Gentlemen:
Due to the kindness of others, I have recently come into possession of two artisanal tallow shaving soaps made in the UK. There is occasional talk about both of these soaps, but not a lot. I thought it might be of interest for me to review them and do a direct comparison.
The soaps are Nanny's Silly Soap (signature recipe) and Obsessive Soap Perfectionist. I have the NSS in the Neroli scent and the OSP soap in the Fougere scent. Without further ado, the review/comparison:
Ingredients.
NSS. Potassium stearate, water, potassium tallowate, potassium cocoate, potassium castorate, citrus aurantium essential oil, kaolin clay, sodium gluconate, farnesol, geraniol, limonene, linalool
OSP. Water, sodium and potassium tallowate, sodium and potassium stearate, sodium and potassium castorate, glycerin, sodium and potassium cocate, fragrance (all essential oils), sodium and potassium avocadate, shea butter, lanolin, kaolin clay
If you know a lot about soaps and soap ingredients, you can predict the rest of the review, pretty much, by just looking at these lists.
Consistency.
NSS. Very, very soft. Too soft to load from the container with a synthetic brush. Slightly too firm to use comfortably as a cream. About the same consistency as Dr. Jon's v.1 soaps, if you have ever used those. I scoop it out with an ice cream sample spoon into my lather bowl because it is so soft.
OSP. Firm soap. Despite having water as the first ingredient, this soap is a LOT firmer than NSS. In fact, it is firmer than almost any artisan soap I've ever tried. Not as firm as a triple-milled soap, but definitely firm. This is because he uses both lye and potassium hydroxide in the saponification process.
Scent Strength.
NSS. Strong, bold scent. On a scale of 1-10 this is probably a solid 8.5.
OSP. Scent is there throughout and is pretty strong. Only in comparison to the NSS soap would it seem weak. On a scale of 1-10 this is probably about a 6.5-7.0.
Ease of Lathering.
NSS. Quick to form a nice, stable lather. Very little work to get it ready for use.
OSP. This one requires a bit of work. I find it lathers better if I leave a bit of water on top of it while I shower. Even then it takes more time to load the soap, and also more time for the lather to reach its optimal consistency. It can take a lot of water. I find that even after the lather looks almost perfect in the bowl, when I put it on my face I can see that it could still use more water.
Quality of Lather.
NSS. Nice, stable, rich lather that is just as good on the second pass as it is on the first and needs very little refreshing between passes. Very slick, but not particularly protective.
OSP. Very rich, dense, unctuous, beautiful lather. Requires some work between passes. Not particularly slick but cushion is excellent.
Post-shave Face Feel.
NSS. This has a good, solid post-shave feel that falls somewhere in the middle of most commonly available American artisan soaps. It does not seem drying at all, but it also doesn't feel moisturizing or enriching.
OSP. Ridiculously rich post-shave face feel, on a par with Mystic Waters and the newest formula Cold River Soap Works offerings. Some people may think it is TOO much, especially if you have oily skin. This would be a great soap for the wintertime.
Bottom Line. These are both excellent shave soaps that deserve a wider audience and more discussion, IMO. If you prefer a really slick lather, or if you like to have soaps that produce lather very quickly, or if you have an oily face and don't want too much moisturization (for lack of a better word), Nanny's Silly Soap would be a great soap for you, provided you don't prefer a lightly scented soap.
If you prefer a thick, rich soap with an outstanding post-shave feel and don't care that it isn't the slickest lather in the world and that it takes a while to get the lather to its best form, then OSP is definitely worth a second and third look.
I am enjoying both of these soaps immensely and would recommend either of them without any hesitation.
Due to the kindness of others, I have recently come into possession of two artisanal tallow shaving soaps made in the UK. There is occasional talk about both of these soaps, but not a lot. I thought it might be of interest for me to review them and do a direct comparison.
The soaps are Nanny's Silly Soap (signature recipe) and Obsessive Soap Perfectionist. I have the NSS in the Neroli scent and the OSP soap in the Fougere scent. Without further ado, the review/comparison:
Ingredients.
NSS. Potassium stearate, water, potassium tallowate, potassium cocoate, potassium castorate, citrus aurantium essential oil, kaolin clay, sodium gluconate, farnesol, geraniol, limonene, linalool
OSP. Water, sodium and potassium tallowate, sodium and potassium stearate, sodium and potassium castorate, glycerin, sodium and potassium cocate, fragrance (all essential oils), sodium and potassium avocadate, shea butter, lanolin, kaolin clay
If you know a lot about soaps and soap ingredients, you can predict the rest of the review, pretty much, by just looking at these lists.
Consistency.
NSS. Very, very soft. Too soft to load from the container with a synthetic brush. Slightly too firm to use comfortably as a cream. About the same consistency as Dr. Jon's v.1 soaps, if you have ever used those. I scoop it out with an ice cream sample spoon into my lather bowl because it is so soft.
OSP. Firm soap. Despite having water as the first ingredient, this soap is a LOT firmer than NSS. In fact, it is firmer than almost any artisan soap I've ever tried. Not as firm as a triple-milled soap, but definitely firm. This is because he uses both lye and potassium hydroxide in the saponification process.
Scent Strength.
NSS. Strong, bold scent. On a scale of 1-10 this is probably a solid 8.5.
OSP. Scent is there throughout and is pretty strong. Only in comparison to the NSS soap would it seem weak. On a scale of 1-10 this is probably about a 6.5-7.0.
Ease of Lathering.
NSS. Quick to form a nice, stable lather. Very little work to get it ready for use.
OSP. This one requires a bit of work. I find it lathers better if I leave a bit of water on top of it while I shower. Even then it takes more time to load the soap, and also more time for the lather to reach its optimal consistency. It can take a lot of water. I find that even after the lather looks almost perfect in the bowl, when I put it on my face I can see that it could still use more water.
Quality of Lather.
NSS. Nice, stable, rich lather that is just as good on the second pass as it is on the first and needs very little refreshing between passes. Very slick, but not particularly protective.
OSP. Very rich, dense, unctuous, beautiful lather. Requires some work between passes. Not particularly slick but cushion is excellent.
Post-shave Face Feel.
NSS. This has a good, solid post-shave feel that falls somewhere in the middle of most commonly available American artisan soaps. It does not seem drying at all, but it also doesn't feel moisturizing or enriching.
OSP. Ridiculously rich post-shave face feel, on a par with Mystic Waters and the newest formula Cold River Soap Works offerings. Some people may think it is TOO much, especially if you have oily skin. This would be a great soap for the wintertime.
Bottom Line. These are both excellent shave soaps that deserve a wider audience and more discussion, IMO. If you prefer a really slick lather, or if you like to have soaps that produce lather very quickly, or if you have an oily face and don't want too much moisturization (for lack of a better word), Nanny's Silly Soap would be a great soap for you, provided you don't prefer a lightly scented soap.
If you prefer a thick, rich soap with an outstanding post-shave feel and don't care that it isn't the slickest lather in the world and that it takes a while to get the lather to its best form, then OSP is definitely worth a second and third look.
I am enjoying both of these soaps immensely and would recommend either of them without any hesitation.
