Penhaligon's English Fern - NEW FORMULATION

I'm going to London in a couple of weeks and I intent to find Penhaligon's (probably i Burlington Arcade) and buy a bowl of their English Fern shaving soap.

I have read the reviews here on B&B for Penhaligon's English Fern traditional and new formulation as well, and due to these reviews the traditional seems to be the best.

Now I wonder if we have here an instance of the phenomenon that we all want development but nobody want changes.

I think (hope) that Penhaligon's have made a new formulation for making a better soap and not only for the changes.

Am I totally wrong?

Totally wrong. Better soap? Quite the contrary.

I can only speak bout the Penhaligon's BB soap reformulation. They quit using tallow and the result was hideous. Worst soap I ever tried. Couldn't lather anything decent out of it. It was so ridiculous that it was my most expensive soap AND my worst soap. I got rid of it, hopefully the new owner will be able to use it.
So, I'm not sure if this is happening too with English Fern soap. Read some reviews about that soap and check the ingredients list before buying.

John Kreiner said:

I think (hope) that Penhaligon's have made a new formulation for making a better soap and not only for the changes.

Am I totally wrong?

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The new formulation EF leaves a lot to be desired. My advice, skip it..

markb said:

The new formulation EF leaves a lot to be desired. My advice, skip it..

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Especially for what Penhaligon's wants for a puck.

$35 was a lot for the old reformulation, but at least you knew you were getting one of the, if not the, best shaving soaps out there.

I seem to be having some issues creating an effective lather with my newly acquired puck of Penhaligons English Fern. It's the new formulation and I'm advised isn't now tallow based. The issue I'm having is with slickness and the amount of lather I'm able to generate.

I'm new to soaps (I have always used creams in the past) and it might be my technique which is off so I'll describe it in detail and I would welcome your critique / comments.

I leave my brush soaking in some hot water whilst I take a shower. Once out of the shower I squeeze a bit of water out of the brush and just wet the soap. I swirl my brush on it for about 30 seconds and then proceed to lather directly to my face. The lather is thin - it never really gets very thick and when I shave it's not nearly as slick as when I use a cream.

Second pass the lather has gone really dry so I try to add some water but this just dilutes the lather even further. The shave is comfortable enough but not luxurious.

I didn't even dare attempt a third pass with the lather remaining in the brush so I hurriedly whipped up some Castle Forbes Lavender cream and got a wonderful last pass.

The soap was expensive and I'm left wondering whether I've done it all wrong. Should I be soaking my soap before I begin lathering?

Load up with Palmolive and Boots sticks instead

It's expensive, but according to every account I've ready (that wasn't in a For Sale thread, although even some FS threads admitted it was godawful) have said that it's a horrible, horrible soap with an excellent scent.

There are too many excellent products to waste time with one that has so many negative reviews.

Leon said:

Totally wrong. Better soap? Quite the contrary.

I can only speak bout the Penhaligon's BB soap reformulation. They quit using tallow and the result was hideous. Worst soap I ever tried. Couldn't lather anything decent out of it. It was so ridiculous that it was my most expensive soap AND my worst soap. I got rid of it, hopefully the new owner will be able to use it.
So, I'm not sure if this is happening too with English Fern soap. Read some reviews about that soap and check the ingredients list before buying.

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I have read the reviews available on B&B, and I have read your comments. Thank you, guys.

As I read the reviews most af the bad things said about the new formulation are said about the "Blenheim Bouquet - New Formulation without tallow".

Among others I found this: "From a cost benefit analysis standpoint, this is the most over priced soap to ever grace my sink. If this shaving soap cost $5 retail, I could forgive the poor lather. However, at the price they are charging, Penhaligons should be ashamed of themselves."

That is nothing less than bad...

My question was about Penhaligon's English Fern - New Formulation without tallow, and IMO the reviews about that are not so bad. On the contrary.

E.g. "cbird" wrote about "Penhaligon's English Fern - New Formulation":

"I've been comparing the original formulation to this new one for the past couple of weeks. They are both excellent soaps and both make great lather. I am beginning to think that the original formulation might make a slightly better lather, but, on the other hand, I am finding that the new formulation seems to offer better lubrication and moisturizing. I notice that the blades I've been using, which are both close to needing a few passes on a honing strop, seem to cut better and pull less with the new formulation than they do with the old".

Actually this sounds very well-concidered to me.

Therefore I'm still a little anxious about jumping upon the "new is bad"-wagon, and I am not convinced. I'll probably try it anyway.

But thank you, guys, for your interest

If you are set on getting it, I'll be curious to hear your report. I only have experience with the newer formulation of BB and it is by far the worst soap I've ever tried. Check out this thread with some mixed and less than stellar reviews of the EF as well. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=131364

I have the reformulated EF and I am quite satisfied w/ it. However, I didn't have the pleasure of using the old formula, so i am comparing the current incarnation to other soaps I own.

Using a boar brush or the BBE, I get a larther that is thick, slick, and holds up well in my DB scuttle. Once loaded, I am able to get enough lather for 5 passes(3 face, 2 head) w/ lather left over in the brush upon finishing.

The shaves have been so good, I could see myself only using this soap-but I won't.

My purchase was from another member(Slickster 514), so I feel as if i got what I paid for(puck+ wooden bowl)!

I have no complaints at all about EF new formulation.



marty

There's lots of other places in London though. D.R.Harris, Trumpers, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truefitt... Nm the penhaligon reformulation though

I should have known that it wasn't possible to get a definite answer to my question.

I have now read more reviews (thank you, BrianDiPalma) without becoming much wicer. Some compare the price to other soaps, some the scent and others the lather building.

I have not counted but I actually think that most of the testimonies are positive, so I guess I'll go for it when I go to London on the 23rd.

I have soaps from GFT (sandalwood), TOBS (lavender), T&H, MWF, Tabac, Proraso, Omega and Palmolive and they all works fine when I build my lather (allways in a scuttle). But now and then I can have a day where it is nothing but impossible to build lather and it is not a question of what soap I have taken that day.

Could some of you have had a day like this when you had your bad experiences with lather building from English Fern?

The price is a decision I have made that I am ready to pay. In Denmark we have a saying that (in my poor translation) goes like this: "There is a difference between expensive and much money!" Penhaligon's soaps are much money, but are they expensive? That is the question, and I'll try to find the answer.

But once again, thank you, guys, for all the inputs...

I've had a bit of a breakthrough in lathering with the new formulation English Fern today. I picked up some glycerol from a local chemist and added it to a damp bowl that I was swirling my loaded brush around in. A little bit of experimentation with the amount of water later and I had an amazingly slick, thick and fragrant lather.

I think that's how I will lather the English Fern from now on. I'm happy but it's left me thinking that for the price it cost me I really shouldn't have to do this...

jonjparr said:

I've had a bit of a breakthrough in lathering with the new formulation English Fern today. I picked up some glycerol from a local chemist and added it to a damp bowl that I was swirling my loaded brush around in. A little bit of experimentation with the amount of water later and I had an amazingly slick, thick and fragrant lather.

I think that's how I will lather the English Fern from now on. I'm happy but it's left me thinking that for the price it cost me I really shouldn't have to do this...

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This reminds me of how I made Kraft Dinner in college ... if I add in enough real food, it actually tastes pretty good.

Doc4 said:

This reminds me of how I made Kraft Dinner in college ... if I add in enough real food, it actually tastes pretty good.

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It's the stone soup model.

The best car I ever had was a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Bought it with the money I saved up on my first job. I drove it across country and enjoyed the heck out of it for years in California. One of my buddies kept it for me when I was living overseas and it ended up with a cracked head and all the problems that go along with that. I still kept it for a long time, moving it across country with me. It sat in my garage while I tried to find the time to fix up the engine. I had my first daughter and needed to get another reliable car, so I sold it along with my motorcycle.

Fifteen years or so later, I hear that Toyota was going to bring back the FJ40. I was so excited. I started getting propaganda in the mail and I decided that I would buy one. Then one day, one pulled up next to me at a stoplight. Same color as my old one--that Land Cruiser blue that comes with the white top. Other than that, it was nothing like my old FJ 40. I mean, if you looked at it just right, maybe squinted your eyes tight, you could see the old Land Cruiser in the front end. Otherwise, it was like the horrible bloated offspring of a Hummer. And because it was called FJ40 and tried to evoke the look of the old one, it's far more awful than if it was just another Yuppie tank.

Sadly, that's what I think most reformulations are like. Better to call it something new. Caledonian Fiddlehead. Sandringham Aroma. Leave the memory of the good stuff alone.

The Nid Hog said:

It's the stone soup model.

The best car I ever had was a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Bought it with the money I saved up on my first job. I drove it across country and enjoyed the heck out of it for years in California. One of my buddies kept it for me when I was living overseas and it ended up with a cracked head and all the problems that go along with that. I still kept it for a long time, moving it across country with me. It sat in my garage while I tried to find the time to fix up the engine. I had my first daughter and needed to get another reliable car, so I sold it along with my motorcycle.

Fifteen years or so later, I hear that Toyota was going to bring back the FJ40. I was so excited. I started getting propaganda in the mail and I decided that I would buy one. Then one day, one pulled up next to me at a stoplight. Same color as my old one--that Land Cruiser blue that comes with the white top. Other than that, it was nothing like my old FJ 40. I mean, if you looked at it just right, maybe squinted your eyes tight, you could see the old Land Cruiser in the front end. Otherwise, it was like the horrible bloated offspring of a Hummer. And because it was called FJ40 and tried to evoke the look of the old one, it's far more awful than if it was just another Yuppie tank.

Sadly, that's what I think most reformulations are like. Better to call it something new. Caledonian Fiddlehead. Sandringham Aroma. Leave the memory of the good stuff alone.

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That was both poignant and hilarious at the same time. Great post!

The Nid Hog said:

It's the stone soup model.

The best car I ever had was a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Bought it with the money I saved up on my first job. I drove it across country and enjoyed the heck out of it for years in California. One of my buddies kept it for me when I was living overseas and it ended up with a cracked head and all the problems that go along with that. I still kept it for a long time, moving it across country with me. It sat in my garage while I tried to find the time to fix up the engine. I had my first daughter and needed to get another reliable car, so I sold it along with my motorcycle.

Fifteen years or so later, I hear that Toyota was going to bring back the FJ40. I was so excited. I started getting propaganda in the mail and I decided that I would buy one. Then one day, one pulled up next to me at a stoplight. Same color as my old one--that Land Cruiser blue that comes with the white top. Other than that, it was nothing like my old FJ 40. I mean, if you looked at it just right, maybe squinted your eyes tight, you could see the old Land Cruiser in the front end. Otherwise, it was like the horrible bloated offspring of a Hummer. And because it was called FJ40 and tried to evoke the look of the old one, it's far more awful than if it was just another Yuppie tank.

Sadly, that's what I think most reformulations are like. Better to call it something new. Caledonian Fiddlehead. Sandringham Aroma. Leave the memory of the good stuff alone.

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I get your - very fine - point.

This is not my situation, as I never have tried the old formulation English Fern, so to me this will be "English Fern" and I will make my valuation based upon my experiences with that.

And I wouldn't even think about using af shaving soap called Caledonian Fiddlehead or Sandringham Aroma...

It is a sad day in shavingdom. Yet as we all recall there was a time when Britannia ruled the waves and the sun would never set on the British Empire. End of an era, I am afraid!

ctakim said:

It is a sad day in shavingdom. Yet as we all recall there was a time when Britannia ruled the waves and the sun would never set on the British Empire. End of an era, I am afraid!

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Oh no, don't be afraid, my friend...!

When in London you just have to take a strole down Jermyn Street and left around the corner and further on down St. James's Street - and maybe a short break to Curzon Street in Mayfair - to know that British shavingdom is still very much alive and kicking.