I am a sucker for soaps - especially soaps made by new artisans trying to find their way. In all honesty, few are any good, and I never write about them because there is nothing positive to write about. Today, I bring you something different - a high quality artisan soap that deserves everyone's attention. The name is Italian, but the soap is made in Charleston, SC.
By way of background, I am a 60 year old with a wiry, gray beard and dry, dry skin. I started wet shaving at 15, more than 45 years ago. I stopped using a safety razor during the dark ages (age 22-57) but returned to wet shaving almost 3 years ago. My favorite soaps are: StropShoppe; CRSW; Maria Arman soaps (tallow); and Soap Commander. In general I prefer tallow to vegan because of my skin. In my opinion, Soap Commander is the the vegan soap that comes closest to a tallow soap.
My standard shave prep is:
Shower
Proraso PreShave
Rudy Vey/Shavemac D-01 brush
ATT S2
Voskhod
Shave Balm (I usually use the Soap Commander Integrity Balm but for this test I used the Sapone Di Paolo Balm)
At this time Paolo sells two soaps - A scentless soap and a soap called Agrume(citrus in Italian), a blend of lime and basil. I purchased the Agrume soap and the scentless aftershave balm.
The Container: The container is a high quality 4" container with a screw top. It contains 4 oz of soap. The is plenty of extra room in the container to lather. There are water proof labels on both the top and side of the tub. This is a very high quality container.
The Scent: This scent is perfect for me. I prefer citrus scents to woody scents. The scent is evenly balance between the lime and the basil. I would say that the scent is mild to moderate in intensity. It does not last long past the shave.
The Soap: The first thing I noticed about the soap is that it is extremely soft. Definitely a soft croap. If you make the mistake, like I did on day 1, of digging your brush into the soap, you will come away with a week's worth of soap. A look at the ingredient list may explain the softness of the soap. Potassium hydroxide(KOH) is the only base used in the soap. My understanding is that NaOH is used to harden a soap.
I face lather exclusively, and my technique is to put a thick protolather on my face with a moist brush, and then add water(distilled) as necessary. This soap lathers very easily (the KOH?). I know it is an overused term, but the lather really explodes and remains stable through my usual 2 pass shave. Great lather. Here is the ingredient list:
Ingredients: Aloe Vera Juice, Stearic Acid, Coconut Oil, Mango Butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Vitamin E.
The Shave: I have now used this soap for 3 consecutive shaves and it provides a very high quality shave. Its best quality is the fact that it delivers a very slick shave. My wiry beard really appreciates that quality in a soap. Cushioning is excellent as well. It does not moisturize as well as my tallow soaps, and not even as well as my Soap Commander - more in line with a high quality vegan soap. My skin was not dry after the shave, just not moisturized.
The Balm: My daily balm is the Soap Commander Integrity balm. It is very light and disappears quickly into the skin. The Sapone Di Paolo balm is something else entirely. Its primary ingredients are grapeseed oil and apricot oil, two high quality carrier oils. The balm is thicker and heavier than my SC balm and absorbs slowly into the skin. I can still feel the balm on my skin long after I have applied it. This is not a criticism. This balm may be the most moisturizing balm that I have every used. It is great for someone with dry skin like I have. I am not certain that someone with oily skin will need this balm. For me, whatever shortcomings the soap had in the moisturizing department, were more than made up for with the balm.
There you have it folks. In a world filled with excellent artisan soaps, we have another excellent soap to add to the list. This soap has earned a spot in my rotation. To make it even more tempting, the prices are very reasonable: 4 oz. of soap sells for $12.99, and 4 oz. of aftershave balm sells for $11.99. For more information I refer you to the website:
http://www.saponedipaolo.com/
Cheers
(For the record I have no personal or business relationship with Paolo. I paid for all the products reviewed. The only contact I have had with him was a brief email to congratulate him on a quality soap and to inform him that I would be writing a review on B&B.)
By way of background, I am a 60 year old with a wiry, gray beard and dry, dry skin. I started wet shaving at 15, more than 45 years ago. I stopped using a safety razor during the dark ages (age 22-57) but returned to wet shaving almost 3 years ago. My favorite soaps are: StropShoppe; CRSW; Maria Arman soaps (tallow); and Soap Commander. In general I prefer tallow to vegan because of my skin. In my opinion, Soap Commander is the the vegan soap that comes closest to a tallow soap.
My standard shave prep is:
Shower
Proraso PreShave
Rudy Vey/Shavemac D-01 brush
ATT S2
Voskhod
Shave Balm (I usually use the Soap Commander Integrity Balm but for this test I used the Sapone Di Paolo Balm)
At this time Paolo sells two soaps - A scentless soap and a soap called Agrume(citrus in Italian), a blend of lime and basil. I purchased the Agrume soap and the scentless aftershave balm.
The Container: The container is a high quality 4" container with a screw top. It contains 4 oz of soap. The is plenty of extra room in the container to lather. There are water proof labels on both the top and side of the tub. This is a very high quality container.
The Scent: This scent is perfect for me. I prefer citrus scents to woody scents. The scent is evenly balance between the lime and the basil. I would say that the scent is mild to moderate in intensity. It does not last long past the shave.
The Soap: The first thing I noticed about the soap is that it is extremely soft. Definitely a soft croap. If you make the mistake, like I did on day 1, of digging your brush into the soap, you will come away with a week's worth of soap. A look at the ingredient list may explain the softness of the soap. Potassium hydroxide(KOH) is the only base used in the soap. My understanding is that NaOH is used to harden a soap.
I face lather exclusively, and my technique is to put a thick protolather on my face with a moist brush, and then add water(distilled) as necessary. This soap lathers very easily (the KOH?). I know it is an overused term, but the lather really explodes and remains stable through my usual 2 pass shave. Great lather. Here is the ingredient list:
Ingredients: Aloe Vera Juice, Stearic Acid, Coconut Oil, Mango Butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Vitamin E.
The Shave: I have now used this soap for 3 consecutive shaves and it provides a very high quality shave. Its best quality is the fact that it delivers a very slick shave. My wiry beard really appreciates that quality in a soap. Cushioning is excellent as well. It does not moisturize as well as my tallow soaps, and not even as well as my Soap Commander - more in line with a high quality vegan soap. My skin was not dry after the shave, just not moisturized.
The Balm: My daily balm is the Soap Commander Integrity balm. It is very light and disappears quickly into the skin. The Sapone Di Paolo balm is something else entirely. Its primary ingredients are grapeseed oil and apricot oil, two high quality carrier oils. The balm is thicker and heavier than my SC balm and absorbs slowly into the skin. I can still feel the balm on my skin long after I have applied it. This is not a criticism. This balm may be the most moisturizing balm that I have every used. It is great for someone with dry skin like I have. I am not certain that someone with oily skin will need this balm. For me, whatever shortcomings the soap had in the moisturizing department, were more than made up for with the balm.
There you have it folks. In a world filled with excellent artisan soaps, we have another excellent soap to add to the list. This soap has earned a spot in my rotation. To make it even more tempting, the prices are very reasonable: 4 oz. of soap sells for $12.99, and 4 oz. of aftershave balm sells for $11.99. For more information I refer you to the website:
http://www.saponedipaolo.com/
Cheers
(For the record I have no personal or business relationship with Paolo. I paid for all the products reviewed. The only contact I have had with him was a brief email to congratulate him on a quality soap and to inform him that I would be writing a review on B&B.)
Last edited:
