Menthol Overload. 15+ products tested inside.

[kingfisher]

Too bad this couldn't be updated with some soaps that contain Koolada or other synthetic cooling agents. I don't think they existed when this thread was first posted.
I'm not a big fan of menthol. If you put too much in, the scents all begin to smell the same, and the soaps don't lather as well. But the synthetic agents are scentless and, as far as I know, don't really impact the lather.

 

[Hunter Bock]

So I have been on the search for a great mentholated setup for this summer. However finding reviews besides just how cold a product is, is very difficult. While I want a cold soap/cream, the scent and quality of lather/shave is very important to me as well. Also finding someone who has tried a wide variety is difficult. I have accumulated some of the most popular products to test and see how they are. No, this is not every product out there but these are by far the most recommended and talked about. Here is what I have. Ranging from very typical to a little more abstract.

Soaps/Creams
Proraso Green Shaving Cream
ShavingYeti Yeti Snot Shaving Soap
Queen Charlotte Soaps (QCS) Vostok Shaving Cream
RazoRock Brain Freeze Shaving Soap (Not Pictured)
How To Grow a Mustache (HTGAM) Synergy Frost Byte Shaving Soap
Stirling Glacial Wintergreen Shaving Soap
Stirling Glacial Spearmint Shaving Soap
Stirling Glacial Obsidian Shaving Soap
Stirling Cool Shaving Soap

So here are some categories to help you choose whats right for you

"Coldness"
Rated 1-10. 10 being the coldest

Stirling Cool Shaving Soap (1) This is not advertised as having menthol but it does have Mentha Piperita Essential Oil (Peppermint) and Eucalyptus Essential Oil. It feels refreshing but not cold or really even cool. The peppermint scent adds to the effect that it is cool but it is very mild bordering on nothing.
RazoRock Brain Freeze Shaving Soap (Not Pictured) (1.5) Advertised as Essential Oil of Eucalyptus and Menthol. Must have extremely low amounts as you can barely feel anything. Stronger than Stirling Cool but it is not going to give any real feeling.
Proraso Green Shaving Cream (3) Most people are probably familiar with this. It contains Eucalyptus and Menthol. It has a refreshing and comfortable cool. I still wouldn't classify it as cold but it does have enough were you feel it but it is not so strong you couldn't use it everyday.
How To Grow a Mustache (HTGAM) Synergy Frost Byte Shaving Soap (8) Advertised as highly mentholated and it is. This is a big jump from the previous items. I would say it is cold. You feel it but for me it is not uncomfortable though. Just a powerful cold. Could still use it often on hot days.
Queen Charlotte Soaps (QCS) Vostok Shaving Cream (8.5) Advertised as a highly mentholated cream. Slightly colder than the HTGAM although they are close. Could still use it often on hot days.
ShavingYeti Yeti Snot Shaving Soap (9) Advertised as a highly mentholated cream. Slightly colder than the QCS but again pretty close. These 3 are all very similar in face feel. Could still use it often on hot days.
Stirling Glacial Wintergreen Shaving Soap (9.8) Advertised as a highly mentholated cream. Stirling is the coldest of the bunch. For me these start getting into the too cold area. After the first pass you get the sensation that you are not sure whether it is hot or cold on your face. I personally would not use this soap often. Every now and then for an extreme shave and that's really it for me.
Stirling Glacial Spearmint Shaving Soap (9.8) Same as above.
Stirling Glacial Obsidian Shaving Soap (9.9) Same as above although for some reason the obsidian seems a slight slight bit colder. I think because the scent is "sharper" the scent enhances it a slight bit more.

Lather
Rated 1-10. 10 being the best lather in slickness, cushion, stability, etc.

Stirling Glacial Obsidian Shaving Soap, Stirling Glacial Spearmint Shaving Soap, Stirling Glacial Wintergreen Shaving Soap (5) Stirling's highly mentholated soaps give a runny ugly looking lather that require a little more work with mediocre stability. That is a tradeoff of the high menthol content. On the plus side they are slick though.
Stirling Cool Shaving Soap (5.5) Since this doesn't have the menthol it doesn't suffer from the issues the others have. I would say it requires a little extra work than others here but you get a nice slick lather.
ShavingYeti Yeti Snot Shaving Soap (6.5) Easy to lather. Need to watch water content to make sure properly hydrated because it can get a little airy and not slick.
How To Grow a Mustache (HTGAM) Synergy Frost Byte Shaving Soap (7) Same as yeti snot but has a slightly better feel to it.
Queen Charlotte Soaps (QCS) Vostok Shaving Cream (8) Gives a great slick and cushiony lather
RazoRock Brain Freeze Shaving Soap (Not Pictured) (9.5) An amazing lather. The Argan Oil is great. Super slick, great cushion. Great face feel.
Proraso Green Shaving Cream (9.5) Pretty much an extremely easy to lather, slick and cushiony cream. Not fussy with water and how you treat it.

Scent
Rated 1-10. 10 being the best scent. Description so you can decide what you like.

Stirling Glacial Wintergreen Shaving Soap (5) Very Strong Wintergreen. Just like a pack of Wintergreen gum.
Stirling Glacial Spearmint Shaving Soap (5) Very Strong Spearmint. Just like a pack of Spearmint gum.
Stirling Glacial Obsidian Shaving Soap (5) Very Strong Black licorice scent.
The Stirling's would be best if you like these scents and if you like very strong scents. The scents are so powerful that some peoples eyes water and it adds to their experience. For me it's too strong.
Stirling Cool Shaving Soap (5.5) Has a light nice peppermint scent with a creamy undertone
RazoRock Brain Freeze Shaving Soap (Not Pictured) (6.5) Light menthol and eucalyptus. Scent is great but very weak and delicate.
How To Grow a Mustache (HTGAM) Synergy Frost Byte Shaving Soap (7.5) Sharp strong menthol with a sort of earthy undertone
Queen Charlotte Soaps (QCS) Vostok Shaving Cream (7.5) Peppermint and menthol scent. It is slightly sweet with a lower sharpness. Has a little depth.
ShavingYeti Yeti Snot Shaving Soap (8.5) Strong clean sharp menthol scent. one dimensional
Proraso Green Shaving Cream (10) Just a clean, refreshing, classic and traditional menthol and eucalyptus scent. Has a nice depth and sophistication to it.

Conclusion
My personal favorite is the QCS Vostok. It is cold enough to feel great, but not so cold it is uncomfortable. Of the highly mentholated soaps it has the best performance and a nice smell. For me yeti snot is a close second. I like the scent a little better but the performance is a little worse. The Frost Byte is also consistantly good all around. If you are a person who wants the extreme coldest, strongest scents then it is no question Stirling. For me both the coldness and scent are too strong to be comfortable in consistent use.

Now some additional items I have as well. With a breif summary.

Aftershave Splashes/Balms

Proraso Green Aftershave Splash
Great scent. Nice cooling. Can be used daily no issues with amount of menthol as its fairly low.
Aqua Velva Ice Blue Aftershave Splash
Great scent. Clean and refreshing scent that is slightly sweet. Medium menthol content.
Osage Rub Aftershave Splash
Powdery Sweet scent. Kind of like mouthwash with powder. High menthol content.
Queen Charlotte Soaps (QCS) Vostok Aftershave Balm
Great scent, great performance. I don't think it is cooling. Just the same scent as their other products.
How To Grow a Mustache (HTGAM) Synergy Frost Byte Aftershave Balm
Not a fan. Comes out a strange foamy liquid and requires a lot to cover face. Dries down nice but application is poor. Possibly slightly cooling but can't really tell.

Additives

The Shave Den (TSD) M-Bomb Menthol Additive (Not Pictured)
Perfect for adding to your lather. Not worth making on your own (I can explain in detail but its easier to buy it made like this)
Menthol Crystals
Perfect to mentholate any current ALCOHOL aftershave you have.

I can't cover everything so any questions you have feel free to ask and Ill answer them. Thanks and I hope this helped you out.

Menthol in my experience is about experience not scent. I love it.

For aftershave I'd offer a couple of suggestions that some may consider heretical.

Be reminded that menthol is used in many topical skin products -- especially analgesics:

• Biofreeze gel gives you a 5% menthol hit, along with skin friendly herbal extras (aloe, arnica etc)
• ditto for Absorbine Linament gel which also includes echinacea (provides a related skin sensation) and the ancient medicinal wormwood
• both cost less than Chiseled Face Cryogenic

I've used both and throughly enjoyed the result.

 

[thombrogan]

Yeah but considering the price for the ingrediences, it is a plain rip off IMO

The “full-sized” bottle arrived and I agree. Looks like their competitors aren’t much better.

Despite it including arnica, I’m going to look into the BioFreeze mentioned by @Hunter Bock

Edit: Holy guacamole! That stuff had better be lots of chill at that price. Yeep!

 

[Hunter Bock]

Experiment -- there are all kinds of skin products not labeled aftershave that are as wholesome as anything marketed for shaving.

 

[samupun]

wow. this is incredible. really appreciate the testing and experience.

 

[thombrogan]

UPDATE:

Bought a few ounces of menthol crystals and a McCormicks sea salt grinder. Popped the top to move the salt to another sea salt bottle and stuffed the grinder with a bunch of freezy bois. My already mentholated Stirling Unscented Witch Hazel & Aloe and some moisturizer and oil kicking around the house are now sub-zero fun.