Just received Ghost Town Barber. I was surprised to find that it does have some similarities with Zingari Man The Wanderer. GTB is a heavier scent, but it's nice. Very interesting. Will be using it tomorrow morning.
Zingari Man
- Thread starter merovirginian
- Start date
I agree with your opinion!
Glad you like it so far. It is a great soap, just the scent wasn’t my absolute favorite.
I actually like the scent. Very personal thing obviously, but this one is a keeper for me. Would always like to have this in my rotation. If this performs as good or better than my other Chiseled Face soaps, I have three others in their regular formula, then it's a winner in my book.
And I'm just being honest...I'm shocked at the scent. And I say this because I've seen it being used fairly wide spread on the forums...lots of members seem to use and like it, but when I read the description of it...it just wouldn't be something I would have bought on my own. But as soon as it was described as being like The Wanderer...that piqued my interest.
Just bought Zingari man Navigator and recovery splash, fantastic performance one of the best but I'm just not 100% sure about the scent, aquatic but with a rather sweet darker heavier undertone especially the splash I actually expected it to be more fresh but that's always the risk when buying blindly ... maybe it will grow on me,
Just got the Wanderer. Love the scent!
Same thing is about to happen to me when my Watchman soap arrives in the next few days. Based on some reviews, I have a feeling that it might not be a total winner for me, scent wise. I really need a Zingari soap with a scent I'd find enjoyable. The base is superb but what I'm missing is a good scent.
Wanderer smells just like Maggards London Barbershop, if you're familiar with that.
I still have yet to try a Zingari Man soap but I have 2 tubs of her old Smitten Soapery label soaps and they are excellent with a high kokum butter content and a fairly firm texture somewhere in the Stirling range of firmness. Could only imagine how Heather's Zingari Man line could have possibly improved from the Smitten Soapery days.
Zingari really is a great soap. Do yourself a favor and try some out. It’s really easy on the skin as well; apparently she formulates her fragrances for more sensitive skin.
Plan on trying some in the near future. Am hoping for a dark scent (Sandalwood, tobacco) or perhaps a bright fresh Floral (Rose, Violet, carnation) or something a bit more in my wheelhouse.
I can believe it. Have a tub of Stud Muffin which was a Smitten Soapery blend with Cinnamon, citrus and other ingredients that would usually cause skin irritant issues but have thankfully never been burned by it yet. It takes some real skill to use certain scent components without causing some issues but she knocked it out of the park!
The Sego base is fantastic. It feels like you're applying a moisturiser! I've been shaving with The Magician for a few days now and I can't fault it.
I think my face will really benefit using this soap regularly.
I think my face will really benefit using this soap regularly.
Since ZM sego base has received a lot of praises on this forum I decided to pull the trigger.
After having used ZM sego soap base three times as of yet (a colleague of mine PIFed me a sample of “The Wanderer”, which I used twice), I have to admit that I´m not overwhelmed. TBH, based on the experience made with sego base so far I´m bit disappointed.
Don´t get me wrong: the soap base appears to be a very good one but according to my initial impression it does not live up the hype. It does not surpass any of other soap bases I regularly use (B&M excelsior soap base, M&M Aon base, Stirling´s Soap “traditional” base, A& E, you name them… all are regarded to be top tier) either in terms of slickness or cushion. The post shave feel is good but by no means outstanding. I expected ZM sego base to shine in this category based on the reviews I had read, but it did not outstrip any of the contenders named above in terms of post shave feel.
Scent-wise this soap is a clear keeper. The scent is outstanding (!). It´s very close to Bulgari´s wood essence . Very nice balanced - it´s just yummy. Love the interpretation of this scent in the soap. If you like the fragrance – buy the soap with confidence.
Besides, I noticed that I need a bit more product to whip up the amount of lather I need for three passes (this is not a drawback for me, I just wanted to share my impression).
So my initial statement is (pls take it with a grain of salt due to the limited use of this soap base as of yet): Sego base is a good soap base but not an outstanding one. However, if you are interested in any particular scent of the ZM product line - don´t be reluctant to order a soap.
By the way, a winner in my books is the matching balm. It hydrates the skin very nicely – and again, the scent is very close to the original fragrance. It's soothing without being greasy and leaves the skin soft and subtle. Thumbs up!
Last edited:
Interesting. Having evaluated about 190 different soaps and 100 different soap bases, I consider Zingari Man to be among my top ten soap bases, an elite performer in every way.
I can do a 10 second load and whip up enough lather to do a four pass shave, a fifth conditioning lather and still have lather left in the bowl. However, I normally use 25-26mm brushes.
If I do my conditioning lather and leave it on while I clean my gear, I find I can still feel the post shave moisturizing on my face for at least 16 hours. All my top ten soap bases meet that criteria.
You mentioned Barrister and Mann Excelsior in as one of your top soaps. I do consider it an elite soap, but it does not make my top 10 list as the post shave feel starts to fade after eight hours and is completely gone by 16 hours. I recently tried the SoftHeart base and found its performance to be the same as Excelsior in a face of between the two products with Excelsior used on one side of my face and SoftHeart on the other. There was no difference between my shave between the two soaps.
You are way more expirienced than me I have to admit when I read these figures, that is for sure... wow.
Maybe I just was a bit biased due to the reviews I read before I actually used sego which made me expect a little miracle happening on my face... (which just didn’t happen).
Again there is the ymmv factor... but the good thing for people like me is there is a matching after shave balm available (the combo of soap and balm checks all the boxes... and their scent lasts... 15 hours after completing the shave the scent still lingers gently
(Just out of curiosity: which is your preferred soap of all time?)
Happy shaves!
You are way more expirienced than me I have to admit when I read these figures, that is for sure... wow.
Maybe I just was a bit biased due to the reviews I read before I actually used sego which made me expect a little miracle happening on my face... (which just didn’t happen).
Again there is the ymmv factor... but the good thing for people like me is there is a matching after shave balm available (the combo of soap and balm checks all the boxes... and their scent lasts... 15 hours after completing the shave the scent still lingers gently
(Just out of curiosity: which is your preferred soap of all time?)
Happy shaves!
The only aftershave product I use is witch hazel. Thus, I rely on a high quality soap to provide moisturizing and conditioning.
I can tell you that my favorite artisan soapmaker is Mohammad of Grooming Department as several of his soap bases are superb. However, there are ten soap bases that I consider to be superb in every way.
Ariana and Evans Kaisen
Declaration Grooming Milksteak
Grooming Dept Kairos
Grooming Dept Nai
Grooming Dept Lamb Tallow
Grooming Dept Mallard (upcoming release I have tested)
Mammoth Soaps Tusk
Oaken Labs V3
Wholly Kaw Siero
Zingari Man Sego
I can use any of those ten soap bases and get a wonderful shave and leave my face feeling great for 16 hours or more without using an aftershave balm or serum.
I have not used Ethos Grooming Essentials EOS formula. I have heard some very good things about the soap, so it might deserve a place in my list, but it is more expensive than any other soap on my list, so I have not yet purchased a tub.
Thank you for sharing these interesting list with us. I haven't used any GD soap as of yet. It's not easy to acquire on this side of the pond.
I understand completely. I know that the Ariana and Evans soaps are sold through an outlet in the UK. Grooming Dept is trying to increase production and add stockists, so hopefully there will be a future source so you can avoid the shipping costs.
Since a few weeks A&E's soaps are available in continental Europe (I already have ordered a tub of Kaizen which is for foreseen be delivered soon from Italy). However GD hasn't been stocked yet..
However, let's focus on ZM again...
Last edited:
Cedarwood, not prominent, but certainly a good blend of the three descriptors: Citrus, Vetiver and "Wood." Definitely not citrus-forward, and I have a hard time distinguishing them individually in this soap. Actually a very pleasant, "green" Spring or Summer fragrance.
