I tried this artisan soap store for shaving supplies and found a couple local products. I'm going to take a moment to review the store line shaving cream.
The price for a 4.6 oz tub is $15, which I figure is pretty good for a small, locally produced niche item. The instructions say to lather directly on the face, but I tried it in my Georgetown scuttle today and it lathers up like a charm and can hold a ton of water, so I imagine the tub will last a long time. Plus you get to pick your custom scent for free. Hence, a score of 8.
I gave a 9 for quality. The only reason it did not get a 10 is because you do have to monitor the lather on your face to make sure it doesn't dry out. This could actually be my fault as I'm relatively new to straight razor shaving and haven't quite gotten the hang of whipping up a good lather with a cream yet. The problem isn't insurmountable; just sprinkle a few drops of water into the lather, give a couple brush swirls, and reapply a bit right over what's on your face.
Scent- 10, because it smells like whatever you want, as strong or weak as you want, for free! Literally, check out the website below and see how many they have to offer. Call if you want a custom scent- I went with 2 parts Sage and 1 part Mango and got a great balance of fruity and herbal/earthy. My girlfriend digs it.
Latherability- 10. It literally exploded into perfect lather in my scuttle. Up until now I find that Gentlemen's Best is the best lather for my face (I've not tried the 3 T's yet, keep that in mind), but I think this edges it out. Certainly the best lather I've worked up from a cream yet.
Efficacy- 9. Cushion was incredible. I felt like I could push the blade into my face and it never would get down there. Glide was perfect as long as the lather stayed wet. My only complaint is again to make sure the lather doesn't dry out. You can tell when it is about to dry out, though, because the lather gets sluggish to cut through. However, perhaps due to the shea butter, the blade doesn't catch, jump, or skitter much across your face as you would expect from drying lather; it mostly just slows down and drags. This property makes the soap very forgiving, and I had no weepers or nicks even when it did dry out. Good for a newbie.
With that in mind, it works as well (if not better than) Proraso or Nancy Boy for me.
Moisturizing- 10. Gentlemen's Best has also been my best for moisturizing, but this stuff takes the cake. If you are prone to dry skin in the winter, make sure you try this cream!
Packaging- 7. Durable white plastic container, not very exciting. Very plain label, so I didn't bother uploading a picture. If you order a custom scent you also have to stir it into the product yourself, as they don't have any sterile stirring equipment available at the shop where the scents are located. A minor inconvenience but an inconvenience nonetheless.
You can find The Soap Opera shaving cream here. From the website:
The price for a 4.6 oz tub is $15, which I figure is pretty good for a small, locally produced niche item. The instructions say to lather directly on the face, but I tried it in my Georgetown scuttle today and it lathers up like a charm and can hold a ton of water, so I imagine the tub will last a long time. Plus you get to pick your custom scent for free. Hence, a score of 8.
I gave a 9 for quality. The only reason it did not get a 10 is because you do have to monitor the lather on your face to make sure it doesn't dry out. This could actually be my fault as I'm relatively new to straight razor shaving and haven't quite gotten the hang of whipping up a good lather with a cream yet. The problem isn't insurmountable; just sprinkle a few drops of water into the lather, give a couple brush swirls, and reapply a bit right over what's on your face.
Scent- 10, because it smells like whatever you want, as strong or weak as you want, for free! Literally, check out the website below and see how many they have to offer. Call if you want a custom scent- I went with 2 parts Sage and 1 part Mango and got a great balance of fruity and herbal/earthy. My girlfriend digs it.
Latherability- 10. It literally exploded into perfect lather in my scuttle. Up until now I find that Gentlemen's Best is the best lather for my face (I've not tried the 3 T's yet, keep that in mind), but I think this edges it out. Certainly the best lather I've worked up from a cream yet.
Efficacy- 9. Cushion was incredible. I felt like I could push the blade into my face and it never would get down there. Glide was perfect as long as the lather stayed wet. My only complaint is again to make sure the lather doesn't dry out. You can tell when it is about to dry out, though, because the lather gets sluggish to cut through. However, perhaps due to the shea butter, the blade doesn't catch, jump, or skitter much across your face as you would expect from drying lather; it mostly just slows down and drags. This property makes the soap very forgiving, and I had no weepers or nicks even when it did dry out. Good for a newbie.
With that in mind, it works as well (if not better than) Proraso or Nancy Boy for me.
Moisturizing- 10. Gentlemen's Best has also been my best for moisturizing, but this stuff takes the cake. If you are prone to dry skin in the winter, make sure you try this cream!
Packaging- 7. Durable white plastic container, not very exciting. Very plain label, so I didn't bother uploading a picture. If you order a custom scent you also have to stir it into the product yourself, as they don't have any sterile stirring equipment available at the shop where the scents are located. A minor inconvenience but an inconvenience nonetheless.
You can find The Soap Opera shaving cream here. From the website:
If you like trying quality products from local, small businesses, I highly recommend you pick some of this up. You won't be disappointed.
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