Vanilla Bourbon.....SRD? Mama Bear?

[MaritimeFanatic]

Hello all, if this has previously been discussed, I humbly ask forgiveness.

I have a very limited amount of experience when it comes to soaps, but I am finding the joy that a well lathered soap provides. I have mostly used soaps from SRD - West Indies Bay = heaven - but I am attempting to expand a bit.

I recently got various samplers from SRD, and have found that their Vanilla Bourbon is woooonderful, but I am hoping to gain some perspective as I have seen that Mama Bear also has one of the same name. I know the "Bourbon" is simply the place where the EO comes from, but is there much of a difference between the different makers? I love Mama Bear's soaps (well, the one I have used) as well, but is there anybody out there who has used them both?

Thanks in advance for any advice/guidance!

 

[Malacoda]

Afraid I haven't used Momma Bears but I have had the opportunity to smell other craft brands of Vanilla Bourbon and SRD's beat them hands down IMHO - of all those I've come across it's the most balanced, richest, 'the right scent strenght' vanilla bourboun I've come across.

If you do grab a Momma Bear puck or sample wedge, please do post back to give us your opinion on how the two compare.

 

[Loric]

I love my Mama Bear soaps, but the Vanilla Bourbon let me down. I LOVE vanilla and ordered a sample of every vanilla scent she has. Unfortunately I did not care for any of them. YMMV though. Its a good thing she has so many other spectacular flavors to choose from. I have no experience with the SRD, so I cant comment there.

The Shave Den also has a Bourbon Vanilla that did not impress me. The shave soap is mediocre at best, and the scent felt a bit synthetic. I liked the Mama bear soap better in scent and function.

Another option for a good vanillaish scent is Geo F. Trumpers Coconut Oil Soap. Its not exactly vanilla but its closer to a creamy vanilla than coconut, and its the best "vanilla" for me out of any shave product I have tried. The GFT Cocconut cream smells like vanilla cake frosting, it (or at least my tub) is a different beast. Sorry for the "Option C" in your A or B question.

 

[MaritimeFanatic]

Thanks for the replies. I have tried the Trumpers - it is indeed very nice. The SRD soap is one stop short of bliss, but it is a bit expensive. Worth it, just a little more pricey than I try for.......

I have heard similar things regarding the Mama Bear VB, nice, but it sounds like the SRD is still the front runner. It has this great balance of the scents, with a bit of a tangy "aftersmell."

Pretty soon here I will be getting a big sampler from MB, and I will be sure to update!

 

[Malacoda]

Whoah! My bad, was in such a rush this morning I got my acronyms mixed up. SRD vanilla bourbon was nice but it's TSD's (The Shave Den) that I love most and keep going back to...

Sorry if I caused any confusion.