Friday, December 23, 2016

Review - Christmas Time & Thank You

Review of Christmas Time shaving soap from Wet The Face, No chart included for obvious reasons. Also included in this video looking back at how far we've come and what's ahead for 2017. A Giant Thank You to all the artisans who have given to WTF in 2016 and again in 2017 for our monthly giveaways.



Music - A Soul Cake

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Saturday, December 17, 2016

Review - Stirling Soap Co. / Ozark Mountain

Company: Stirling Soap Co.
Product: Ozark Mountain
Founder: Roderick and Amanda Lovan.
 @stirlingsoap 

My first encounter with Stirling Soap Co. came in the form of a bar soap sample called Pig Trial. I fell in love with the scent right on the spot. Since then I’ve purchased a few more soaps but none that came close to that one scent. Then I found Ozark Mountain. Oh man this is it!! I fell in love all over again. I can say with some certainty that both the Ozark Mountain and Pig Trail must be the same scent or very close to each other. The only difference being that Ozark Mountain is for shaving.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Review - Soap ERA / Patchouli Classic Shave & Shampoo Bar

Company: Soap E.R.A.Product
Patchouli Classic Shave & Shampoo Bar
Founder: Maxi Crow
Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Website - Soap ERA

I love sharing something new that I’ve found with our shaving community and today I have the pleasure of introducing a shaving soap called Soap ERA. They hail out of Australia and run by founder Maxi Crow. Maxi believes that soap can be fun by using only natural ingredients.  In our soaps you will find only the finest essential oils, clays, herbs, spices, and botanicals to impart scent, colour, and texture. They use all natural ingredients with finest oils and butters blended in a traditional old-fashioned cold process method in small quality controlled batches. Each is hand cut and allowed to cure for 4-6 weeks.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Review - Col. Ichabod Conk & Luxury Barber Box 2015

Company: Col. Ichabod Conk
Product: Rio Grande Lavender Shave Cream
Website - COL ICHABOD CONK

This will be my last words on Luxury Barber Box for now. I’ve come to the end of what I had on the shelf. Yesterday they just released a reconfigured set of boxes instead of just having one they now have 4 which are Classic, Shave, Skin and Hair. The classic and shave boxes are close to what wet shavers would like.  The classic is $32.00 a month compared to the shave box which is only $20.00. I’m waiting for the day when I can start this up again. I’m hoping soon.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Review - Maximo Gomez, Cuba

Company: First Canadian Soap Co.
Product: Maximo Gomez, Cuba
Founder: Brian Hoffman
Location: Canada

Today I have the pleasure of introducing a new shaving soap from Brian Hoffman of First Canadian Soap Co. This Cuban inspired soap is called Maximo Gomez, Cuba named after Maximo Gomez, a Major General in Cuba's Ten Year War (1868–1878) against Spain. He was also Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence (1895–1898).

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Review - The Blades Grim / The Shave Soap Solution

Company: The Blades Grim
Product: Shave Scents - The Shave Soap Solution
Founder: Luke Webster  
Location: Sandpoint, ID
Website - TheBladesGrim

When the kickstarter was first announced back on August 23 it only took 30 days to achieve its mission. 172 backers raised $13,173. Luke started to ship on the 28th but when he did he upgraded everyone. $5.00 pledges upgraded to include a soap, the $8.00 pledges upgraded them to include a Brush and the $15.00 pledges upgraded them to include a Black DE Razor!

So what is this kickstarter all about? Did you ever want to make your own signature scent for a shaving soap? Well the time has come. Luke explains his creation as an alchemist kit. It allows the user to experiment with different scents using an unscented shaving soap or cream as the base. My kit includes 12 1oz scents, Straight Razor, Purist Synthetic brush, Unscented Shaving Soap & Shaving Cream, Plastic mixing bowl and a wonderful how to guide for the care and use of a straight razor and let's not forget the alchemist card recording all your creations so you can save and share them with other alchemists.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Review - Baxter Shaving Cream

Company: Baxter
Founder: Baxter Finley
Location: California 
Product: Super Close Shaving Formula - Shaving Cream
Website - Baxter

I've been a happy recipient of the Luxury Barber Box for some time until last year when unforeseen events accrued. I absolutely enjoyed them. I even involved my wife in the process of opening the boxes each month and commenting on each product. If she found something that she liked it was hers to keep. I still have a few around and recently came across one which has never been touched. Each box has an index card denoting what year and month it was issued along with it’s content information. The one I’ve found was from Nov 2015.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Review - PC Beauty / Three Kings

Company: PC Beauty
Product: Three Kings
Founder: Pat Costello
Location: Brampton, Ontario Canada
Website - PC Beauty

Today I bring you another great shaving soap from Canada the company goes by the name PC Beauty which stands for Pat Costello. Pat has passion for what he’s does and it shows in all of his products. Only the finest ingredients are used here but you wont find them pushing the “ORGANIC” pitch. Pat explains it this way. “We have too many holes in the process to give it any validity. It’s just not worth paying for it anymore.” His soaps are all vegan and after using the Three Kings last week I can say it speaks volumes to quality. Unfortunately, the tin could use a little TLC. 

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Review - Dr. Jon's Anne Bonny

Company: Dr. Jon’s
Product: Anne Bonny
Founder: Jon
Location: Delaware, Ohio
Web Site - Dr. Jon's

Today I’ll be talking about a great shaving soap from Dr. Jon’s called Anne Bonny.
She is regarded as the first woman pirate but little is known about her. What we do know is she was one tuff woman for sure.

This two-ounce tin has a screw on lid with labels showing the product name and scent notes on top and ingredients information along with website URL on the bottom. No side labels.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Review - Soapy Bathman / Irish Waterfall

Company: Soapy BathMan
Product: Irish Waterfall
Founder: Chris
Location: Abbotsford, BC Canada.
Website - Soapy Bathman

If your into wet shaving, chances are you’ve come across someone’s SOTD using Soapy Bathman. I have three great scents from them Leather, Refreshing Mint and Irish Waterfall all fantastic scents and they seem to last forever. I’ve had mine for over two years now and still have plenty of soap left for many more shaves.

The tubs are dark amber with black screw on lids that are filled to 8.0oz. Also a nice wide opening for loading your brush. The top labels are water proof along with the side label which allows you to identify the soap it you are into stacking them.  You also have a bottom label with website and ingredients information.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Review - Wickham Soap Co. / 1912 Cashmere

Company: Wickham Soap Co.
Product: 1912 Cashmere
Founder:  Darron
Location: UK
Website – Wickham

When I first delved into wet shaving Wickham’s Super Smooth lavender was one of my first shaving soaps. Its scent would fill the den and I always looked forward to using it. Then something unexpected happened in social media the word was out that Wickham’s was going out of business. I rushed to the forum’s and it was everywhere. Wickham was closing its doors after inventory was gone.

Each week as I saw inventory on the website shrink I thought the rumors must to be true. It was only a matter of time before they closed the doors for good and the website taken down. Then a metamorphosis the Wickham Soap Company has risen with the power and enthusiasm like never before. Gone is the old shaving soap line called Super Smooth. Taking its place is the completely reformulated shaving soap called 1912.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Review - Maison Lambert Shaving Soap / Best Badger Brush

Company: Maison Lambert
Product: Lavender Shaving Soap / Best Badger Brush
Founder: Sebastian Lambert
Location: NorthPort N.Y.
Website - Maison Lambert 
Also on Amazon Free Shipping

I love ETSY and if you follow my blog we’ve discovered some really great shaving products together. (some not so great) Today I’m happy to report on another amazing find a company called Maison Lambert. Sebastien is from Paris and currently living in N.Y. A French pastry chef, candle and soap maker. You can see the care to detail and quality in all of his handmade products. I can say this about his shaving soaps if using Vegan, organic, essential oils and high quality ingredients are important to you then keep reading.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Review - Dr Bronner's Peppermint Organic Shaving Soap

Company: Dr. Bronner
Product: Dr. Bronner Peppermint Organic Shaving Soap
Founder: Dr. Bronner
Location: Vista, CA
WebSite - Dr. Bronner

If you ever had the pleasure of using Dr. Bronner’s pure castile liquid soap, then you know the experience to be amazing. Especially when you use the peppermint it’s what I use all summer. Dr. Bronner has been around since 1858 and making soap in the USA since 1948. They pride themselves on being organic and I mean truly organic. But as I found out being great at soap making doesn’t always translate into being a great shaving soap maker and this is true with Dr. Bronner Organic Shaving Soap.

I purchased the 16-ounce tube and when opened I was real surprised at how runny it was. This dark brown liquid runs out so fast that you have to tilt it ever so slightly into the palm of your hand in order to control the flow.   

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Review - Alluvian - Norwegian Spear / Aftershave Serum

Company: Alluvian
Product: Norwegian Spear / Aftershave Serum
Founder: John Cowan
Location: Peoria, IL
Website - Alluvian

Back in May John Cowan the owner of Alluvian announced on Facebook that he wanted to give out some samples of his products so I sent him a message expressing my interest and requested to try the Norwegian Spear shaving soap. After waiting a week without a reply I sent the message again but still no answer. So I thought I missed my chance and didn’t pursue it any further . Then on August 27th almost 4 months later John accepted my message request. It turns out a message filter had prevented my request from getting through to him. I told him it was ok and no worries I figured after 4 months the samples must have been gone but he really wanted to send me something so last week a package arrived.

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Review - Strike Gold Shave / Madison

Company: Strike Gold Shave
Product: Madison Shaving Soap
Founder: Frank Misa
Website – Strike Gold Shave

If your into wet shaving or honing razors I’m sure you’ve come across Frank Misa.  Besides his contributions to other forums Frank runs his own Facebook group called Culinary Institute of Shaving. I first met Frank in person a few years back as part of a honing group which gathered in Belmont Lake State Park, Babylon on an overcast summer's day. Also in that group was Billy T, Peter Charkalis and 10 other wet shaver’s eager to learn this new craft. The day flew by as we learned and practice our new skills. By the end of that day we all had a good time and I was eager to try out what I’ve learned and meeting everyone was a blast. It wasn’t long after that when Frank opened his ETSY store featuring shave ready straight razors, minon inspired shaving brushes and what this review will be based on his Madison Shaving Soap.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Review - Mcstachio & Co. / Frankincense

Company: Mcstachio & Co.
Product: Frankincense Shaving Soap
Founder: Jeannie & Alexander MCGeehan
Location: Baltimore MD
Website - Mcstachio & Co.

I’ve been reviewing shaving products for over a year now and in that time I’ve come across a few gems one of them is Jeannie and Alexander McGeehan the owners of Mcstachio & Co. pronounced Mick-stash-ee-o a husband and wife team from Baltimore, MD. Jeannie’s motivation for creating shaving products came from her husband's love for straight razor shaving. He became disappointed in what was commercially available so Jeannie stepped in and after some research wiped up some shaving cream for him. About the same time Alex discovered his skin’s intolerance of traditional oil and wax based grooming product so Jeannie started developing oil-free alternatives for him and formulated a solid shave soap that was oil-free which could deliver the same level of lather and lubrication without any greasy after feel. Now as wet shavers we get to experience these great shaving products as well.   

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Review - Clubman Pinaud Brilliantine

Company: Clubman Pinaud
Product: Brilliantine
Founder: France 1810
Website - Clubmanonline 

I was so thrilled when it was announced they were adding to the Clubman Pinaud product line last year. Amongst the additional shaving products was the pomade called Clubman Pinaud Brilliantine so I quickly placed an order. Unfortunately, it started to go downhill from here. I waited over 4 months to receive my order even after contacting them on twitter they just didn’t seem have their act together. Regardless of this I was still happy to see the products arrive and was eager to try them.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Review - FuzzyFace Soaps / Cold Water

Company: FuzzyFace Soaps
Product: Cold Water Shaving Soap
Founder: James Presley
Location: Washington, MO
Website - FuzzyFace Soaps

I first reached out to James about a week ago. I was asked to do a review on his shaving soap from one of our community members who saw a posting of it. When I emailed James to ask if he would be interested he told me he’s been a member of Wet The Face on google+ including my other social media outlets for about 8 to 9 months and would be happy to send me a sample. After our conversation I took a look at his ETSY store. Its jam packed with amazing shaving products not to mention face & body, skin moisturizers and gift sets.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Review - Dapper Dan Pomade Medium Hold & Shine

Company: Dapper Dan
Product: Dapper Dan Medium Hold Deluxe Pomade
Location: Sheffield, England 

I don’t have to tell you how hot the summers can get in New York and last week was one for the books. When I turned my car on the dashboard read 108° degrees and with the humidity it felt more like 120°. To top it off I needed to attend an outdoor engagement party that afternoon. Just the thought of it was stressing me out. Knowing that I would need to rely on a pomade strong enough for this kind of day I went with Dapper Dan a water based pomade from the UK.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Review - RazoRock German 37 Slant

Company: RazoRock
Product: German 37 Slant     
Location: Canada
Website – German Slant 37

Last week Razorock had a few announcements a new shaving soap and something that caught my attentions a German 37 slant razor.  I always wanted to try one but didn’t want to dump money into something that I might not like. The best part about this razor it only goes for $20.00 so no worries if it doesn't work out.

It took awhile to arrive because of the popularity of the product but it finally landed safe and sound. The razor was nestled in a black cardboard box with the words Classic Wet Shaving on one side and company’s logo on the others. Inside the box was a 5 pack of Derby Extra razor blades this reminded me of Men’s Soap Company they do the same thing with each shaving puck or tub. So after I removed the pack of blades there wrapped in tissue was the razor. I couldn’t wait to unwrapped it and once revealed I saw an assembled chrome plated highly polished 3-piece razor with bull dog handle just waiting for a blade.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Review - Supply Provision / Tallow Shave Soap & Post Shave Tonic

Company: Supply Provision Co.         
Product: Tallow Shave Soap / Post Shave Tonic
Founder: Patrick Coddou
Location: Texas, USA
Website - Supply Provision

A few weeks back I did a review on the newly released razor called “The Single Edge” a real great razor and now Supply Provision has sent me the follow up to their new collection of wet shaving products. One is a tallow shave soap and the other post shave tonic.

The shaving soap comes in the standard plastic dark brown based tub with black screw on lid with side labels so if you stack your soaps their easy to identify. The label information educates on the product formulation and what the

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Review - LAYRITE Original Pomade

Company: LAYRITE    
Product: LAYRITE Original
Location: Mesa, Ca

I have to thank my sister for sending me gift cards during the holiday season last year. This allowed me to spend money on pomades that I normally wouldn’t have been able to try and one of them was LAYRITE Original. I’m so glad I had the chance to try this its such a great product although I had some issues with the scent it just didn’t do it for me at first.

This is a thick gel like pomade which is easy to scoop from the 4oz tub. I would say the color to be a very light translucent yellow with a touch of magenta mix almost orange. It’s very easy to apply without any pulling or tugging. The scent is described as a mild vanilla but I just had an issue with it. As I used this pomade over time the scent become more inline to what I was accustom to. Seems like from the tub it didn’t release the true vanilla as when it was in my hair. Now every time I use it I get complements on it’s scent.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Review - Taylor Of Old Bond Street / Sandalwood

Company: Taylor of Old Bond Street
Product: Sandalwood Shaving Cream
Established 1854 In The Reign of Queen Victoria
Location: St James of London


I probably would have never known about Taylor of Old Bond Street if it wasn’t for my Luxury Barber Box subscription. In fact, I found many new items for myself that came from having that and was really upset that I had to cancel but as soon as things get back to normal in my life I’d like to turn that back on again.

I have the travel size sandalwood shaving cream which is about 2.5 fl oz it may not seem like a lot but a little goes a long way and this size is perfect if you just want to give it a try.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Review - Men's Soap Co. / Everest Lavender

Company: Men’s Soap Co.
Product: Everest Lavender
Founder: Shwan
Location: College Station, TX
Website - Men's Soap Company

Being a soap artisan has to be one of the toughest jobs. Always trying to top your last creation has to keep you on your toes. Well I’m happy to say Shwan from Men’s Soap Company has done just that. This time with Everest, a lavender shaving soap that was just released. His new creation has improvements in many areas.

The packaging is a welcome upgrade from just the cardboard box offered with Himalaya. I for one would like to see a refresh for Himalaya and have a tub designed as an option. Maybe not to load your brush from but to store it when not in use. Everest comes in solid white plastic bottom tub with a black screw on lid for the top. Side labels listing the ingredients Net Wt. 4.0oz and website information is repeated on the top label along with the company logo.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Review - Suavectio Pomade

Company: Suavectio
Product: Suavectio Original
Location: Santa Ana, Ca


Today I’ll be reviewing one of the most beloved and controversial water based pomades in the community. My first introduction to it came from a Luxury Barber Box and it’s called Suavecito. All products have some sort of following but Suavectio has reached cult like status. I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a pomade user who hasn’t at least tried it once. You can buy just about anything with the company logo on it and what a great logo it is. A male skeleton combing back his hair into a pomp. Once you see it you’ll never forget it.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Review - Buffalo Shave Co.

Brian Pollard
Company: Buffalo Shave Co.
Product: Org Formula Shaving Soap
Founder: Brian Pollard
Location: FL

Brian Pollard found making shaving soap very interesting. After purchasing a few shaving soaps online and getting horrible results he wanted to try it for himself. After many attempts failed batches, research, money and time he had the eureka moment and made a batch that was worthy of production. In fact, this current formula if it didn't work would have probably been his last. After using it himself for a while he decided to give some to his friends on Facebook and the feedback was all positive. So now a hobby is turning into a business and Brian offers two shaving soaps Barbershop Clean and Original Formula which is what this review will be based on.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Review - De Vergulde Hand


Company: De Vergulde Hand
Product: De Vergulde Hand
Location: Netherlands
WebSite - De Vergulde Hand

Last week I noticed a twitter conversation describing a shaving soap that just arrived on the door step of my friend Magnus who lives in Sweden. I commented that the soap looks interesting and thanks to Melvin Hollenberg I had the same soap delivered to my front door as well. That shaving soap is called De Vergulde Hand or The gilded Hand a Dutch company located in the Netherlands. I was told the soap is a big part of the Dutch shaving culture there. In fact, this company origins dates back some 450 years.  

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Review - Queen City SoapWorks / Gentlemen's Cut

Company: Queen City SoapWorks
Product: Gentleman’s Cut
Founder: Corder D. Phillips
Location: Cumberland, Maryland

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.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Review - The Single Edge



Company: Supply Provision Co.
Product: The Single Edge
Founder: Patrick Coddou
Location: Fort Worth, TX

Craig Bruce once said “You usually have to wait for that which is worth waiting for. The same holds true for my new razor called The Single Edge from Supply Provision Co. It took almost a year to arrive. This was a kickstarter which had a great following. The project launched on August 4, 2015 and on August 5 with 890 backers they successfully raised $78,279 and the project was funded. Great example of why startups are avoiding banks now days. The way I backed this project $80 was at the level which allowed me to get a case, 3 shaving head settings and a set of blades.

Monday, June 27, 2016

The Art of Degreasing

The Art of Degreasing

At some point when using grease based pomades your going to have remove all that buildup this is commonly known as de-greasing. I’ve seen many methods. Some simple others convoluted and time consuming to say the least. After doing some research by watching videos reading articles and a few weeks of testing I’ve narrowed it down to some easy and simple methods you can follow. Here are the results:

The first method will prove to be economical and easy to do. It’s best to start this process going into the weekend like Friday night or Saturday morning. During my research the two products that come up most often are Groom & Clean and BrylCreem.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Cool Daddy-O The Lost Video Review

Company: Deluxe Shaving Co.
Product: Cool Daddy-O Shaving Cream
Founder: Anthony
Location: Woodbridge, Ontario
Website: Deluxe Shaving Co.

A Second look
The Lost Video Review

Around this time last year, I reported on the opening of Deluxe Shaving Co. They have a unique line of shaving cream. Fast forward to present day Anthony has expanded on his product line. Not just selling shaving cream his line now includes Shaving Soaps, and After Shave Balms. Let me start with the shaving soaps. The current offering includes British Green, Deluxe 13, Dolce Vita, Espresso Amaretti, Mods, Light Mods, Rockers, and Speedster. In last years’ article Anthony hinted on Mods and Rockers when I asked him about what future products ideas he might be working on. Also introduced are the aftershave balms but I only see them paired with the shaving cream scents. Again in last years’ article Anthony told me he waits to sees what’s popular before he commits to an aftershave.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Review - CockGrease

Company: Cock n kitten
Product: Cock Grease
Location: Sacramento, CA

The first time I heard about this pomade was six months ago by the actress Julianna Margulies. She was a guest on the Jimmy Fallon show. Julianna was explaining how she was contracted to do a photo shoot in the south of France and they had to make her hair look wet. If they spritz her hair with water it would cause frizzes so they told her about a pomade that would achieve this look called Cock Grease. After they had a good laugh and went to commercial I took the opportunity to google it. I found it's sold in just about every online pomade stores around so I ordered one. You have to admit it’s a funny name for a product plus the company name is a shocker too. They even have a product called beaver cream. Regardless of that your sure to get strange looks when you tell people what you have in your hair.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Review - Stache SoapWorks / George

Company: Stache SoapWorks
Product: George / Shaving Soap
Founder: Erica Salmons
Location: New Bedford, MA
You have to admire Erica. Not long ago I remember her first post to my community, a video from her YouTube channel. During her video you could see some of the technical issues she was experiencing could also see what a great time she was having and was a natural in front of the camera. Post after post her knowledge was growing along with her enthusiasm. Other wet shavers noticed her too and started PIFING and sending her some great products. Soon she had a den full of wet shaving gear like she’s been doing this for years.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Review - Lockhart's Goon Grease

Goon Grease - Citrus Cologne
Goon Grease - Lemon Special Edition

I been using pomades for over a year now and in that time I’ve tried all kinds. Like with shaving soap, I’m now doing the same thing with pomades, collecting. I have to admit the labels are part of the attraction but performance is always paramount. I started out with water based but gradually moved to grease. In the course of a few months my grease collection has grown considerably. The one I’d like to talk about first is Goon Grease which I own two.

The Lockhart’s hale out of Michigan and have created some of the most beloved artisan pomades on the market today. The line is extensive with Clay, Water base and Grease offering Light, Medium and heavy holds. The Goon Grease pomades I own are both heavy hold and are exactly the same ingredients except for the scent. My introduction began with the citrus and cucumber which has a great scent that stays with you the entire day. When I found out about the Special Edition Lemon I just had to have it.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Review - Italian Barber / Milionario


Company: Italian Barber
Product: Milionario
Founder: Joseph & Michael
Location: Ontario, Canada
Wet Shaving can be an exciting hobby it can also get out of hand if you let it. At first you just want to try and use everything which can be fun but before you know it your spending hundreds and in some cases even thousands of dollars. Let's try to remember one of the reasons why you got into this hobby in the first place to save money right? So if your new to wet shaving take my advice and head over to the Italian Barber website. Do a search on shaving soaps and creams under the Italian Barber brand and take a good look around. Great performing products lots to choose from and best of all reasonably priced. Which brings me to my next review of the Italian Barber’s Milionario.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Review - Sweyn Forkbeard Shaving Cream / Cedarwood & Sandalwood


Sweyn Forkbeard
Company: Sweyn Forkbeard
Product: Luxury Shaving Cream / Cedarwood & Sandalwood
Founder: George G.
Location: London England

I was lucky to come across this amazing shaving cream from a tweet a few weeks ago. The post included a picture of a hand crafted luxury wooden box which was perfectly constructed for it. So within a week I had my own tin and some lucky person reading this will have one as well but I’ll talk about that later.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Review - Viking Soap • Cosmetic / Citron Shaving Soap

Company: Viking Soap • Cosmetic
Product: Viking Shaving Soap / Citron
Founder: Andrew Hoiberg
Location: Ames, IA
Last week on twitter one of my followers had officially announced they had opened for business the Viking Soap Cosmetic company. The roll out included a line of Shaving Soap, Balms, Aftershaves and Body Soaps. I looked over shaving soaps and found these offerings Hedeby, Ironside, Old Norse and Citron which is the one I purchased and the basis of this review.

The packaging used with this soap is a plastic cobalt blue tub with a black screw on lid. A bright yellow label on top with the Viking logo right in the center. Two side labels are present the first allowing to easily read what’s inside if you happen to stack your soaps and the second with ingredients list website and company location along with how many ounces 5.5oz

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Review - Skyline Soapworks Shaving Soap / Sandalwood


Company: SkylineSoapWorks
Product: Shaving Soap / Sandalwood
Founder: Jennifer Anderson
Location: Strasburg, VA

Let me preface this article with an update to Jennifer Anderson’s Shaving soap. I thought it would be a good idea to contact Jen in order to let her know I was going to finally release a review of her shaving soap. It’s been close to a year since I purchased the puck and she really wanted to know what I thought. During our conversation I had two issues which I disclosed to her. These issues have been corrected plus, her soap will be featured in a new subscription box called “The Shaving Room”. What a difference a year makes!

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Review - Suds Bar Soap / Shave Soap for Men

Company: Suds Bar Soap
Product: Shave Soap for Men
Founder Aggie / Kim
Location: Dover, DE
Also mentioned: Bawston & Tucker Solid Cologne

A few months ago I was about to give a review on the Chisel Shaving Club Subscription box when they just disappeared. I think they only lasted about 3 -4 months. I received two of their subscription boxes for review which I must say I happened to like. In one of them was a Shave Soap for Men from the company Suds Bar Soap and in that same box was a Solid Cologne from Bawston & Tucker. The big surprise happened to be the Chisel razor which was included with every starter box.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Review - Shipwreck Artisan Shaving Soap / Pre Release Testing


Review - Shipwreck Artisan Shaving Soap / Pre Release Testing. 
Two soaps from this artisan will be tested
No chart will be given since they are still in the development stages.


Saturday, April 30, 2016

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.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

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

Company: FirstCanadian Shave Co.
Product: Shaving Soap
Founder: BrianHoffman
Location: Barrie,Canada
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.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Review - Whispers From the Woods / Sandalwood

Company: Whispers From the Woods
Product: Shaving Soap / Sandalwood
Founder: Alexandra Woods
Location: Australia
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 16th of this year and her website was about to open at that time as well. Finally, 4 mouths later on April 6th 2016 the package arrived.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Review - The Distinctive Goat / Shaving Soap Bourbon

Company: The Distinctive Goat
Product: Shaving Soap / Brushes / Bowls
Founder: Roger Taylor
Location: Easley, SC
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.

Monday, April 4, 2016

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 

Saturday, April 2, 2016

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.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Review - Bull and Bell Premium Supply Co. / Amber Sandalwood

Company: Bull And Bell
Product: Amber Sandalwood Shaving Soap
Founder: Chris Rooney
Location: Hampton, New Hampshire

It’s been over a year now since I started Wet the Face and in that time I’ve been into all kinds of Social Media projects like Google+, Twitter, Blogger, Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Instagram, YouTube, I even have my own line of shaving soap and online Store. It’s hard trying to keep track of all it but occasionally something crosses your path that makes you take notice. Such as when Bull and Bell started following me on my twitter feed. I mean, right off the bat the name had me interested. The first tweet from Bull&Bell went something like this: Introducing @bullandbell Amber Sandalwood Shaving Soap! A luxurious shaving soap handmade in… This was Feb 18 and the link took you to the Instagram account but no website. So I email Chris Rooney one of the founders and he was interested in giving me a sample of his shaving soap for review.  

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Review - Passionately Natural / Spring Fresh

William & Wanda Hughes
Company: Passionately Natural
Product: Spring Fresh
Founders: William & Wanda Hughes
Location: Yardley, PA

I came across Passionately Natural simply by chance. I noticed a picture of their shaving soap after doing a google search for natural shaving soap. About a thousand images came across my screen but I locked on to a picture having a brush and puck with the name Spring fresh on the label. That sounded great to me so I click the images which took me right to the website. All I had to do was read the words Lemongrass & Eucalyptus and I was hooked. Lemon is one of my favorite scents. This is the second shaving soap for Passionately Natural the first one is called Mossy Woods with notes of Amber, Sandalwood and rosemary which is also an amazing scent. After speaking with William he was nice enough to send me samples. I will be using Spring Fresh for this review.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Review - Gustafson Shaving / Cinder & Stout

Company: Gustafson Shaving Supplies
Product: Cinder & Stout
Founder: Mark Gustafson
Location: Manitowoc, WI

A week or so ago one of my google+ members of Wet The Face told me about a shaving soap they wanted me to review called Cinder and Stout. Looking up the product I found them on ETSY, twitter and also a dedicated website as well. Here is a little background of the company as told by Mark. Gustafson Shaving Supplies was established in 2012 Today my stepson and I have teamed up to provide our customers with products that will ensure a high quality, smooth shave that will start your days out right! Our customers are so very important to us and we like to establish a close connection with every person that we meet. Each razor is made one at a time to ensure perfection.  

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Review - Cold River Soap Works / Oliva

Company: Cold River Soap Works
Product: Oliva
Founder: Larry Jones
Location: Baldwinsville, NY
Follow Up

A few weeks back I reviewed a shaving soap called Smooth Criminal by a company called Puddle Duck Soaps. After the review went public I’d received many emails telling me they too had the same experience with the lather as I did. Some even went as far as writing to the owner asking them to please change the formula but that request went unanswered. Over the course of my experience buying shaving soaps from ETSY and other online stores I thought I would never find one with olive oil that didn’t have this disappearing lather issues, but I was wrong.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Review - Sweet Comb Chicago / Classic Shaving Soap

Company: Sweet Comb Chicago
Product: Classic Shaving Soap
Founder: Martin Lopez
Location: Rogers Park, Chicago

I’ve always been interested in bee keeping. It just fascinates me how it all works and with the recent colony collapse issues happening everywhere I wanted to start my own hive but it looks like I’m a little too late for doing it this year. You have to really plan this stuff out in advance. I found all this information from a soap artisan named Martin Lopez the owner of Sweet Comb Chicago. SCC was established in a North side backyard in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. The idea behind the apiary is simply to help the bees by providing them with a diverse range of nectar away from the mono cultures created by big industry. “We have been continuously amazed and have grown smitten with the bees as we watch them go about their daily business right in our own backyard”. Martin goes on to say Chicago is one of the few places where the number of honey bees seems to be increasing slightly – thanks to backyard and roof top beekeepers. With you​r support, we'd like to do our part to ensure this trend continues, so please do your best to support local beekeepers.