"Natural shaving creme. Develops a creamy foam which leaves the skin smooth and refreshingly fragrant."
= Box tag line.
Ciderguy graciously sent me out a tube after we were discussing slickness and scents, so first a big Thank You! to him.
As the marketing says, the Speick company has put out a product that is natural, is a performer and is also awarded for it being produced in a sustainable fashion.
THE LATHER:
A less than almond size or big pea squeeze is all it took to produce a fully loaded badger brush. I dipped in hot water, shook off the excess applied the pea size dollop of Speick and worked it in my bowl for about 30 whisks:
Having never used a creme before (Proraso croap is the closest ), I was suspect of the lathering capabilities, but I was able to produce a whipped cream thick first lather for first pass and a very good 2nd pass lather with enough for a 3rd still loaded in the brush.
THE SHAVE:
My equipment was an EJ DE89 clone (Utopia) 3 piece loaded with a Derby blade on its 5th shave. My pre-shave ritual is to boil up a mug of water, soak my brush and then massage my whiskers for about three dips & passes before I lather. The product list gives you a strong hint on the expected performance: glycerin, beeswax and essential oils and they didn't disappoint. The performance was slick and protective without any drying out of the other side while you're shaving the one side; I've tried soaps where I had to re-wet the lather in that relatively short period of time it took me to shave one side. WTG, XTG and spot buffing gave me a perfect shave with zero irritation; we all have that next step (Alum or AS or Witch Hazel in my case) that tells you how you and your gear performed with stinging feedback. Non whatsoever after this shave. The after feel prior to applying WH was nice and clean with minor residual slickness after the water splash clean up.
DA NOSE:
Here's the big thing that enamors folks to wet shaving; the ability to use products that take us on a sensory mini vacation. Although lavender oil is in the recipe, for the life of me I could not discern it in the tube, in the bowl or on my face. I would describe the scent as botanical in the best sense; it was similar to me sniffing a herb-y gin, where the herbaceous aroma tells you you're in for something good. The scent is not overwhelming but invigorating - I really liked the peppery mint-like evergreen notes which gives it a refreshing quality.
VALUE:
I can't guess how many portions of peas are in a 2.5 oz. tube, but I'm guessing it's allot! This has all the qualities of being a daily driver because you use so little and it protects so well. I'm seeing it for $7 delivered, which is a great price.
It will take a few more shaves to get the true story of any item we use in this wet shaving game, but as first runs go, this is something I'd highly recommend trying, Cheers!
= Box tag line.
Ciderguy graciously sent me out a tube after we were discussing slickness and scents, so first a big Thank You! to him.
As the marketing says, the Speick company has put out a product that is natural, is a performer and is also awarded for it being produced in a sustainable fashion.
THE LATHER:
A less than almond size or big pea squeeze is all it took to produce a fully loaded badger brush. I dipped in hot water, shook off the excess applied the pea size dollop of Speick and worked it in my bowl for about 30 whisks:
Having never used a creme before (Proraso croap is the closest ), I was suspect of the lathering capabilities, but I was able to produce a whipped cream thick first lather for first pass and a very good 2nd pass lather with enough for a 3rd still loaded in the brush.
THE SHAVE:
My equipment was an EJ DE89 clone (Utopia) 3 piece loaded with a Derby blade on its 5th shave. My pre-shave ritual is to boil up a mug of water, soak my brush and then massage my whiskers for about three dips & passes before I lather. The product list gives you a strong hint on the expected performance: glycerin, beeswax and essential oils and they didn't disappoint. The performance was slick and protective without any drying out of the other side while you're shaving the one side; I've tried soaps where I had to re-wet the lather in that relatively short period of time it took me to shave one side. WTG, XTG and spot buffing gave me a perfect shave with zero irritation; we all have that next step (Alum or AS or Witch Hazel in my case) that tells you how you and your gear performed with stinging feedback. Non whatsoever after this shave. The after feel prior to applying WH was nice and clean with minor residual slickness after the water splash clean up.
DA NOSE:
Here's the big thing that enamors folks to wet shaving; the ability to use products that take us on a sensory mini vacation. Although lavender oil is in the recipe, for the life of me I could not discern it in the tube, in the bowl or on my face. I would describe the scent as botanical in the best sense; it was similar to me sniffing a herb-y gin, where the herbaceous aroma tells you you're in for something good. The scent is not overwhelming but invigorating - I really liked the peppery mint-like evergreen notes which gives it a refreshing quality.
VALUE:
I can't guess how many portions of peas are in a 2.5 oz. tube, but I'm guessing it's allot! This has all the qualities of being a daily driver because you use so little and it protects so well. I'm seeing it for $7 delivered, which is a great price.
It will take a few more shaves to get the true story of any item we use in this wet shaving game, but as first runs go, this is something I'd highly recommend trying, Cheers!
