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Pure Soaps Dragon's Blood Shaving Soap Review

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Good afternoon everyone,

I was recently at a local farmer's market and picked up some shaving soap from Pure Soaps, a company out of Brampton, Ontario, Canada. I chose the Dragon's Blood scent and threw in the bath soap just for good measure. The soap is semi-soft, but not too soft, and can be manipulated into a variety of containers. This scent is very rich and luxurious. Here are the notes from the website:

"Deeply Mysterious...Intoxicating.

This Dragon's Blood Fragrance, is in a good class of its own. It is not similar in smell to the dragon blood tree resin.

This soap and fragrance is enjoyed by both men and women. It is said to be an Earthy fragrance, with possible subtle notes of patchouli and vanilla and something else mysterious that you just can't put your finger on. Some are reminded of the incense sticks that they may have once smelled or burned."

Scent: I find this scent to be "intoxicating" and soothing. A very beautiful scent that calms the senses. Lingers for quite some time. 9/10

Use: 5 Shaves (My minimum for a review).
Razor: Merkur 34C HD.
Blade: Personna Lab Blue.
Brush: Semogue Boar.

Lather: I soaked my brush and bloomed the soap while I showered, as usual, then wrung the brush out until very little soap remained. You can always add more later, you can't take away. I started loading and was astounded at the way the soap responded. Absolute explosion! After about 30 seconds I was ready to go to the face. No pre-shave today, I wanted to see the performance without any prep. The face lather was outstanding. It felt and looked like I was spreading cake icing on my face. Very impressed.... wasn't expecting much. This soap's lather is up there with some of the best Artisans out there today, and that's saying a lot. 8.5/10

Performance: I had a decent amount of growth to cut through and this soap aided the blade with ease. Slick and smooth is an understatement. Top-tier performance from this lather, couldn't ask for more. 8.5/10

Post-Shave Feel: Another place this soap shines. The aftershave feel is moisturizing and nourishing. Sometimes I didn't use any AS product but Witch Hazel and my face still felt great. No dryness or irritation, and an ample amount of comfort. 8.5/10

Conclusion: I have tried a lot of Artisans lately and this one is up there with the best of them. I will be buying more. The latherability was great, the shave was outstanding, and the post-shave feel was thoroughly enjoyable. Very happy with this purchase.

I picked this soap up for $7 Canadian for 4.5 oz. They have a website but it doesn't seem to be too intuitive. Something I will mention to her. Regardless, check out the site and maybe contact her to order if desired. You will not be disappointed.

Home

I do not have any affiliation with this Artisan and bought this product with my own money.

Thanks, and have a great shave,

Sean
 
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Men's saving soap

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Bentonite Clay, Sunflower Oil, Cocoa Butter,

Thanks for sharing! Interesting results given the ingredients sound like a traditional recipe for disaster.

Could you please share a pic of your lather?

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Thanks for sharing! I'd say that looks far better than the average olive oil farmers market soap.

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It really impressed me. Great performance and great price. There's a few bubbles left on my hand but I only lathered for about a minute.... steaks on the bar-b. Couple more swirls and that would have been gone. I'll post another pic when I have more time.
 
Thanks for the review.

This may be an exception, but I have not had good experience with soaps where olive oil is the first ingredient.
 
Thanks for the review.

This may be an exception, but I have not had good experience with soaps where olive oil is the first ingredient.

The ingredient list on the label is:
Potassium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Cocoate, Glycerine, White Clay, Parfum/Fragrance.

Is Potassium Stearate Olive oil?
 
The ingredient list on the label is:
Potassium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Cocoate, Glycerine, White Clay, Parfum/Fragrance.

Is Potassium Stearate Olive oil?

Potassium stearate only means that it's a potassium salt of stearic acid, which on its turn, is obtained from vegetable oils. Which vegetable oil they have used, it doesn't say, unless the manufacturer specifies. But since olive oil is more expensive than other vegetable oils, usually whoever uses olive oil, brags about it.
 
Potassium stearate only means that it's a potassium salt of stearic acid, which on its turn, is obtained from vegetable oils. Which vegetable oil they have used, it doesn't say, unless the manufacturer specifies. But since olive oil is more expensive than other vegetable oils, usually whoever uses olive oil, brags about it.

Thanks for the clarification. Either way, it produces a great lather.
 
I'm no expert on the scientific details or how Canadian companies are required to list/label their ingredients, but it seems like a different ingredient list between what's on the site and on that tub (also didn't see any scent options listed on their site, so maybe this product is something a little new/different?). Regardless, glad that it's working out for you.

On a different note, there has to be at least 3-4 companies who have produced a 'Dragon's Blood' soap now, did someone call dibs on a generally accepted scent profile somewhere along the line?!? I'm sure these can't all be the same
 
I'm no expert on the scientific details or how Canadian companies are required to list/label their ingredients, but it seems like a different ingredient list between what's on the site and on that tub (also didn't see any scent options listed on their site, so maybe this product is something a little new/different?). Regardless, glad that it's working out for you.

On a different note, there has to be at least 3-4 companies who have produced a 'Dragon's Blood' soap now, did someone call dibs on a generally accepted scent profile somewhere along the line?!? I'm sure these can't all be the same

I contacted the Artisan and the ingredients on the label are an old formula. Extra labels to use up I guess. I will get the full list of ingredients and update my post. Sorry for all the confusion.

Regardless, this is a great shave soap.
 
I contacted the Artisan and the ingredients on the label are an old formula. Extra labels to use up I guess. I will get the full list of ingredients and update my post. Sorry for all the confusion.

Regardless, this is a great shave soap.
Hey definitely no need to apologize, bringing a new producer to light and giving your opinion and as much info as you have is never a bad thing. And again, glad that it's working out for you cuz in the end that's really what matters the most!
 
The ingredients on the website would most likely result in a harder, bar like, soap that would NOT lather as described. The ingredients from the tub would be softer and likely to produce a lather as described.

An olive oil soap made with only sodium hydroxide might be slick as snot but simply could not lather like that. I would be inclined to think the website is showing the wrong formula (perhaps an old failed formula). I would think the Bath soap recipe she listed, with coconut oil first, would lather better/faster than the olive oil and sodium hydroxide formula.

Regardless, you found a farmers market artisan soap that is treating you right and got it at a decent price. That's a big win. I wish that artisan luck, a lot of good soaps has come from Canada recently ...L&L, First Canadian and Henri et Victoria certainly impress me.

I have been but by every farmers market soap I've bought. I generally don't buy them anymore but if I even consider it I just assume I'm buying a bath soap that might lather well enough for a shave.
 
Not so fond of the Dragon's Blood scent (available from several places, all supposed to smell like the resin) mainly because it smells like a doper who spends too much time in the head shop (if you are old like me and remember what a head shop was....). Very powerful, I used it once in some soap at about 3% of the recommended amount and and still not sure I want to shave with it. But suit yourself!

As far as the formula goes, I think the label is accurate and you have some very nice shaving soap there. The olive oil/castor/etc soap would NOT lather like that, and would be rock hard if it has been aged properly. I suspect the bath soap is the olive oil one, and the shaving soap label is accruate.

Enjoy your soap -- I'm quite fond of my personal recipes -- stearic acid, tallow or lard, coconut oil, and shea butter and cocoa butter as superfat. Mostly unscented, as is my preference. Yours should have similar performance -- excellent! Make sure you get enough water in it, it will hold more than you might think, and gets better with added water until the lather falls apart.
 
Ingredient Update.

Stearic Acid
Coconut oil
Potassium hydroxide
Sodium hydroxide
Glycerin
Shea Butter
Kaolin clay
 
You have a great shaving soap there -- very similar to my own formula. I'd personally skip the clay, but you will get plenty of very good shaves out of it!

It will hold quite a bit of water, and should last a very long time. Great deal, I think.
 
Ingredient Update.

Stearic Acid
Coconut oil
Potassium hydroxide
Sodium hydroxide
Glycerin
Shea Butter
Kaolin clay
That's a very typical, simple, recipe that usually produces a quick and easy lather. Some artisans use different methods or amounts of water etc but it sounds like you found a winner. I like how she used BOTH potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide. I find sodium hydroxide adds a little extra slickness (particularly in soaps with tallow or palm oil) but few artisans use both in a formula like that.
 
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