As many of you know, I have a very large collection of soaps. I look for soaps that have superb performance and superb scents. The latest addition to my den is Noble Otter Logbook.
I have a number of other Noble Otter soaps in my collection, but they are several years old and the performance is not up to my current standards. When the Logbook scent was released recently, I though it might be a suitable addition to my den. The formula is different from the soaps purchased previously, so I hoped the performance would be improved.
The Logbook scent contains notes of: Bergamot, Orange, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Leather, Elemi, Moss.
It is a complex, well-blended, cologne scent somewhat reminiscent of Dior Sauvage. Unfortunately, the scent of the soap is rather subdued, even after lathering. I was disappointed in this as I do not normally apply aftershaves or colognes. For those who do like fragrance products, Noble Otter offers the Logbook scent in an aftershave and also an EDP.
The soap formulation contains: Stearic Acid, Beef Tallow, Aqua, Coconut Milk, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, Kokum Butter, Mango Seed Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Lanolin, Fragrance, Bentonite Clay, Sodium Lactate, Allantoin, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Tetrasodium EDTA, Aloe Vera, White Willow Bark Extract, Watermelon Extract, Tussah Silk.
Thus, this is a tallow based soap supplemented with a number of vegetable oils and butters and other ingredients. It is similar to the earlier formulation, but there are some changes. The soap contains lanolin, which might be a concern to those who are sensitive. For the benefit of those who have hard water, the soap contains EDTA.
The Logbook soap was attractively packaged. Although this is not required for my evaluation, it is a nice feature.
The soap is very firm, so much so that it was difficult to dent the soap with my finger.
My typical procedure involves placing 1 Tablespoon of hot water into the tub and swirl for 10 seconds to loosen the top layer of the soap. Since the soap was so hard, I allowed a few more second. The bloom water was poured off into my shave bowl. I then loaded the soap for 10 seconds using a 26 mm silvertip badger brush. This provided sufficient soap for my lather. Thus, I consider the soap easy to load.
I swirled the soap along with the bloom water in my shave bowl for 30 seconds. All of my better soaps will develop a smooth lather free of larger bubbles in less than 40 seconds. Since only thirty seconds was required, I consider the soap easy to lather. I did add a few drops of water to the lather bowl part way through the shave to adjust the consistency.
Once applied to my face, I evaluate the slickness, both primary and residual. Both were sufficient for an excellent shave, including buffing strokes.
I evaluate cushion/protection through the feedback I get after my shave when I apply witch hazel to my sensitive skin. I did get minimal feedback, but enough to be a concern. I was able to get a near-BBS shave with zero irritation.
Finally, I evaluate the post shave performance. I expect a shaving soap to leave my face feeling smooth, moist, and conditioned for many hours after the shave without feeling greasy, oily, or heavy. My elite soaps provide an excellent shave and leave my face feeling great for a minimum of 8 hours. The super-elite soaps linger for a minimum of 16 hours. I have a few top soaps that will last for more than 24 hours. With Nobel Otter Logbook, I am now approaching the 24 hour mark. I can still detect some conditioning, but it is definitely starting to fade. Thus the soap easily achieves the status of super-elite from a performance standpoint, but the light scent strength prevents it from becoming one of my favorite soaps.
Congratulations to Nobel Otter on a fine product sold at a good price. I just wish the aroma of the soap had been more pronounced.
I have a number of other Noble Otter soaps in my collection, but they are several years old and the performance is not up to my current standards. When the Logbook scent was released recently, I though it might be a suitable addition to my den. The formula is different from the soaps purchased previously, so I hoped the performance would be improved.
The Logbook scent contains notes of: Bergamot, Orange, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Leather, Elemi, Moss.
It is a complex, well-blended, cologne scent somewhat reminiscent of Dior Sauvage. Unfortunately, the scent of the soap is rather subdued, even after lathering. I was disappointed in this as I do not normally apply aftershaves or colognes. For those who do like fragrance products, Noble Otter offers the Logbook scent in an aftershave and also an EDP.
The soap formulation contains: Stearic Acid, Beef Tallow, Aqua, Coconut Milk, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, Kokum Butter, Mango Seed Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Lanolin, Fragrance, Bentonite Clay, Sodium Lactate, Allantoin, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Tetrasodium EDTA, Aloe Vera, White Willow Bark Extract, Watermelon Extract, Tussah Silk.
Thus, this is a tallow based soap supplemented with a number of vegetable oils and butters and other ingredients. It is similar to the earlier formulation, but there are some changes. The soap contains lanolin, which might be a concern to those who are sensitive. For the benefit of those who have hard water, the soap contains EDTA.
The Logbook soap was attractively packaged. Although this is not required for my evaluation, it is a nice feature.
The soap is very firm, so much so that it was difficult to dent the soap with my finger.
My typical procedure involves placing 1 Tablespoon of hot water into the tub and swirl for 10 seconds to loosen the top layer of the soap. Since the soap was so hard, I allowed a few more second. The bloom water was poured off into my shave bowl. I then loaded the soap for 10 seconds using a 26 mm silvertip badger brush. This provided sufficient soap for my lather. Thus, I consider the soap easy to load.
I swirled the soap along with the bloom water in my shave bowl for 30 seconds. All of my better soaps will develop a smooth lather free of larger bubbles in less than 40 seconds. Since only thirty seconds was required, I consider the soap easy to lather. I did add a few drops of water to the lather bowl part way through the shave to adjust the consistency.
Once applied to my face, I evaluate the slickness, both primary and residual. Both were sufficient for an excellent shave, including buffing strokes.
I evaluate cushion/protection through the feedback I get after my shave when I apply witch hazel to my sensitive skin. I did get minimal feedback, but enough to be a concern. I was able to get a near-BBS shave with zero irritation.
Finally, I evaluate the post shave performance. I expect a shaving soap to leave my face feeling smooth, moist, and conditioned for many hours after the shave without feeling greasy, oily, or heavy. My elite soaps provide an excellent shave and leave my face feeling great for a minimum of 8 hours. The super-elite soaps linger for a minimum of 16 hours. I have a few top soaps that will last for more than 24 hours. With Nobel Otter Logbook, I am now approaching the 24 hour mark. I can still detect some conditioning, but it is definitely starting to fade. Thus the soap easily achieves the status of super-elite from a performance standpoint, but the light scent strength prevents it from becoming one of my favorite soaps.
Congratulations to Nobel Otter on a fine product sold at a good price. I just wish the aroma of the soap had been more pronounced.