C&E Sienna... got it right today!

**Munxcub** · 05-26-2011, 07:09 AM

I bought this soap last fall, had good reviews, I was on a trip where there was a C&E store and was excited I was actually able to hold and smell a shave soap before buying it.

First try was a huge meh... thin disappearing lather, no cushion, no glide... a real let down. But it smelled great!

Tried it again a few weeks later and it was ok, but not great. Have several others I prefer to it. Back on the shelf...

Now after spending the last few months almost exclusively using AoS Sandalwood soap I decided to try the Sienna again. Nailed it!

Started out a little wet while loading, really bubbly, but it kept getting thicker and thicker. By the time the brush was fully loaded and I took it to the bowl I didn't even need to add any more water. (which is strange, I always do with every soap...). Just kept churning away and was rewarded with heaps of very nice lather. Provided a DFS for sure (the usual) little sting on the splash.

I'm pretty happy I haven't sold it off yet and gave it another try, as it's nice to have a soap that brings me back to a nice trip I took with my wife.

**BobK** · 05-26-2011, 02:07 PM

I just bought this as well; my first soap. I've always used creams before. I was surprised at how quickly it lathered up; looked real good, but it just didn't lubricate much. I've only tried it twice now. Thanks for giving me hope that I can get the water/soap ratio correct to get a good lubricating lather.

**GreekGuy** · 05-26-2011, 02:15 PM

There are A LOT of people on the forum that think this soap is worthless. I actually find it to be decent. The scent is incredible. I just add a little Arko unscented cream, which really slickens it up and turns it from being an average lather, to an exceptional lather.

Its always good to revisit products every once in a while

**Galengwath** · 05-26-2011, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by GreekGuy

There are A LOT of people on the forum that think this soap is worthless.

To be fair, that can be said about almost any soap, to varying degrees. I enjoy Sienna quite a bit - it doesn't perform quite as well for me as some other soaps, but it gets the job done without any real problems and smells fantastic. As with many soaps, it sometimes takes a while to get the hang of it, but it's definately a soap worth trying until you get it to work - at least in my humble opinion.

**Vlad** · 05-26-2011, 02:30 PM

Me too. Love the scent, don't get quite as good of a lather as I like, but good enough. Might add some glycerin and see what that does.

**Greg1911** · 05-26-2011, 02:31 PM

I'm one of those that can't stand Sienna. Thin lather and it irritated my skin.

It did better when I tried distilled water and a boar brush but life is too short to cater to a soap. I've got 30 others that work fine so Sienna got the boot.

**GreekGuy** · 05-26-2011, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by Galengwath

To be fair, that can be said about almost any soap, to varying degrees. I enjoy Sienna quite a bit - it doesn't perform quite as well for me as some other soaps, but it gets the job done without any real problems and smells fantastic. As with many soaps, it sometimes takes a while to get the hang of it, but it's definately a soap worth trying until you get it to work - at least in my humble opinion.

I agree with you. I use this soap in my rotation.

My point was only that there are an above-average number of people that find it to be a poor performer.

**Gray Wolf** · 05-26-2011, 04:00 PM

The last time I used C&E Sienna, my wife said "You made the house smell good"!

**lowhawk** · 05-26-2011, 11:12 PM

I owned it. First shaving soap I ever used way back when and it worked fine. Always got good shaves from it and it smells terrific.

**cymric** · 05-27-2011, 01:09 AM

The problem, I found, is that the loading is deceptive. If Nomad has the same formulation as Sienna, then the soap makes a good deal of fluff, and if you're not careful then quickly you will be loading a dry brush on a dry puck of soap. In other words: getting nowhere. The trick seems to be to use a much wider bowl than usual to allow the lather to 'expand', and then keep on folding that stuff back onto the puck. Then you get stable creamy goodness.

Alternatively, use a smaller and stiffer brush. But I loathe switching brushes (especially for a harder one) so a wider bowl it became.

**LuckyR** · 05-27-2011, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by cymric

The problem, I found, is that the loading is deceptive. If Nomad has the same formulation as Sienna, then the soap makes a good deal of fluff, and if you're not careful then quickly you will be loading a dry brush on a dry puck of soap. In other words: getting nowhere. The trick seems to be to use a much wider bowl than usual to allow the lather to 'expand', and then keep on folding that stuff back onto the puck. Then you get stable creamy goodness.

Alternatively, use a smaller and stiffer brush. But I loathe switching brushes (especially for a harder one) so a wider bowl it became.

I don't have the Nomad (hated the scent) but have the Sienna and the Sandalwood, and I will say that their formulations are different (beyond the scent). I assume that Nomad is also different.

**Galengwath** · 05-27-2011, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by GreekGuy

I agree with you. I use this soap in my rotation.

My point was only that there are an above-average number of people that find it to be a poor performer.

Absolutely. It's certainly not a widely appreciated soap - not like Tabac, for example. But hey, if it works for you and you like it, then use it!

**BobK** · 06-20-2011, 07:26 AM

Originally Posted by BobK

I just bought this as well; my first soap. I've always used creams before. I was surprised at how quickly it lathered up; looked real good, but it just didn't lubricate much. I've only tried it twice now. Thanks for giving me hope that I can get the water/soap ratio correct to get a good lubricating lather.

For what its worth, now that this soap has been used a number of times, and I've gotten past the first layer of soap, it works much better. I never really liked face lathering before, but with this I can face lather and get a lot of lather in a few moments, and it is now very lubricating.

**sojat54** · 06-23-2011, 08:34 PM

I have both Nomad & Sienna. Love them both. Nomad, never had a problem and I bought it with the wooden bowl that came with it. Sienna was somewhat of a problem, but the larger bowl worked and I get a great shave from both; so they both managed to stay in my rotation.

**Metalman** · 06-24-2011, 05:37 AM

Sienna is my all-time favorite shave scent. The lather I produce is effective, but unimpressive. As others have commented, it's not slick enough. It's the only soap or cream I have I thought needed improvement to make it more usable. I'm not one to mix or tinker, but I may try the glycerine trick to improve its slickness.

**LuckyR** · 06-25-2011, 11:39 AM

It is a unique and (for me) pleasant scent. Like other C&E soaps, it is easy to lather but vulnerable to falling apart with too much water. When lathered well, it is a perfectly fine quality lather.

**BroJohn** · 06-25-2011, 06:13 PM

With a wet face, I've always popped the puck out of the wood bowl, palmed the puck, dipped in water and scuffed the soap all over my face like a large soap stick. I then load the brush on the puck for a minute or so and proceed to face lather. I get gobbs of lather, it's slick, and softens the beard well. Works well with a very large brush (26mm++), too.

I always get a huge lather and a great shave with the C&E soaps.

-- John Gehman