes to scents!)

These seem to be harder than the QCS croaps (which makes sense, since these are actual soaps, and the QCS are creams and I have not used any of the QCS hard soaps). Others have mentioned that if you like one or the other as far as performance (QCS & Mike's) you will most likely be pleased with the other. I am hoping this is true since it would be nice to have a really great performing product but have some really variable, dramatic scents to use in the rotation. As far as scents go, at least when comparing the four scents I have from Mike's and what I know about the QCS scents, they are definitely both going in their own unique directions, and neither is better or worse, just a matter of personal preference. Both are unique to themselves.

Keep in mind, I have not lathered any of these up yet, and my comments above are purely based on scent ONLY! I will follow up later tonight or tomorrow with details of how they lathered and performed. I haven't shaved since Friday in anticipation of the orders I placed with Mike and QCS last week!

So, to recap regarding scent only:

Lemongrass & Eucalyptus: pleasing and nice, very strong scent, in fact the strongest out of all I received, with the lemongrass being VERY prominent here. I like this lemongrass scent better than the QCS lemongrass scent. Based on scent alone, this one is a keeper so far.

Lavandin & Eucalyptus: very unique and medicinal scent, I like it a lot as I have never smelled a shaving cream or soap like it. very similar scent to Burt's Bees Hand Salve. This seems like a great soap that will be invigorating and refreshing, and something to really mix up a rotation for sure. Not as strong as the Lemongrass & Eucalyptus, but not weak by any means.

EDIT: FWIW, I later on dug up the old tin of the Burt's Bees hand salve which I have not used or smelled in years (the tin was rusted shut), and low and behold, lavandin and eucalyptus are two of the ingredients!

Lime: although I know essential oil is used for this soap, it smells like chemicals to me, like a household cleaner, but also has a sort of funky, spoiled undertone to it. The QCS lime scent definitely wins over this one at the moment. Who knows, it may change, as many soaps do, once they are lathered, but not my favorite lime scent so far.

Rose & Cedarwood (sample): very feminine rose scent, although it smells nice, is not what I am into. Although this is a sample, it seems to be the dominating scent that I keep smelling as I write this at the desk, with all of them here next to me. Reminds me of old ladies. (And yes, there are actually scents of rose that can be masculine, as I have smelled rosewater, or Trumper's Skin Food Sandlewood, which actually has rosewater as one of it's main ingredients, which makes it smell like a more masculine rose scent, and nothing like sandalwood at all.)

 

[Robert45]

Thank you for taking the time to write your assessments. I think Lime must be a tricky scent. I really like the scent of Mike's, but I have experienced Lime scents from two other makers and they were seemed either sweet or candy-like.

 

[cluelessdude]

Very nice to hear a completely honest review! I think you will enjoy the performance. Let us know how the first shave goes with it tomorrow. Is the Lavandin & Eucalyptus close to a Lavender scent?

 

[VT_Hokie]

Nice review of the scents. I'm very interested in hearing what you think of the performance of the two.

 

[mhdena]

Come on this isn't a real review until you've lathered it up and shaved with it!

I thought the Barber Shop smelled nice in the wrapper, but when lathered up it was sickeningly sweet to me, also the first time any soap as irritated me.
The Rose/Cedarwood was a pleasant surprise, smelled like roses alright but I don't equate the scent of Roses to old ladies.
The Orange/Cedarwood is my favorite so far, with Peppermint/Rosemary, Pine/Cedarwood, and Lime still to try.

 

[warhawk]

Hope U enjoy the Mike's Natural Soaps. I am a big fan. So far my favorite is Lemongrass and the Orange. I am looking forward to your review.

WARHAWK

 

[drocu]

Wow, that's quite an assessment of just the scent. It'll be interesting to hear your perspective on the lather produced from Mike's soaps when compared to QCS. I've never tried QCS, mostly because I'm trying to limit my software these days.

 

[ODJ]

So I just finished a late-night shave with Mike's Lavandin & Eucalyptus and wanted to write my initial impressions and post a couple pics of the lather. I used a Mergress XL with a new Astra SP blade. The Mergress has been my go-to razor for a couple months now since acquiring it off the BST, and the Astra blade is the only blade I use basically since I started using a DE about 7 months ago. I used a Semogue 830 boar, which I rotate with a Semogue 1305. I chose the 830 over the 1305 because it has more backbone and seemed a better choice over the 1305 for a harder product than what I am used to. Also, I would like to note that I am a cold water shaver, and showered before I shaved, and my routine was basically the same as it usually is.

To get to the point, I like this product, and plan on keeping it. I like my lather to be a bit more dense that some of the pictures I see on here from other members, which tend to look a bit sudsy and airy, and instead go for the more dense, rich lather. This product did not fall short by any means in producing a really thick, dense lather the first time using it. I am sure with even more practice I can dial this in even better. It's a very thirsty soap, but I am guessing (not really being a soap guy, only really using creams or 'crops' previously) that since it's a more dense product, it's going to require more water than what I am used to. To be honest, it took about the same amount of time to produce a VERY similar lather to what I am used to with the QCS croaps in both texture and consistency, minus a little less as far as slickness.

For me, the true test of a soap or cream is how it performs on my neck, which I need to go in several different directions since it grows in all different directions, requiring multiple passes and touch ups, and blade buffing around my jawline, because i have a pronounced jawline and I've just found that blade buffing yields the best results as far as closeness is concerned, but can result in irritation if both my technique is off, and the lather isn't protective/slick enough. I will say, although this soap is not as slick as the QCS I am used to, it did pass the blade buffing test, and came out with no irritation, cuts, nicks, etc. I was also able to get the same results on my neck that I do with my go-to products.

I did notice post-shave that it did not leave my face feeling as moisturized as the QCS or GFT Coconut does, but it wasn't dried out or anything. I could tell that my face seemed to soak up the Nivea ASB a little more readily and than it normally would. To answer a previous poster's question, you can definitely detect the Lavendar/Lavandin in there, but it's not overpowering, and the eucalyptus is definitely the strong note here, but I think that is what I like about it and makes it unique. I chose this scent to try out first because of the Lavandin and it being late at night/before bed because of Lavender/Lavandin's calming properties, but given the more medicinal and invigorating scent of the eucalyptus, it's more of a nice, clean, refreshing scent as opposed to calming.

So far I am digging this soap and am hoping that it keeps getting better and I learn how to dial in the lather each time I use it. I remember that I initially hated the QCS croaps, and couldn't understand the hype, but after giving them a try later on I found the sweet spot with them and it was magic. I am anticipating these to be the same way, and am inspired to keep using them because the scents that contain eucalyptus are pretty distinct and unique. Definitely a thumbs up so far.

 

[whiskerwacker]

How do these soaps load and lather compared to lather monsters like vintage Williams or Arko?

 

[ODJ]

How do these soaps load and lather compared to lather monsters like vintage Williams or Arko?

Only used Williams a couple times and chucked it. I equated Williams to cheap, crap beer. Something like Natural light, and I don't drink cheap beer. Just like good beer, really nice creams or soaps are only a couple bucks more than the cheap stuff, so I don't see the point. Haven't tried Arko (gasp) but given my pretty particular olfactory system, I do not think I'd like it since it's been routinely linked to smelling like a urinal cake or toilet bowl cleaner.

 

[pdillon]

Only used Williams a couple times and chucked it. I equated Williams to cheap, crap beer. Something like Natural light, and I don't drink cheap beer. Just like good beer, really nice creams or soaps are only a couple bucks more than the cheap stuff, so I don't see the point. Haven't tried Arko (gasp) but given my pretty particular olfactory system, I do not think I'd like it since it's been routinely linked to smelling like a urinal cake or toilet bowl cleaner.

whiskerwhacker was referring to vintage Williams--not modern--which is considered top notch. That's some gorgeous looking lather on a beautiful brush!

 

[drocu]

How do these soaps load and lather compared to lather monsters like vintage Williams or Arko?

I'd say Arko>Mike's=vintage Williams in terms of lather.

 

[cxg231]

Very nice reviews, thank you for your time. I too am a big fan of QCS creams, and while I *love* their performance, I'm not too wild about most of their scent offerings. This is not a knock on the QCS product at all, for as we know, scents are the ultimate YMMV. That being said, the QCS scents that I like, I don't just like, I *love*!

For me, Mike's is right up there with QCS on performance and better on the after-shave-face-feel. I also generally prefer Mike's scents FWIW. Both excellent products! Mike's gets the edge on cushion and post shave feel with QCS getting the edge on ease of building lather and slickness. Both are products I am very thankful to have in my rotation!

Thanks again, I enjoyed reading your posts.

 

[Cochese2323]

I too tried some croaps from QCS and like a few others, I just could not get down with any of the scents I tried. I also thought the performance was great, but like Chris said, scent is YMMV.

With the Mike's, I found both the lavadin/eucalyptus and the lemongrass/eucalyptus didn't agree with my skin which I finally figured out that eucalyptus is a problem for me. I had trouble with Proraso and the Proraso pre-shave irritating my skin two and figured it was the menthol, but I have used other products with menthol and no eucalyptus with no issue.

Anyway, ODJ, I would be willing to wager the eucalyptus may be the culprit of the soap not being as moisturizing for you. I have had nothing but great shaves leaving my skin feeling awesome with Mike's other soaps not containing the eucalyptus. Would be curious for you to try one of his soaps without it to see if you get different results.

 

[ODJ]

I too tried some croaps from QCS and like a few others, I just could not get down with any of the scents I tried. I also thought the performance was great, but like Chris said, scent is YMMV.

With the Mike's, I found both the lavadin/eucalyptus and the lemongrass/eucalyptus didn't agree with my skin which I finally figured out that eucalyptus is a problem for me. I had trouble with Proraso and the Proraso pre-shave irritating my skin two and figured it was the menthol, but I have used other products with menthol and no eucalyptus with no issue.

Anyway, ODJ, I would be willing to wager the eucalyptus may be the culprit of the soap not being as moisturizing for you. I have had nothing but great shaves leaving my skin feeling awesome with Mike's other soaps not containing the eucalyptus. Would be curious for you to try one of his soaps without it to see if you get different results.

I was winding the same thing as well regarding the eucalyptus, but didn't want to admit it could be the reason for the dryness because I really enjoy those two scents. I will keep trying them and give them a fair chance though. Just to see if it is any different, I will try the Lime tonight just to see if it is any different than the soaps with eucalyptus. FWIW, Proraso/C.O. Bigelow also makes my face feel very tight and dries it out as well, but the new Proraso Sandalwood / Shea Butter did not (but can't stand the scent of it.)

 

[ODJ]

Just finished a shave with the Mike's Lime. I'm pleased to say that once lathered, it is a very pleasant and refreshing scent, and was not experiencing the 'spooled' dell that i described earlier. Also will reinforce that it is a very thirsty lather. My shave was not the greatest however, and I did end up with some irritation under my chin and jawline. I also experienced the same dryness post shave that I experienced with the Lvandin & Eucayptus. So far, Mike's is proving to not be as moisturizing as the QCS. My face readily soaked up some Nivea ASB, and felt dry ten minutes later, and happily soaked up some more.

One thing I did notice is I may not have been adding enough water to my lather. I believe the irritation occurred during the first two passes, but before starting a third pass I added a bit more water to my lather in the bowl, and it became much more slick. I didn't shave over the spots that were irritated for the third pass. So, at this point I can't really blame the product for the irritation, as this may have been operator error from not having the lather dialed in yet. But I am concerned about how dry these first two shaves have left my face. I still have the Lemongrass & Eucalyptus to try out, but am going to take a couple days off from the Mike's and go back to my regular go-to's just for a baseline comparison.

 

[nav]

Just finished a shave with the Mike's Lime. I'm pleased to say that once lathered, it is a very pleasant and refreshing scent, and was not experiencing the 'spooled' dell that i described earlier. Also will reinforce that it is a very thirsty lather. My shave was not the greatest however, and I did end up with some irritation under my chin and jawline. I also experienced the same dryness post shave that I experienced with the Lvandin & Eucayptus. So far, Mike's is proving to not be as moisturizing as the QCS. My face readily soaked up some Nivea ASB, and felt dry ten minutes later, and happily soaked up some more.

One thing I did notice is I may not have been adding enough water to my lather. I believe the irritation occurred during the first two passes, but before starting a third pass I added a bit more water to my lather in the bowl, and it became much more slick. I didn't shave over the spots that were irritated for the third pass. So, at this point I can't really blame the product for the irritation, as this may have been operator error from not having the lather dialed in yet. But I am concerned about how dry these first two shaves have left my face. I still have the Lemongrass & Eucalyptus to try out, but am going to take a couple days off from the Mike's and go back to my regular go-to's just for a baseline comparison.

I get the opposite effect from Mike's soaps (and MWF for that matter) where I put my Thayers aloe/witch hazel and it takes quite a while for my skin to soak it in, which suggests the soaps are quite kind to my skin. I also never end up with irritation/burn with Mike's like I did at the beginning when I wasn't adding enough water. I use a different technique with Mike's than with other soaps, where I take a wetter brush for loading on Mike's puck...works a treat!

 

[ODJ]

So I have to say, I unfortunately am unable to bond with the Mike's. Love the scents, (and the lime in fact is REALLY nice when it is lathered) but it just continued to dry out my face after shaving with it a couple more times. I ended up PIF'ing it to a buddy to see what he thinks of them hoping he will have better luck. The interesting thing is the ingredients of Mikes and QCS are VERY similar, yet are so different in how they shave and moisturize my face.

 

[cluelessdude]

That's shocking to say the least. Mike's contains lanolin and it is very moisturizing for my dry skin.

 

[ODJ]

That's shocking to say the least. Mike's contains lanolin and it is very moisturizing for my dry skin.

I was shocked as well, and bummed since I was REALLY liking the scents.