Mike's Natural Soaps...

[steffenapelz]

Like everyone has said already...Mike's is great soap. I still use it after 3 years of being in the hobby and I still like it very much. The scents are all super natural, so no cologne clones and the performance is very good during the shave.

Where Mike's falls short by the standards of today's top artisans is on the post-shave. For me, the post shave is a touch drying, but some lotion and AS balm overcome that for me.

And yes, a tub of Mike's lasts forever. I have owned Bay Rum (which I just finished after 2+ years), Hungarian Lavender (which I gifted to a friend who was getting into wetshaving) and Orange Black Pepper Cedar (which I am currently using once a week and expect to last a couple of years).

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[Dov Shaves]

I agree with many posts here. Mike's Barbershop is particularly awesome. Just love it.

 

[bluesman 7]

The quality of these soaps is very high. If you do not have a synthetic brush, or something like a stiff boar brush, you will have to really work to lather this soap.
Brian.

Thanks for reminding me of that. I use all of my soaps as sticks, and with Mike's, getting the soap onto my face is much harder than with other, even triple milled, soaps. I still like the soap and tasteful scent strength though.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I'm not a fan, leaves my skin oily and burns during the shave.

 

[RayClem]

This thread points out the variations we have in soap preferences. That is why when rating soaps, I always express the criteria against which I am rating the soap. I am sure Mike's Natural is a great soap for some, but I prefer a soap with high-structure and lots of cushion and plenty of post-shave conditioning properties. Thus, I have not felt compelled to add Mike's soaps to my den as I have with so many other artisans.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I have now tried over a dozen soaps and Mike’s is one of my favorites. The lime has a simple but killer scent!

I will also make a plug for Mike’s shampoo bars - not as inexpensive as a giant bottle of mass market shampoo from Walmart, but (like his shave soap) the shampoo bars leave my hair feeling really clean in what I will call (for the lack of a better term) a non-chemical way.


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[Dov Shaves]

I appreciate the comments made by members who haven't found Mike's particularly good. As RayChem stated, it's important evidence regarding variations in skin qualities. Where would we be without the artisans, Gillettee only?

 

[dmshaver]

Mikes is very good soap. It's my second favorite soap, right behind CBL Premium Soap.

 

[Cino]

In addition to his soaps, I have a few of his new skin food AS. Lime is one of the longer lasting lime AS out there.

 

[Dov Shaves]

Mikes is very good soap. It's my second favorite soap, right behind CBL Premium Soap.

Can you say more about CBL? I've never tried it. I'd say Wholly Kaw is my top performer.

 

[dmshaver]

Can you say more about CBL? I've never tried it. I'd say Wholly Kaw is my top performer.

I know results are a YMMV thing, but I'll share my experiences with CBL.

I've tried several of their soaps & have found them to be elite in terms of latherability, cushion, protection, & post-shave face feel. I like milder scented soaps & there are several of CBL's that meet my need. I know from talking with others that there are also some stronger scented CBL soaps that also provide the same outstanding performance. He also just rolled out a non-scented for sensitive skin, called Granite, that I've tried & must say, it's also spectacular. If I had a score sheet, CBL would check each of the boxes for me. I've tried many brands (Mikes, WK, DG, MW, Eufros, LNHC, MWF, Haslinger, MLS, to name a few) & CBL outperforms them all. My personal favorites are: Outlaw, Norse Spice, Orange Dirt, Barbershop, & Dragons Blood.

If you decide to try them, let me know your thoughts. BTW, I am not affiliated with CBL, nor have I received payment from CBL for my endorsement of their soaps. I am just a very satisfied customer. Oh, and the customer service is great too!

 

[FloorPizza]

I'll share my experiences with CBL

Please forgive the ignorance, but I couldn't find CBL in the official abbreviations list.

So... CBL stands for?

 

[dmshaver]

Please forgive the ignorance, but I couldn't find CBL in the official abbreviations list.

So... CBL stands for?

It's the soapmakers initials. The full name is CBL Premium Soap. Here's a link:
Shop - CBL Premium Shave Soap

 

[Dov Shaves]

I know results are a YMMV thing, but I'll share my experiences with CBL.

I'd love to try a new soap. Will get a CBL and let you know. Appreciate the comments.

 

[RayClem]

I'd love to try a new soap. Will get a CBL and let you know. Appreciate the comments.

I received my first couple of CBL soaps two weeks ago (Russian Tea and Club CBL). The soaps are very soft, more like a croap than a soap. They are very sticky in the tub. As expected, they load and lather easily. Slickness is excellent 10/10. I ranked them only 8/10 on cushion and 8/10 on post shave. However, I have not used them enough to optimize the lather. I might rank them a little higher on cushion after optimization. The post-shave is certainly not as good as some other soaps in my den, so I would never classify them as elite. For now, I would rate the soaps as an "A-" comparable to Nobel Otter and Oleo Soapworks. GStill they are worth considering.

 

[Dov Shaves]

I received my first couple of CBL soaps two weeks ago (Russian Tea and Club CBL). The soaps are very soft, more like a croap than a soap.

Thank you. I appreciate the review because it reminded me that I prefer soaps that I can work in the tub first, then face lather from there.

 

[mmaggi]

Used the Orange & Black Pepper this morning. AWESOME soap.

 

[Dov Shaves]

My apology to the members for derailing the conversation. This thread is about Mike's soaps, not CBL. So, I'll quote another wet shaver, "Mike knows soap," and IMHO, he does for sure. Can't say enough.

 

[FloorPizza]

It's the soapmakers initials. The full name is CBL Premium Soap. Here's a link:
Shop - CBL Premium Shave Soap

Thanks!

 

[MaineYooper]

Great soap. I use the unscented almost exclusively. Lathers like a champ without a ton of work. I like the smell of the Kaolin clay as well. I dont like the metal tins, but I've heard hes gone with plastic now. That means I wont have to transfer it. The metal was too hard to open for me.

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Same here, except I rotate with Shannon's Soap Nil and Mystic Water Soap Sensitive Skin. Great stuff, consistent, and they don't keep changing the base!

Eric; M, Karve Diem, BOSC