A Trio of Harris Aftershaves, plus one other

[Scotto]

OK, let's get one thing out the way right now - I am a D.R. Harris fanatic. I think their products are incredibly effective, super luxurious, and I just adore the old-world apothecary style packaging. Are they expensive? You bet. For me personally, though, it is worth it.

In particular, I am enamored of their aftershaves. I thought I would share some thoughts on three of their products that I use, each of which is unique and in turn quite different from the others. Here they are:

Harris Pink, Sandalwood, and Aftershaving Milk.

Let's start with the Pink. The ingredients are as follows:

Aqua, ethanol 16.89% v/v, glycerin, cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, methyl para hydroxybenzoate, fragrance(natural), colouring

The pink is a splash-on product which contains some alcohol. It does not burn, however. The scent is rose - very similar to what you smell in Trumpers Coral Skin Food, and it does not linger, so no worries about competition with EdT. I find this product one of the most effective aids for razor burn that I have come across; it is incredibly soothing. As for its moisturizing qualities, it is very light. I can occasionally get by without additional moisturizer or balm in the summer months, but it is a close thing. In any case, you could easily use this under another balm, like the Harris Milk or something else. The bottle, like Harris' other products is gorgeous and quite old-school; I love to display it on my shelf.

Moving along to another splash, we have the Harris Sandalwood. The ingredients are as follows:

Alcohol, aqua, parfum, glycerol, diethyl phthalate, cetrimonium bromide

This is another alcohol-containing product, and unlike the Pink, this stuff has quite a lot of burn. It is intensely scented with a sweet and spicy "sandalwood" scent which is very nice. The scent of this, again unlike the Pink, lingers for quite some time, so you'll need to use this alone or with another sandalwood product. The combination of the powerul scent and the alcohol sting really is enlivening, and your testosterone rages when you splash this on your freshly-shaven mug. Most interestingly, despite having all the alcohol, I find this product very moisturizing. It leaves you face a bit on the tacky side, and feeling very supple. I don't need a moisturizer after using this. Really a unique product, presented beautifully. Not many gents use this, but it is worth seeking out.

Now for the Aftershaving Milk. This is one of my go-to products. It has a quite thin consistency, much like.....milk. For me, this is the perfect blend of soothing qualities and light moisturizing. It is a great change from many of the heavy balms out there. The scent is a light powdery rose scent which fades very quickly, not nearly as intense as the Pink. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to shake up the Milk before use; it has some gummy stuff in it that tends to separate a bit, and if you get this stuff straight-up on your face it is grease-city. My understanding is that the Milk has been reformulated by Harris starting the beginning of 2006, and the new product is unlike the old stuff. I have not tried it (I am hoarding my old stock), but the ingredient list has changed drastically, and it is now a thicker balm containing lanolin. Too bad, since the old stuff was so unique. By the way, here are the ingredients:

Aqua, adeps lotus*, sodium tallowate, sodium borate, cucumis sativus, parfum, cetrimonium bromide

So what is a man to do who want the old formulation? You can turn to Green Pond:

This stuff is made by Harris (you can see the bottle is the same), but the scent is different than the Milk. They call it unscented, but to me it has a light cucumber scent. Very good stuff, just remember to shake it up.

So there you have it- three unique and classic aftershaves from an old English firm. Pricey products, a bit difficult to find, but worth it to the connoisseur.




*I believe this is lard or some other animal fat....

[Scotto]

I fixed the pictures in the original post.

Hmmm, not one response to my little magnum opus. That'll teach me to put together such a thoughful post. Ah well, no respect.

[Jim]

Scotto
Your post was so thoughtful and thorough that it left nothing to say except Where do we get it?

[ouch]

Guess you're the Rodney Dangerfield of the B&B.

I have an itsy-bitsy amount left of the original Harris milk, and I'll miss it when it's gone. Sounds as if the new formulary isn't going to cut the mustard, but I'll have to look into the Green Pond version.

The Pink is a great, albeit expensive product. Smells and feels terrific, but it's really a luxury. A nice rose hydrosol works just as well for a fraction of third of the cost.

As for the Harris sandalwood, I'll be gettin' me some.

[Suzuki]

Scotto - great post.

Your comment on the Sandalwood and the burn is interesting, as I note that a lot of products with Sandalwood EO or FO seem to cause more "burn" than other products by the same manufacturer.

I notice this with the QED sandalwood soap and my Will G's sandalwood a/s balm. Not an inferno's of hell type of burn, just more than with their other products.

Anyhow, just my 2 cents.

[Tinzien]

Interesting, I get zero burn off of my QED. I tend to use that one when my face needs a light day of exercise.

[Scotto]

In this case, the burn is clearly alcohol, not the sandalwood. Of course, you may well have a sensitivity to sandalwood EO as well.

[boboakalfb]

I think I need to give the sandlewood a shot (even though ouch's daughter gave it a less than stunning review). I love the Pink and the Cucumber scent of the Green Pond sounds pretty good as well...

[guenron]

Hey Bob O,
I have found that I prefer the Green Pond formulation to the Arlingotn scented Shave Milk. It's not an issue of fragrance either. It just feels better going on.

[boboakalfb]

Thanks Ron...I am assuming the consistency of the Green Pond is similar to the C&E Balms? If so it sounds like a good choice when I don't need the moisturizing of the T&H Classic Balm...

[Scotto]

Green Pond/Harris Milk is quite a bit thinner than C&E. It is the consistency of....you guessed it....milk

[craigl14]

Scotto, I can't agree with you more on the Greenpond. This is a wonderful product. In fact, at least for me, it's one of my favorite parts of the shave. No stinging. Moisturizing. It feels wonderful on the skin after a shave. I still haven't been able to fully identify the scent. My wife says it smells "piney" and I do pick up a bit of that. I'll have to see if I pick up any cucumber in the morning. It definitely is not "fragrance free" but the fragrance is light and pleasant. I have not tried the Harris products, but Greenpond compares favorably to anything else I've used. It really is great stuff.

[DoubleE]

Scotto:

Couldn't agree more. D R Harris is tops in my book. I have 3 Harris soaps, 2 Harris aftershaves, and 1 Harris cologne. I can get lather with the soaps that is simply marvelous!

[khari]

Great review, Scotto. I have really come to appreciate D.R. Harris' products as well. I enjoy their creams about as much as any by the three T's, and the milk is divine. I'd never heard of Green Pond. I'll have to pick some up!

[ouch]

Ran out and bought a bottle of the Harris sandalwood a/s yesterday. I had to hurry before Scotto gave me any more wallet-emptying suggestions.

I thought it was rather fairly priced at $27 (more words I thought I'd never utter). That puts it at a bit more than the very fine Musgo Real products, but less than many others, including their own somewhat less effacacious Pink.

I have a few sandalwood colognes that don't have the staying power of this a/s. It's a really great item that goes on easy, doesn't sting much (I'm very sensitive to this, but I do splash on some cold water or witch hazel just prior to application), and leaves my face supple and feeling great. Good stuff.

Now that the temperature has finally dropped below a million, it's time to revisit the scents best suited for cooler weather, and this one will get a lot of use. Break out the vetiver!

[Scotto]

That's a great price for the Sandalwood. I paid substantially more than that, even on sale. I guess you had to pay the NYC robbery tax, though.

[ouch]

That's a great price for the Sandalwood. I paid substantially more than that, even on sale. I guess you had to pay the NYC robbery tax, though.

Tax was only two bucks and change. I don't know where I could pay less than that for shipping, and I didn't have to wait for delivery. For me, Pasteur's is the place.

[djr7572]

Scotto,

What's your source for the Green Pond? Are there any U.S. retailers offering it? If not, a point in the right direction would be appreciated! thanks!

[Xert]

www.greenpond.com

[djr7572]

Thanks.

Looks like that website is down. I remember checking this website a while back and it was the same thing