Review - Skinplicity Bath & Body / Shaving Soap

Company: Skinplicity Bath & Body

Product: Shaving Soap / Peppermint

Founder: Diana Keefe

Location: Canby, OR

In Oct of 2015, I came across an ETSY company called Skinplicity. Later I found out they also have a .com website under this name http://www.skinplicitynw.com. The product line is pretty extensive; there’s soap for just about every part of your body including Men’s Shaving Soap. Diana calls it a Glycerin soap but that ingredient ranks about 3rd on the list. This soap is made in small batches and has no animal fats or by-products. I had a small conversation with her and she was very secure in the fact that I would enjoy her product so I purchased one. This soap comes in 7 scents: SENSUOUS SANDALWOOD, BLUE VELVET, TOBACCO & BLACK TEA, BARBER SHOP, BAY RUM, FRESH LIME and PEPPERMINT which is what this review will be based on. I have a confession to make here, with so many things going on in my life I’d forgotten about this package until now six months later – My Bad.

Review - First Canadian Shave Co. / Esther’s Peppermint & Grapefruit

Company: FirstCanadian Shave Co.

Product: Shaving Soap

Founder: BrianHoffman

Location: Barrie,Canada

Website: First Canadian Shave Co.

I’m revisiting a shaving soap company I looked into about a year or so ago called the First Canadian Shave Co. At the time, Canada was not the hotbed for soap artisans but what a difference a year makes. Some of the best performing soaps come from Canada and FCSC is no exception. Brian Hoffman the owner really has some amazing products and I’ll be reviewing the tallow, lanolin & silk based shaving soap called Esther’s Peppermint & Grapefruit for this review.

Review - Whispers From the Woods / Sandalwood

Company: Whispers From the Woods

Product: Shaving Soap / Sandalwood

Founder: Alexandra Woods

Location: Australia

http://whispers-from-the-woods.myshopify.com/

It all started New Years Eve Dec 31, 2015 with my first email to Alexandra or Alex as she likes to be called. At first, she wasn’t too keen on the idea of having her soaps reviewed but knew who I was from my videos. Alex has witnessed the drama that goes on in the wet shaving community and didn’t want to be part of that scene but after a few emails back and forth she decided to give it a go. I’m glad she did, she makes wonderful shaving soaps. During our conversations I learned that she had moved from Sydney to a country town around Feb 16^th of this year and her website was about to open at that time as well. Finally, 4 mouths later on April 6^th 2016 the package arrived.

Review - The Distinctive Goat / Shaving Soap Bourbon

Company: The Distinctive Goat

Product: Shaving Soap / Brushes / Bowls

Founder: Roger Taylor

Location: Easley, SC

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheDistinctiveGoat

2015 was a busy year for new soap makers, they seem to have sprouted up everywhere. So many offerings it’s mind blowing. So how do you stick out from the crowd?  Having a great product is definitely one way, but putting the word Goat in the company name always gets my attention. That’s what happened when I saw the tweet for The Distinctive Goat. I followed the tweet to the ETSY website and noticed a whole lot more than just shaving soap. Roger and company take hand crafted to a new level. Their brushes and shaving bowls look amazing. The bowls are hand crafted out of Walnut, Mahogany and Maple. The Acrylic handle brushes are stunning with selection from Amber Water, Explosion and my favorite Creamy Coffee. He has other offerings but they're currently out of stock, they seem to go quickly.

Review - Prospectors / Gold Rush Pomade

Company: Prospectors

Product: Gold Rush Pomade Water Base

Not too long ago my Luxury Barber box (a monthly subscription service) came with a sample of a water based pomade.  Not having tried one before I was curious to see what I could do with it. I remembered how my dad used to comb his hair, parted on the side in the 1950 style. So I started to do mine in the same way but added a little update pomp to it. I had some great responses to the new look so I kept the style. like everything else you want variety and you seek alternatives to the same old thing. Such is the case with my on going pomade journey.   

In the quest for knowledge I starting searching for anything I could read or watch on the subject I used FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter etc. I asked the typical Noob questions and felt more comfortable as my knowledge grew. So far I’ve found the basic types of pomades are waterbased, petroleum or grease and Gel. I have seen mention of Clay, Wax, Creams and Serums but I’ve never used those before. My experience is mostly with waterbased and Grease pomades and today I will be talking about a waterbased pomade called Prospectors – Gold Rush 

Review - L&L Grooming Shaving Soap / Sandalwood & Bergamot

Company: L&L Grooming

Product: Shaving Soap

Founder: Scott Stewart

Location: ACWORTH, GA

Back in December of 2015 I noticed a new startup coming online called L&L Grooming and sent off an email to introduce myself to Scott Stewart the owner. So after about a month had gone by I just figured he just wasn’t interested and moved on but Scott did reply, in fact he replied only an hour later but I never noticed it. The email became buried on my system until February 3, of 2016.  So I rushed out an email to him apologizing for my mistake and he was kind enough to send me a sample of his shaving soap.