Herban Cowboy "Natural Organic" Shave Soap [Archive]

farangzookzon

02-07-2006, 09:02 PM

While shopping in Whole Foods the other day I just happened to come across Herban Cowboy Shave Soap. I thought what the heck so I tossed it into my shopping cart.

The next morning I gave it a shot and to be honest with you I was less than impressed. It did not lather that well and the small amount that did lather did not have much volume to it. As I put it onto my face it quickly thinned out to an almost liquid state. The smell was great and I felt very clean after but overall I was NOT very impressed with it but for under $5 I thought I would give it a shot just the same. I am thinking now to just use it as a bathing soap but who knows.

I also noticed that they also had a big tub of Herban Cowboy shaving cream but for $17 + I did not want to take a chance, it probably was a good decision on my part.

Anyone else out there try this product? Were your experiences similar to mine??

Cheers,

Joe

Nick

02-07-2006, 09:25 PM

Thanks for the review Joe. :thumbup1:

I've never heard of the stuff personally. Sometimes it's even more useful to know what's not worth your money than what's fantastic.

-Nick

rtaylor61

02-07-2006, 10:09 PM

Joe,

It seems like there is a post or two over at SMF about this. You might check there and do a search.

Randy

joel

02-07-2006, 10:29 PM

Joe,
Thanks for the post/review! Yeah - unfortunatly I had a similar experience with this product - however when I went there to pick up some Weleda a/s the next day - there was an employee stocking the area with more products - we got to chit chatting, and I mentioned I had tried that soap and disliked it. Well - he told me bring it back for a refund, and I did so without any hubub.... might wanna consider returning it and exchanging it for a different product! :biggrin:

farangzookzon

02-09-2006, 08:57 PM

Thanks guys, for starters you are quite right, I also want to know what to avoid in the future as well and had I seen a small blurb on this before buying it and it was negative I would have more than likely avoided it like the plague, even if it was just a few bucks.

I did go over to two other sites (one was "shave my face) and sure enough their reviews were pretty much in agreement with both mine and Joel’s.

Joel, you are spot on when you mentioned that Whole Foods would have taken the soap back either for an even exchange and/or your money back. In the past when I have purchased items and was not satisfied they have ALWAYS taken the product back, I know of one time I picked up some "cream" without realizing it had already expired and they took it back NO QUESTIONS asked. With Whole Foods 99% of the time the customer service is outstanding and I know if I had brought back the soap even if had been partially used they would have either returned my money and/or given me a credit for something else.

On another note I also picked up some Tom's of Maine shaving cream and must admit it was pretty darn good, I used some this morning and will be giving my report in due course.

Thanks!

Joe

mikey

10-03-2006, 04:48 PM

hello joe,

sorry to dredge this post up as it is pretty old but i do have a question about the herban cowboy shave soap. even though the lather was thin and a little runny did it provide enough protection to get at least a decent shave. the description you posted is exactly the way i would describe the burma shave soap. that being said, the burma shave soap did provide a decent shave. the colgate shave soap, on the other hand, is only useful as a hockey puck.

thanks,
mike

While shopping in Whole Foods the other day I just happened to come across Herban Cowboy Shave Soap. I thought what the heck so I tossed it into my shopping cart.

The next morning I gave it a shot and to be honest with you I was less than impressed. It did not lather that well and the small amount that did lather did not have much volume to it. As I put it onto my face it quickly thinned out to an almost liquid state. The smell was great and I felt very clean after but overall I was NOT very impressed with it but for under $5 I thought I would give it a shot just the same. I am thinking now to just use it as a bathing soap but who knows.

I also noticed that they also had a big tub of Herban Cowboy shaving cream but for $17 + I did not want to take a chance, it probably was a good decision on my part.

Anyone else out there try this product? Were your experiences similar to mine??

Cheers,

Joe

scagooch

10-03-2006, 04:59 PM

I bought this soap in June and couldn't get it to lather decently. I got online to do a search on it. Google led me here and the reviews were the same. So technically Herban Cowboy improved my shave because I joined and learned about better products.

Smedley

01-15-2007, 08:32 PM

I just wanted to add my "not impressed" vote. Amazing scent afterwards, but the lather on my face vanished too quickly and it didn't perform very well for me as a shaving lubricant. Maybe best used for me now as a post-shave face treatment or, as suggested, a shower soap.

Kingpepper

01-15-2007, 09:50 PM

I'll save my money and buy something else!

Paul

TraderJoe

01-16-2007, 04:54 PM

No good! :thumbdown

Cream: :thumbdown

ASB: :thumbup1:

Ironman

01-17-2007, 08:19 AM

I must agree with the general feeling that this soap is terrible for shaving. I tried a puck several months ago, and after working it with both my SR-230 and my C-M Pure Badger brush (great on soaps), I was unable to get a lather that would last more than 30 seconds before drying up and fading away. It did make a passable shower soap. :wink:

MichaelB

01-14-2008, 11:18 AM

I used Herban Cowboy this morning for the first time (a Christmas present from my wife). It is bad. The lather is thin, not-very-protecting, and it disappears rapidly from both my face and the brush. It does, however, lather up fairly easily. It is bad, but it is nowhere near as bad as Caswell-Massey or Anne Lee's.

Why don't these companies reformulate their products once they realize how flawed they are?

Michael

guitarslinger

01-14-2008, 11:54 AM

hated the soap
hated the cream

MotoMike

01-14-2008, 11:56 AM

herban.... Urban....Oh...I get it

Rexall

01-14-2008, 12:01 PM

My wife bought the shave cream for me, as local grocery store had it on clearance for 1.99. So it will not work at all with the brush for me. However without the brush it does provide a decent shave. A thin coat before each pass allows a nice close shave. Not sure that I will be buying anymore, unless it goes on clearance again.

Also tried the ASB with shea, which was marked down to $1. It is a very thick consistency, but works well in this cold weather to provide moisterizing to my face. This one I will probably buy again, once Floris and the other stores stop offering all these sales. The shelves only hold so much!!

VR6ofpain

04-12-2008, 10:55 PM

I picked up a puck of the "Dusk", because of the clean scent and gray color. I dig the scent. Going to try it in the morning, but I lathered up my brush to test and it worked pretty good. We'll see how the shave goes. It was $3.99, not too pricey, but not too cheap either.

Bluestaco

04-13-2008, 07:29 AM

HATE the Herban Cowboy soap. Didn't think about showering with it, though; that might be good.

The Herban Cowboy mug is nice.

VR6ofpain

04-13-2008, 03:49 PM

HATE the Herban Cowboy soap.
Well guess what, I used the Dusk soap this morning. Couldn't even do my third pass and I had to re-lather during the first two passes, because it dried up. Serious razor burn on my jaw line. I was horrified. This was the worst shave I have had since I started wetshaving. Amazingly I didn't get any cuts, but the razorburn was ferocious. The good part was Whole Foods took it back with a full refund and apologized for the product not working out for me. Great store, WORTHLESS SHAVE SOAP.

Two thumbs down for Herban Cowboy Dusk shave soap.

tester

04-13-2008, 06:00 PM

Herban Cowboy Shave Soap.....yuk yuk yuk

My wife picked me up a puck of this stuff as a stocking stuffer for XMas, and that is where it belongs, at the bottom of a dirty old sock.

It sure smells nice, but it lathers poorly and shaving with it it feels like you are shaving dry. It is really that bad. I got 1/4 of the way through my first shave with it and that was enough for me, I just didn't want to damage my skin.

You can pick it up here in Canada (Loblaws) for about $4 a puck. Save your money and buy coffee.

It is the worst stuff I have ever tried to shave with.

"It's that bad, eh?"...Yes, it's that bad.:tongue:

michaelskar

04-15-2008, 10:39 AM

I got some herban cowboy shave soap...and I don't know what you guys are talking about! This stuff lathered like a dream, protected well, very slick...

no, just kidding...this is a horrible product, IMHO.

VR6ofpain

04-15-2008, 10:35 PM

"It's that bad, eh?"...Yes, it's that bad.:tongue:
Ya seriously, what a horrible product. I think I could get a better shave with a bar of Irish Spring bath soap!

MooingLizard

04-17-2008, 04:03 PM

Ya seriously, what a horrible product. I think I could get a better shave with a bar of Irish Spring bath soap!
Funny you should say that. My Haitian hallmate uses a standard bar of bath soap (no clue what brand) to shave with his M3. He just rubs his finger against the soap and rubs the finger into his beard.

But yeah, the Herban Cowboy stuff seems to be universally reviled. Why aren't they out of business yet? Are there really that many wet-shaving and/or vegan suckers in the world?

Count Scarlioni

04-20-2008, 11:27 PM

But yeah, the Herban Cowboy stuff seems to be universally reviled. Why aren't they out of business yet?
I think they've now discontinued their shave soaps, although the Mother's Market near me still seems to have a large number of pucks on their shelves. Make of that what you will...

Mr. Todd

04-22-2008, 09:13 PM

I've seen this product as well... and debated picking it up... the only thing that stopped me was the lack of room in my shave den. It's getting quite full >_<

TacoBell

04-22-2008, 09:47 PM

They also have a $6.99 boar hair brush...anyone try it?

VR6ofpain

04-22-2008, 10:04 PM

I hope they go out of business. Their products are overpriced garbage.

Count Scarlioni

04-23-2008, 11:52 AM

boar hair brush
Which is quite funny when you consider that they're a vegan company...

I hope they go out of business. Their products are overpriced garbage.
I get the impression they're in trouble--they've stopped about half their range and done some serious rebranding of the rest.

How do I know all this? I quite like their deodorant. I agree the rest of the stuff they produce is a bit pants.

hbk2818

04-30-2008, 11:21 PM

I just tried their Shave cream today... bummer I was not able to read this post before I bought it... It's... strange. My face burns when I use it, wonder if I'm allergic to something in it...

CanaDEan Shaver

05-01-2008, 06:03 PM

I heard that Herban Cowboy has painted their remaining stock of shaving soaps black and sold them to the NHL at a penny apiece for use in the playoffs... What else are they good for? :biggrin:

Bluestaco

05-01-2008, 06:53 PM

I heard that Herban Cowboy has painted their remaining stock of shaving soaps black and sold them to the NHL at a penny apiece for use in the playoffs... What else are they good for? :biggrin:

They're all black already, aren't they?

I just figured that fortified my theory that they were repackaged urinal pucks. :wink:

Corey.LeMoine

05-06-2008, 12:53 PM

VR6ofpain

05-06-2008, 08:20 PM

It's... strange. My face burns when I use it, wonder if I'm allergic to something in it...
I am having that problem with C&E Sienna soap. I am very sad, since this stuff smell and lathers great.

MooingLizard

05-06-2008, 08:22 PM

I am a very new (on my 5th day) wet shaver, and I picked this up while at a local food Coop as an upgrade to my williams soap that I got from the big box drug store. I havn't been able to get the hang of lathering yet, even after following the various tips from posts here on B&B. I now wonder if that is because of this particular product and whether or not I should just suck it up and order some better soap online.
I've never used this product, but based on the reputation of it here I'd suggest that you now have a nice new puck of bath soap.

If you can get some Van Der Hagen locally (some Wal-Marts have it, check Walgreen's and CVS) I'd buy that- all varieties of it seem to be generally well-liked and my VDH Deluxe lathers and moisturizes well. For $2 it's a great value (though it still smells like soap, nothing fancy), and for something that you can probably get locally it's definitely worth buying, even if it isn't on the same level of soaps that cost $10 more.

neilxvx

05-06-2008, 08:38 PM

vegan suckers in the world?

hey now!

MooingLizard

05-06-2008, 08:45 PM

hey now!
No worries, I haven't had meat, pork or poultry in over 6 months. Fish, on the other hand, is nice for an occasional treat.

EDIT: Yes, I realize that this is ironic given the line in my signature. Don't blame me, I got it from the rear bumper of a taxi.

Here, for good measure I'll throw in a link to the thread that you started (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=44480), Neil. A great list of recent opinions on the VDH in case Corey needs some additional encouragement.

neilxvx

05-06-2008, 09:05 PM

No worries, I haven't had red meat or poultry in over 6 months. Fish, on the other hand, is nice for an occasional treat.

Here, for good measure I'll throw in a link to the thread that you started (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=44480), Neil. A great list of recent opinions on the VDH in case Corey needs some additional encouragement.

It's quite alright, haha, I meant to throw a smiley in there to make sure I didn't seem mad.

And yes, I will go ahead and obsess once again over VDH. That stuff is CHEAP and it RULES!

Barbarosa

05-06-2008, 09:48 PM

As I put it onto my face it quickly thinned out to an almost liquid state. The smell was great and I felt very clean after but overall I was NOT very impressed with it but for under $5 I thought I would give it a shot just the same.

I had exactly the same experience. The smell is wonderful though.

d_random

05-15-2008, 09:00 PM

Out of desperation bought some yesterday. COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!

- NO LATHER
- STINKS TO HELL!!
- BURNS ON 2ND PASS

Going straight into the TRASH!!!:mad::mad::mad:

VR6ofpain

05-15-2008, 09:28 PM

Out of desperation bought some yesterday. COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!

- NO LATHER
- STINKS TO HELL!!
- BURNS ON 2ND PASS

Going straight into the TRASH!!!:mad::mad::mad:
Did you buy it from Whole Foods? They will give you a full refund.

Corey.LeMoine

05-16-2008, 05:07 AM

michaelskar

05-16-2008, 06:50 AM

I am so bumed that this is my first soap to introduce me to wet shaving. Yesterday I mixed in some of my Tom's of Maine cream left over from my cartridge days, and that seemed to improve things a tad.

Why not try some kiss my face shaving cream? It's readily available (whole foods, some other grocery stores with a "natural foods" section, etc.) and performs pretty darn well (and it is quite inexpensive). I prefer it to the Tom's of Maine, and pretty much anything beats herban cowboy (but herban cowboy beats the burts bees bay rum shave soap).

ptyrider

05-17-2008, 01:28 AM

Out of desperation bought some yesterday. COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!

- NO LATHER
- STINKS TO HELL!!
- BURNS ON 2ND PASS

Going straight into the TRASH!!!:mad::mad::mad:

Try making a superlather with it. It's rather slick after all.

Corey.LeMoine

05-17-2008, 01:36 AM

I'm mainly using the Toms out of a desire to avoid wastefulness. What I really want to do after my next paycheck is to order up two tubs of Mama Bear.

guzzisport01

03-23-2013, 12:20 PM

Tried herban cowboy shave soap this morning over some shave oil with a straight razor. Worked pretty good when I filled the mug with hot water to warm it and soften it first. Like the scent and price.

coloradomonkey

03-27-2013, 09:28 PM

Smells good. But the worst shave soap I've ever tried. Run for you life.

mikey

03-28-2013, 03:52 AM

It's alive, it's alive. The thread is ALIVE!!!

Thanks,
Mike

bdcoffey

04-21-2013, 01:08 PM

I recently started wet shaving and I bought some Herban Cowboy soap at my local food co-op. I have had the same experience as others with difficulty lathering and quickly vanishing lather. I had figured it was my brush technique, but after reading all the criticism of this soap, I realize I may not be to blame. I did notice that the package and color of my soap doesn't look like that pictured at the start of this thread and also haven't noticed any difference in pre an post-lathered soap. Maybe Herban Cowboy has been tinkering with their formulation?