Lefonque
Even more clueless than you
Since the coming of COVID-19 and the lockdowns that many of us experienced I have want to support local products. This is true in my world of shaving as much as in my wider world. I have often overlooked my fellow Australian producers preferring to look to futher horizons.
I had heard some good things about my compatriots the Squadron Soaps Group. Glowing reports have been written about their shaving soaps causing me to purchase and write my own review.
Packaging
Warden comes in a plastic tub narrower but deeper than many of my other Artisan soaps than I'd like but still large enough to load from using my brushes. It could be described as a firm croap.
Ingredients
According to their website Squadron Soaps list “The Warden” ingredients as Stearic Acid, Water, Coconut Oil, Tallow, Potassium Hydroxide, Vegetable Glycerine, Lanolin, Fragrance.
Scent
Not having a great ability to differentiate the smells I turn again their website that states the following about this soap as “A masculine smelling blend of citrusy bergamot, with a bold strong base of vetiver, cinnamon bark, cedarwood and tobacco leaf.” Which to my limited capacity sounds about right.
Latherability
Using a damp budget Jack the Barber synthetic brush I loaded up for about 30 seconds. Transferring my brush to my trusty bowl I achieved a rich smooth lather in no time at all. This is a hungry soap It required adding water slowly to get the desired result. A further discovery was a little soap goes a long way. The lather was equal to if not better than most artisan soap that I have used.
The application to the skin was smooth and pleasing. The Warden gave a good coverage and did not need to be worked to hard.
Performance
The lather was enough for 3 passes of face and head. Using a RasoRock Gamechanger .84 with an Astra SP blade the lather provided great cushioning for a smooth and pleasant shave. The razor glided across the skin easily removing the day’s growth leaving a pleasant feel post shave.
Conclusion
At the end of the day the bottom line is does the soap do the job? The answer is a firm resounding YES! It exceeded all expectations in every areas. The Warden can stand proud with the very best of artisan soaps. It is worthy of anyone’s regular rotation. Money well spent.
On a personal note I am eager to try other Squadron soaps. The problem is that there are not many product currently available.
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