Company: Queen City
SoapWorks
Product: Gentleman’s
Cut
Founder: Corder D. Phillips
Location: Cumberland,
Maryland
Website - Queens City SoapWorks
I’m so glad I came across Queens City SoapWorks. This artisan’s
name is Corder Phillips working out of Cumberland Maryland. Corder’s hard work
and dedication to his craft has paid off. His shaving soap is truly outstanding.
I have two soaps one called “Mint Condition” and the other “Gentlemen’s Cut”
which is what this review will be based on.
During our conversations I asked Corder how he started in
the soap making business.
I started this shave
soap venture in order to fill what I saw as a void. After so many razor nicks
and unsatisfactory shaves, I finally grew tired of the poor quality shaves that
I got from that "foam in a can" stuff. I’ve always preferred the
“DIY” way of doing things, so I thought I should make my own soap. I soon
started researching what makes a good soap and how others in the market were
doing it. After some trial and error, and with many failed batches of soap, I
eventually discovered the recipe that now makes up our signature formula.
The “Gold Standard” is the shaving soap that will bring this
company to the top although you might think by looking at the website that he’s
offering more than just one. This is not the case. I asked him about this website
confusion. For now, we only have one type
of shave soap in varying scents. I apologize for confusion of my current ETSY page.
I am currently switching over the photos on the shop to the new labels and logo.
All photos featuring the black label are to be replaced. All soaps are in our
signature gold screw top tins with the new water resistant labels as of a few
weeks ago.
When tins are used as the vessel for shaving soaps it can go
either way. This new design was done right using a signature gold tin with the
screw on top and the labels are clear so the gold shines right through and all
are waterproof and If you tend to load your brush from the tin, you should have
no problems doing so.
The notes of this sent according to Corder are pipe tobacco
but to me I find it in the barbershop category but regardless of what I think,
this scent will definitely get your attention. I’ve noticed an ingredient that
seem to be popping up lately called Kokum. It's a natural emollient with
extravagant healing properties, and while kokum butter may not be as well-known
as its counterpart butters like mango, cocoa, and shea, it's certainly getting
the attention of soap artisans. This ingredient can help in healing damaged
skin and it’s a plus when it’s in my shaving soap. Here are the rest of the ingredients:
Saponified Stearic Acid, Aqua (Water),
Saponified Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Saponified Cocos Nucifera
(Coconut) Oil, Saponified Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Seed Butter, Sodium Lactate,
Glycerin, Fragrance (Essential Oils and/or Fragrance unless Unscented).
This is a hard soap so It would be advisable to bloom this
for about 3 to 4 min before loading your brush. If you read my blog or watch my
videos you would know that I prefer to bowl lather which is what I did here and
I’m very pleased with the results. I used the R89 Grande and my Nathan Clark Custom
Brush which has great backbone for hard soaps. As soon as I added the proper
amount of water I created a rich creamy lather that was ready to apply. The
coverage was great, it held on to my beard and got right into the whiskers.
During the shave the slickness and glide was top notch providing the ability to
go over spots without the need for more lather. The post shave feel was
wonderful as well.
I was willing to give my feedback to Corder about what I
thought the soap needed but I see little need to make any changes here and as
for the other soap called “Mint Condition” this will not disappoint especially
if you’re a menthol head like me. I asked him if he was going to expand on the
product line. I do plan to eventually
release additional types of products, such as aftershaves, body washes, and
even shampoos/conditioners. I am currently testing out different recipes at the
moment. I for one will be keeping an eye out for what coming out next.
For Your Information
Company: Queen City
SoapWorks
Product: Gentleman’s
Cut 4oz $16.95
Website - Queens City SoapWorks
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