I'm not sure which is the best section to post this review in as it is a review of the pre-shave oil, AS balm and one of the shaving creams contained within the Sweyn Forkbeard line of products.
A little bit of history: Sweyn Forkbeard was the first in a line of four Danish kings that ruled England between 1013 and 1042 (with a few gaps in between). His son Cnut the Great (Canute) is the best known of this dynasty (presumably because he ruled the longest). The other two kings were Harald Harefoot and Harthacnut (Hardicanute) who were both sons of Cnut.
Sweyn Forkbeard focus their marketing more on beard products, but do also have shaving kit in their product line-up. I decided to give three of these a try and the final product arrived this morning. I decided to test them out using my Simpsons Classic 2 Silvertip brush and my Supply Provision razor.
Products
The pre-shave oil has the following ingredients; Abyssinian Oil, Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Natural Vitamin E, enriched with Cedarwood essential oil, Lime essential oil, and May Chang. It is nicely scented (the main scent being Lime), absorbs directly into the skin and is a joy to use.
The Mango and Papaya shaving cream lists the following ingredients; Aqua, Organic Butters (Mango & Shea), Organic Oils (Mango, Papaya, Apricot Kernel, Coconut & Avocado), Palm Free Vegetable Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Emulsifying Wax, Silk Peptide Protein, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, and Ethylhexylglycerin.
The directions of use site that 'the cream can be applied with either a shaving brush or your fingers. The brush has the added advantages of producing warm lather, further lifting the beard off your face, and gently exfoliating the skin'.
Sweyn Forkbeard describe the AS balm as being 'a handcrafted combination of 100% Natural & Organic Peppermint, Spearmint and Rosemary Essential Oils, Aqua (Water), Caprylic / capric triglyceride (Light Coconut) oil, Vitis vinifera (Grapeseed) Seed Oil, Glyceryl stearate & Peg 100, Glycerine (Veg), Glyceryl stearate, Stearic acid, Cetyl alcohol, Phenoxyethanol & Ethylhexylglycerin, Boswellia carterii (Frankincense) Resin Oil, Tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium bicarbonate, Limonene'.
Process
I started off with my usual preparation of a face wash with MR GLO followed by application of the pre-shave oil and, as indicated above, it is a really nice oil to use.
For my first pass I tried applying the shaving cream with a brush. I was already aware from reading previous posts on various forums that it would not lather well, so I wasn't expecting any major results in respect of this. What I did not expect was how poor and thinly spread the lather actually was. I used with my Supply Provision razor with a 2-dot plate and whilst I could hear the blade cutting stubble, the razor seemed to glide over the cream itself whilst removing very little from my face.
I suspected that this may have been due to the oil so another wash with MR GLO and I was good to try again with the brush. Interestingly, I got exactly the same result with my second pass. This cream is clearly not designed to be used with a top-end badger brush.
I changed tactic for the third pass, applying the cream with my fingers and massaging it into my face. This turned out to be a pretty messy process and the lather seemed to be both thicker and far less evenly spread. Instead of using my Supply Provision, I decide to use a Mach 3 instead and this proved to be a good move. I got a good shave from this combination.
I finished off with a final rinse before applying the ASB. I have used this product a few times before today and it has a definite spearmint scent with some pungent earthiness as a base note. There is a mild menthol effect and whilst it can be a bit sticky after use it is a pretty nice balm. It's not a top-notch balm but it is better than many others at a similar price range.
Conclusion
In conclusion I would say that the shaving cream should definitely be viewed as a brushless cream and I would certainly use it again in this respect whilst travelling. It paired nicely with my Mach 3 and I suspect that it was designed for use with cartridge razors more than with DE's, SE's or straights. I'll certainly give it a go with other razors, but I'm not sure that I would want to use it with an aggressive razor.
The pre-shave oil is a great product that I will definitely use again and the same can be said for the ASB.
A little bit of history: Sweyn Forkbeard was the first in a line of four Danish kings that ruled England between 1013 and 1042 (with a few gaps in between). His son Cnut the Great (Canute) is the best known of this dynasty (presumably because he ruled the longest). The other two kings were Harald Harefoot and Harthacnut (Hardicanute) who were both sons of Cnut.
Sweyn Forkbeard focus their marketing more on beard products, but do also have shaving kit in their product line-up. I decided to give three of these a try and the final product arrived this morning. I decided to test them out using my Simpsons Classic 2 Silvertip brush and my Supply Provision razor.
Products
The pre-shave oil has the following ingredients; Abyssinian Oil, Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Natural Vitamin E, enriched with Cedarwood essential oil, Lime essential oil, and May Chang. It is nicely scented (the main scent being Lime), absorbs directly into the skin and is a joy to use.
The Mango and Papaya shaving cream lists the following ingredients; Aqua, Organic Butters (Mango & Shea), Organic Oils (Mango, Papaya, Apricot Kernel, Coconut & Avocado), Palm Free Vegetable Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Emulsifying Wax, Silk Peptide Protein, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, and Ethylhexylglycerin.
The directions of use site that 'the cream can be applied with either a shaving brush or your fingers. The brush has the added advantages of producing warm lather, further lifting the beard off your face, and gently exfoliating the skin'.
Sweyn Forkbeard describe the AS balm as being 'a handcrafted combination of 100% Natural & Organic Peppermint, Spearmint and Rosemary Essential Oils, Aqua (Water), Caprylic / capric triglyceride (Light Coconut) oil, Vitis vinifera (Grapeseed) Seed Oil, Glyceryl stearate & Peg 100, Glycerine (Veg), Glyceryl stearate, Stearic acid, Cetyl alcohol, Phenoxyethanol & Ethylhexylglycerin, Boswellia carterii (Frankincense) Resin Oil, Tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium bicarbonate, Limonene'.
Process
I started off with my usual preparation of a face wash with MR GLO followed by application of the pre-shave oil and, as indicated above, it is a really nice oil to use.
For my first pass I tried applying the shaving cream with a brush. I was already aware from reading previous posts on various forums that it would not lather well, so I wasn't expecting any major results in respect of this. What I did not expect was how poor and thinly spread the lather actually was. I used with my Supply Provision razor with a 2-dot plate and whilst I could hear the blade cutting stubble, the razor seemed to glide over the cream itself whilst removing very little from my face.
I suspected that this may have been due to the oil so another wash with MR GLO and I was good to try again with the brush. Interestingly, I got exactly the same result with my second pass. This cream is clearly not designed to be used with a top-end badger brush.
I changed tactic for the third pass, applying the cream with my fingers and massaging it into my face. This turned out to be a pretty messy process and the lather seemed to be both thicker and far less evenly spread. Instead of using my Supply Provision, I decide to use a Mach 3 instead and this proved to be a good move. I got a good shave from this combination.
I finished off with a final rinse before applying the ASB. I have used this product a few times before today and it has a definite spearmint scent with some pungent earthiness as a base note. There is a mild menthol effect and whilst it can be a bit sticky after use it is a pretty nice balm. It's not a top-notch balm but it is better than many others at a similar price range.
Conclusion
In conclusion I would say that the shaving cream should definitely be viewed as a brushless cream and I would certainly use it again in this respect whilst travelling. It paired nicely with my Mach 3 and I suspect that it was designed for use with cartridge razors more than with DE's, SE's or straights. I'll certainly give it a go with other razors, but I'm not sure that I would want to use it with an aggressive razor.
The pre-shave oil is a great product that I will definitely use again and the same can be said for the ASB.
