What's new

Lakewood Soaps Review

I’m usually not one to sit down and write out my thoughts on this soap or that, this blade or that—I have done so when I did my review of Battle Brothers blades, and I have certainly written of my persistent SAD. To be fair, I certainly have commented on this product or that on various threads, that’s what we do here. Point being, this typically isn’t my thing, but I thought I’d toss this hat in the ring because I see so little mentioned about this artisan and thought I’d shove my two cents worth down your throats. LOL

This story began back in April when I attended the Big Shave S’West here in AZ. Being my first ever shave related meet-up I jumped at the opportunity to get a swag bag full of shaving goodies. Had a good time and soon as I got home I emptied the bag (much like we used to do with our candy haul on Halloween) and, just like those Halloweens past, quickly sorted the important from incidental, soaps and such from marketing stuff like business cards and stickers; recall childhood Christmases when you’d get a pair of socks or other clothing and it was placed ‘over there’ in our ravenous search for that toy we asked for—yeah, that kind of sorting.

Having soap samples set aside, I immediately embarked on a round of initial sniffing.

Opened the event-themed Big Shave soap made by PAA, a nice, desert-scent—white sage with a woody touch of rosewood and musk. Col. Conk’s Rio Grande Lavender was next, a heady but kind of earthy lavender, floral and sweet, followed by a small sample from Edwin Jagger (Pomegranate & Lime) and a couple small samples from HSSC and Cooper & French. In a 10z tub was a simply labeled sample of Lakewood’s Prairie Song. I twisted off the top and inhaled deeply . . . that couldn’t be right, there was next to no scent at all. Not sure what I expected, but I expected something perhaps earthy, reminiscent of a wide open prairie. There was something, but nothing that stood out—I can’t say it was unscented, but seemed darn close.

IMG_1081.jpg


I didn’t get back to it for about a month, then cracked it open again . . . still, not much there. Well, it was free and I am certainly not going to let free product go to waste, so I gave it a shot. I have to tell you gentlemen that the first go scent-wise was kind of lackluster. Performance was good, but at that time I didn’t take note of anything worth remembrance, much less drooling over.

A little time passed and I got around to my second use . . . this was a little different. I was picking up something fresh, light, but really nice—I could detect a hint of leather, but certainly sage, lemongrass and vetiver. Apparently it has tobacco, patchouli and whiskey, too. The performance seemed improved as well. By the third go I was really picking up the scent and enjoying it, and the soap’s performance was top notch . . . slick, smooth, wonderful face feel, lathered easily and well.

By the fourth use I was compelled to check out their website to get a feel for their product line. One of the first things I see is a fairly new scent named Coquette. Well played, Lakewood! Placing a pin-up girl on your label is a sure fire eye-catcher. And with a name like Coquette it had to be something intriguing, and sure enough . . . red raspberry, pink grapefruit, and a touch of rose. My SAD perked up—I’m not proud of it, just sayin’.

I know some have written about Beale Street and Smokeberry. They seemed to have favorable things to say about the product, so, combined with my growing affinity for Prairie Song I began making mental notes—okay, a wish list. By no means did I need more soap, but anyone reading this knows how that movie ends.

So, after that fourth use of the Prairie Song sample, I sat down and wrote my thoughts on it, pretty much as you read above. I included my initial thoughts on it first-whiff underwhelming but also of my growing appreciation for its wonderful freshness of scent. Toward the end I mentioned that I wasn’t anywhere near in need of soap, but based on my genuine enjoyment of the PS sample I would be mighty tempted “to set self-imposed restrictions aside and immerse myself in the full-size pleasures of Prairie Song and Coquette.” Sent it off and forgot about it.

About a day later Linda (Lakewood’s self-professed Mixtress) wrote me back thanking me for my thoughts: “Thanks so much for contacting me...I appreciate all feedback, not just the good stuff.” She went on to tell me about her first impressions of PS and how it grew on her, then explained a little further about the scent profile. She closed with the completely unexpected statement “I totally understand about SAD, but I’m an enabler . . .” , said she would send me a sample of Coquette. Could have knocked me over with a feather; I hadn’t seen that coming. A few days later I received a package with the Coquette sample and a sample of Smoky Mountain Rain and @13:33 Hrs. An enabler, indeed!

For those of us who can use scented soaps the shave experience can be greatly enhanced by a nose full of beautiful pungency. But scent isn’t what gets the job done, it’s performance that counts. I’ll spare you more tedious reading and confess I wound up ordering full tubs of Prairie Song, Coquette, and Smoky Mountain Rain. My take on each one is below.

I readily admit to not having used many of the big names that always get batted around in these forums. I haven’t tried Mike’s or Catie’s Bubbles, Stirling or MdC, Arko, Tabac, Chiseled Face, Noble Otter, Wholly Kaw, nor may others. I have B&M’s Diamond, and love how it performs. I also have a tub of TOBS—one of my faves. I also like WSP’s products, and the couple of PAA soaps I’ve tried; I’ve tried Declaration Grooming’s After The Rain and Gratiot League Square. Bottom line is, of course, it’s all subjective. We all have different tastes and opinions. The degree to which we believe one soap is better than another, while again subjective, still is valid—I’d bet we all have encountered soaps that just weren’t as good as others.

I must say though, Lakewood’s offerings perform on par with the best I have used.

Prairie Song
Just like the sample from the swag bag, I was easily able to get this to generate a deeply satisfying lather on my face and then another easy two passes worth in the scuttle. To me the scent is nice and clean, nothing overarching or beating other scents down—it’s scent strength is, I believe, just about right, not overbearing and certainly no wallflower. Just refreshing, uncluttered, fresh aroma that lasted me through three passes each time.

As for performance it’s no second class citizen. The first time I used the sample I didn’t have it dialed in properly, but from the second go forward it has always produced a slick, protective lather. I’ve never had to work it too long to get it where I want it. Nice and stable, great stuff until the final rinse. The pic below was the result of my working the soap in preparation for passes two and three with my horsehair brush.

IMG_1265.jpeg


Coquette

I absolutely love the summer-y, citrus, freshness of this scent. The red raspberry really stands out above the rest but not so much that you can’t pick out the pink grapefruit or the hint of rose. I will say the rose is by no means strong, so if you are fond of that fragrance then you might be disappointed here, but as a playmate to the other two it mingles very nicely.

When I started wet shaving I read a lot about guys favoring certain scents as ‘seasonal’ and I couldn’t understand why . . . I figured you go with a scent you like whenever you like, and that holds more than a kernel of truth. But now I’m beginning to understand the simple pleasure of a lighter scent in the morning when you know it’s going to be blistering outside. Coquette, in that regard, is indeed a touch flirty but you couldn’t stay mad at it, it’s that pleasant.

Same soap base, so it performed just as well as PS. I used the Atomic Rocket with it and got a stupid amount of lather. Man, I love the handle on that thing! Makes lathering in a bowl or scuttle a breeze.

IMG_1266.jpeg


Smoky Mountain Rain
Used my badger this morning and the initial load and face plastering went nicely. Added a little water and got my face lather to the promised land with ease. For some odd reason—I suspect something about the softness of the badger—I had to work a little more (and load a little more) to get my 2nd and 3rd pass lather worked up in the scuttle, but it wasn’t the soaps fault. But as you can see below, it came out very nice indeed.

IMG_1272.jpeg


If you’re wondering about @13:33 Hrs it’s a bay run scent with a touch of ‘charred’ sandalwood (you can detect the trace of charcoal) and amber. I’m not a huge bay rum guy, but this is a really nice melding of warm scents, and I actually like this bay rum because it’s not over the top like some are—not a bad thing, just not my thing.

Fellas, if you haven’t heard of Lakewood, or have but never tried them, do yourself a favor and give one of these a shot. I like these so much I’m looking for any reason to lather some up. Truly a nice product and performs beautifully.
 
Okay . . . in my elán to get the post up I neglected to impart the scent profile for Smoky Mountain Rain. Living in the desert southwest our post-storm aromas are (of course) different from those in the upper northwest, along the Mississippi and the Delta, and the east coast. But at its foundation rain cleanses the air as it falls, trapping fine particulates and lightning helps to balance the charge particles between the upper atmosphere and earth below.

The clean scent we perceive after a good rain is due, at least in part, to ionization. It's a very distinctive smell, and the geographical differences impart their own local 'flavor' if you will. That aroma is present in this soap, but perhaps what stands out a tad more is the genuine whiff of ozone.

How do I know what ozone smells like? I have played DIY electrician one time too many and am damn lucky to still be sitting here typing today. I have cloaked myself in that heady smell of crackling ozone one gets when touching a live wire . . . I'd bet at least a few here have done that. Now, take that smell and remove most of the 'electric' part of it, and you have the foundation upon which all the other scents build in SMR. I'm sitting here sniffing it as I write this.

Very nice, clean, post-rain impression--a little floral, certainly a touch grassy. Like Prairie Song, it's light but not wimpy. A similar kind of 'clean' to PS, but the ozone makes it stand apart.

My son and I tried DG's After The Rain hoping to find something like this, but it just wasn't/isn't there. SMR, at least for me, much more successfully captures that meadow-after-a-rain kind of feel. If you like fresh, clean scents--and I don't mean laundry/Kraken type--then this may very well be what you're looking for. And the performance is every bit as good as the others. If you try it I bet you'll love having it in your rotation.
 
Okay . . . in my elán to get the post up I neglected to impart the scent profile for Smoky Mountain Rain.
Exactly what I was thinking when I read the first post to end. I have been to Linda's website couple of times and searched on B&B to find more about her soaps but it appears B&B doesn't give these soaps much press bytes.
Thank you Jeff, for sharing your views on couple of soaps. By the looks of it, she uses a light hand when mixing the scents. I prefer more sturdier and robust scents so it is easy to let go Prairie Song and Coquette.
Smoky Mountain Rain
looks promising but I am not sure, could you refer the scent strength on a scale of 0-10? It might give us some idea on strength.
One thing I am already liking about the lather is that it seems her soaps are not heavy on post shave feel. A greasy post shave feel, no matter how protective it might be is just not my thing even in winters. In summers greasy soaps just become atrociously unbearable.
 
Terrific write-up! I appreciate the effort and thought that want into this.
It's motivated me to use a sample of Smokeberry that I have. I'll report back after I use it.
 
could you refer the scent strength on a scale of 0-10?

That's a good idea. I think I tend to refrain from such valuations because scent (as most everything else) is such a subjective thing. On the other hand, there's no frame of reference if some kind of scale isn't used. Having said all that I'd like to break it down this way:

Scent from the tub (when you twist the lid off and breathe in): In my head I sense a difference between fragrance strength and fragrance presence--seems obvious until I start thinking of examples, then the concept blurs a bit. Prairie Song and Smoky Mountain Rain I wouldn't say are strong, per se, perhaps a 6 straight off the tub, but the overall presence, the way the scent melds and 'holds together' is easily an 8 or 9.

To your point regarding sturdiness and robustness, those words, to me, indicate lots of body, a kind of boldness. Would I call PS and SMR bold? Probably not. For example, I have a sample of WSP's Mahogany that, to my nose, is pretty dang robust, very woodsy--there's zero chance of mistaking it for what it is. That fragrance in itself is bound to be stronger/sturdier than a fresher scent like PR or SMR. So those two are likely not in your wheelhouse scent-wise.

Coquette is wonderfully intoxicating (to me) right off the tub, probably an 8 or 9 for scent strength, with the raspberry singing lead. I'm not sure I would call it bold by comparison to other scents but it is really nice. WSP's Citrus Blast is more robust in this sense, it's citrus blend is really in-your-face but in a good way.

Scent when lathering: In my experience many soap scents take on a slightly different character once lathering begins, likely due to the additional moisture and air being whipped in I would suppose. Indeed, all three of these soaps take on a little more aromatic life at this point, I'd say maybe around a 7.

Scent durability while on face and while shaving: Along with the feel of applying lather with the brush this aspect of shaving is one of my favorites. I know there are a few soaps I have that just don't seem to hold up at this phase--they're pleasant enough going on, but as the shave progresses they quietly slip away; not the case with these Lakewood soaps.

I'm usually a 3-pass guy; I can't seem to make-do with 2 passes no matter how hard I try to convince myself it's perfectly acceptable--unless I use my more aggressive razor, then a very, very careful 2-pass is the law. Forgive the following analogy but I'm using it to support my opinion: recall a time(s) when you've left the house for a while then returned and some odor punches you in the face, one you hadn't noticed before leaving . . .or perhaps getting into someone's car and immediately smelling something that rotted under a seat, and when you mention the smell the other person says they don't notice anything. I know there's a word for this but it escapes me at the moment---olfactory latency? Something like that.

Anyway, some guys are quick shavers and I imagine they don't have time to become too accustomed to the scent of the soap on their face. I rather enjoy taking my time (especially with that aggressive razor), so I think at some point during the process my face and nose are cloaked in the scent so I don't quite notice it as much . . . until the rinse and re-application for the next pass. This all is not to say the fragrance evaporates entirely, because it doesn't. I believe it's a factor of being immersed in it for a length of time, long enough that you seemingly don't notice it . . . like the aforementioned odors; just because you're accustomed to them doesn't mean they're not present, right?

So, I'd give these scents a 6 to 8 for durability.

Post-shave feel: Frankly, I don't think I'm too good at assessing this. I rinse when done, followed by a quick splash of Thayer's Witch Hazel, then after it dries a little balm. I have the sense that most of my soaps, these included, leave my face feeling very nice. I can't say I've yet to use a soap that has felt 'drying' or the like.

Sometimes I'll even spread the leftover lather on my face while doing a bit of cleanup then rinse off. To be honest I think some of that is because I enjoy the scent, and also because I hate wasting perfectly good lather. If it's good for my skin then that's a bonus.

I can say I like how my face feels after using these soaps, but I'm not sure I can objectively quantify such a sensation. I can certainly state that I get no greasy after-feel (if that's a valid expression). By way of example, I really enjoy Mikey Lee's Kraken, but the Kraken AS balm is a 24-hour long oil-fest. I have yet to experience any other balm with that kind of greasy, oily feel. Linda's soaps are clean feeling to be sure.

Typically long-winded, I know, but I hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
I’m usually not one to sit down and write out my thoughts on this soap or that, this blade or that—I have done so when I did my review of Battle Brothers blades, and I have certainly written of my persistent SAD. To be fair, I certainly have commented on this product or that on various threads, that’s what we do here. Point being, this typically isn’t my thing, but I thought I’d toss this hat in the ring because I see so little mentioned about this artisan and thought I’d shove my two cents worth down your throats. LOL

This story began back in April when I attended the Big Shave S’West here in AZ. Being my first ever shave related meet-up I jumped at the opportunity to get a swag bag full of shaving goodies. Had a good time and soon as I got home I emptied the bag (much like we used to do with our candy haul on Halloween) and, just like those Halloweens past, quickly sorted the important from incidental, soaps and such from marketing stuff like business cards and stickers; recall childhood Christmases when you’d get a pair of socks or other clothing and it was placed ‘over there’ in our ravenous search for that toy we asked for—yeah, that kind of sorting.

Having soap samples set aside, I immediately embarked on a round of initial sniffing.

Opened the event-themed Big Shave soap made by PAA, a nice, desert-scent—white sage with a woody touch of rosewood and musk. Col. Conk’s Rio Grande Lavender was next, a heady but kind of earthy lavender, floral and sweet, followed by a small sample from Edwin Jagger (Pomegranate & Lime) and a couple small samples from HSSC and Cooper & French. In a 10z tub was a simply labeled sample of Lakewood’s Prairie Song. I twisted off the top and inhaled deeply . . . that couldn’t be right, there was next to no scent at all. Not sure what I expected, but I expected something perhaps earthy, reminiscent of a wide open prairie. There was something, but nothing that stood out—I can’t say it was unscented, but seemed darn close.

View attachment 1006325

I didn’t get back to it for about a month, then cracked it open again . . . still, not much there. Well, it was free and I am certainly not going to let free product go to waste, so I gave it a shot. I have to tell you gentlemen that the first go scent-wise was kind of lackluster. Performance was good, but at that time I didn’t take note of anything worth remembrance, much less drooling over.

A little time passed and I got around to my second use . . . this was a little different. I was picking up something fresh, light, but really nice—I could detect a hint of leather, but certainly sage, lemongrass and vetiver. Apparently it has tobacco, patchouli and whiskey, too. The performance seemed improved as well. By the third go I was really picking up the scent and enjoying it, and the soap’s performance was top notch . . . slick, smooth, wonderful face feel, lathered easily and well.

By the fourth use I was compelled to check out their website to get a feel for their product line. One of the first things I see is a fairly new scent named Coquette. Well played, Lakewood! Placing a pin-up girl on your label is a sure fire eye-catcher. And with a name like Coquette it had to be something intriguing, and sure enough . . . red raspberry, pink grapefruit, and a touch of rose. My SAD perked up—I’m not proud of it, just sayin’.

I know some have written about Beale Street and Smokeberry. They seemed to have favorable things to say about the product, so, combined with my growing affinity for Prairie Song I began making mental notes—okay, a wish list. By no means did I need more soap, but anyone reading this knows how that movie ends.

So, after that fourth use of the Prairie Song sample, I sat down and wrote my thoughts on it, pretty much as you read above. I included my initial thoughts on it first-whiff underwhelming but also of my growing appreciation for its wonderful freshness of scent. Toward the end I mentioned that I wasn’t anywhere near in need of soap, but based on my genuine enjoyment of the PS sample I would be mighty tempted “to set self-imposed restrictions aside and immerse myself in the full-size pleasures of Prairie Song and Coquette.” Sent it off and forgot about it.

About a day later Linda (Lakewood’s self-professed Mixtress) wrote me back thanking me for my thoughts: “Thanks so much for contacting me...I appreciate all feedback, not just the good stuff.” She went on to tell me about her first impressions of PS and how it grew on her, then explained a little further about the scent profile. She closed with the completely unexpected statement “I totally understand about SAD, but I’m an enabler . . .” , said she would send me a sample of Coquette. Could have knocked me over with a feather; I hadn’t seen that coming. A few days later I received a package with the Coquette sample and a sample of Smoky Mountain Rain and @13:33 Hrs. An enabler, indeed!

For those of us who can use scented soaps the shave experience can be greatly enhanced by a nose full of beautiful pungency. But scent isn’t what gets the job done, it’s performance that counts. I’ll spare you more tedious reading and confess I wound up ordering full tubs of Prairie Song, Coquette, and Smoky Mountain Rain. My take on each one is below.

I readily admit to not having used many of the big names that always get batted around in these forums. I haven’t tried Mike’s or Catie’s Bubbles, Stirling or MdC, Arko, Tabac, Chiseled Face, Noble Otter, Wholly Kaw, nor may others. I have B&M’s Diamond, and love how it performs. I also have a tub of TOBS—one of my faves. I also like WSP’s products, and the couple of PAA soaps I’ve tried; I’ve tried Declaration Grooming’s After The Rain and Gratiot League Square. Bottom line is, of course, it’s all subjective. We all have different tastes and opinions. The degree to which we believe one soap is better than another, while again subjective, still is valid—I’d bet we all have encountered soaps that just weren’t as good as others.

I must say though, Lakewood’s offerings perform on par with the best I have used.

Prairie Song
Just like the sample from the swag bag, I was easily able to get this to generate a deeply satisfying lather on my face and then another easy two passes worth in the scuttle. To me the scent is nice and clean, nothing overarching or beating other scents down—it’s scent strength is, I believe, just about right, not overbearing and certainly no wallflower. Just refreshing, uncluttered, fresh aroma that lasted me through three passes each time.

As for performance it’s no second class citizen. The first time I used the sample I didn’t have it dialed in properly, but from the second go forward it has always produced a slick, protective lather. I’ve never had to work it too long to get it where I want it. Nice and stable, great stuff until the final rinse. The pic below was the result of my working the soap in preparation for passes two and three with my horsehair brush.

View attachment 1006324

Coquette

I absolutely love the summer-y, citrus, freshness of this scent. The red raspberry really stands out above the rest but not so much that you can’t pick out the pink grapefruit or the hint of rose. I will say the rose is by no means strong, so if you are fond of that fragrance then you might be disappointed here, but as a playmate to the other two it mingles very nicely.

When I started wet shaving I read a lot about guys favoring certain scents as ‘seasonal’ and I couldn’t understand why . . . I figured you go with a scent you like whenever you like, and that holds more than a kernel of truth. But now I’m beginning to understand the simple pleasure of a lighter scent in the morning when you know it’s going to be blistering outside. Coquette, in that regard, is indeed a touch flirty but you couldn’t stay mad at it, it’s that pleasant.

Same soap base, so it performed just as well as PS. I used the Atomic Rocket with it and got a stupid amount of lather. Man, I love the handle on that thing! Makes lathering in a bowl or scuttle a breeze.

View attachment 1006323

Smoky Mountain Rain
Used my badger this morning and the initial load and face plastering went nicely. Added a little water and got my face lather to the promised land with ease. For some odd reason—I suspect something about the softness of the badger—I had to work a little more (and load a little more) to get my 2nd and 3rd pass lather worked up in the scuttle, but it wasn’t the soaps fault. But as you can see below, it came out very nice indeed.

View attachment 1006322

If you’re wondering about @13:33 Hrs it’s a bay run scent with a touch of ‘charred’ sandalwood (you can detect the trace of charcoal) and amber. I’m not a huge bay rum guy, but this is a really nice melding of warm scents, and I actually like this bay rum because it’s not over the top like some are—not a bad thing, just not my thing.

Fellas, if you haven’t heard of Lakewood, or have but never tried them, do yourself a favor and give one of these a shot. I like these so much I’m looking for any reason to lather some up. Truly a nice product and performs beautifully.

Great reviews! Coquette is tempting (no pun intended)!! :a29:
 
I just finished using Smoke berry and while nog a scent I would buy it was nice and not overly strong. I would rate it around a 5 out if 10 with it being noticeable throughout the shave but not over bearing. I wouldn't want it any stronger.
It lathered fairly easily and had a nice sheen. Slickness was good and post was adequate.
I would consider purchasing in the future.
 
@DEPenguin thank you for detailed and well thought out review and scent description. I absolutely agree that perception of scents and smell is very relative. I can appreciate how certain scents can be loud enough for some but 'barely there' for some. In my case smoking whole pack per day for 35 years has much done my sense of smell and taste buds. For a reference, Tabac, one of most loud and controversial smelling soap doesn't singe my nose hair. Still it is nice to have a point scale reference.

While on the subject of smell, olfactory fatigue does play out if you keep one soap around long enough but just shaving through a scent and getting olfactory fatigue is perhaps a quick conclusion.

I get where you are coming from in regard of the post shave feel. In my personal opinion and experience most of artisan soaps which have leftover unsponified fats are more prone to greasy post shave feel. I am happy to note that lakewood soaps are probably not that greasy and rinse cleaner. I am going to get some Lakewood soaps when I go shopping online sometime soon.
 
HereticHermit. thank you for your response. I often wonder if my wordiness is a detractor to many. On one hand there is much to be said for being efficient with one's words, but on the other, I'm not submitting any high literature here, so I figure I'll just be me and let the dust settle where it may. In short, thank you for your patience and patronage.

Same to you,BigJ!
 
I just finished using Smoke berry and while nog a scent I would buy it was nice and not overly strong. I would rate it around a 5 out if 10 with it being noticeable throughout the shave but not over bearing. I wouldn't want it any stronger.
It lathered fairly easily and had a nice sheen. Slickness was good and post was adequate.
I would consider purchasing in the future.

Smokeberry didn't seem like a scent I'd be much attracted to. I am curious about their Lime soap and Honey Mash, the latter looks especially intriguing. Thanks for posting your thoughts on using it this morning!
 
Smokeberry didn't seem like a scent I'd be much attracted to. I am curious about their Lime soap and Honey Mash, the latter looks especially intriguing. Thanks for posting your thoughts on using it this morning!
I should mention the name "Smokeberry" is very descriptive in what to expect. The berry and fruitiness is very forward with a gentle smokiness in the background. I'm not much of a citrus/fruit guy when it comes to scents so this doesn't fall into my wheelhouse but the performance has me curious about her other offerings.
 
Last edited:
Coquette is tempting (no pun intended)!
That same temptation is what got me three soaps deeper in my inventory! As much as I fret about having so many soaps--and while I'm here, not near as many as some posts I've see--I genuinely do not regret purchasing these soaps. Coquette is every bit as delightful as it sounds . . . even comes with a happy ending!

Okay, I should clarify . . . a 'happy ending' being a very nice, very enjoyable shave :001_cool:
 
Top Bottom