- Joined
- Sunday December 13, 2015
To preface my review, I have no connection, personal or otherwise, with Taylor of Old Bond Street. I am a traditional wet shaver in search of good shaving soaps/creams, preferably unscented products.
Over time I have accumulated a drawer full or shaving soaps and creams and recently decided to tackle them one at a time. I ordered TOBS Natural Shaving Cream about a year ago and used it in a rotation of other soaps/creams. I didn't count how many shaves I managed to squeeze out of this tub, but it was quite a few. When you use a soap or cream every day for a period of weeks you really get to learn its properties and qualities.
Taylor of Old Bond Street started making shaving products in 1854. Their website is a pleasure to browse. They describe themselves as a family business. They state: “The 'Taylor' brand epitomizes classic British style and understated elegance, reliability and quality.â€
Website: http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/
The soap comes in a screw top plastic tub. Its appearance is a white, rich cream.
Ease of lathering: (10/10)
I have done several lather tests with this soap and in every instance it produces a great lather. I have tried with hard, medium and soft brushes (boar and badger) and in every case it was very easy to lather. My shaving process is quite simple: I face lather, so I soak my brush in a mug of warm water while I shower. I scoop an almond size glob and place it on the end of the brush and begin lathering. I have soft water, so...YMMV depending on your water hardness. I also tried this soap on my palm with different brushes. I did not try bowl lathering. The lather is very thick and creamy.
For these reasons I gave it a 10/10 for ease of lathering.
Life span of lather: (9/10)
The lather lasts a long time. Once applied to my face the lather showed no sign of deterioration. I prefer a thick lather so I never had any problems with it drying on my face. An almond size glob of cream yields enough lather for several passes. Adjust your water content to achieve the right consistency that is right for you.
General skincare: (9/10)
There are several ingredients in this Cream that have great moisturizing properties for my skin. I don't have dry or sensitive skin and with this soap I do not feel the need to apply a post-shave moisturizer (I do anyway). This cream would be good for those days when you have a really bad case of razor burn....or when you need one of those "be gentle with me " days.
Lubrication: (10/10)
TOBS Natural is very slick. Add enough water and it is super slick. It makes it easy to get a great shave with little irritation.
How protective: (9/10)
Always a difficult thing to judge. I am not an aggressive shaver and my razor/blade are fairly mild (Gillette Heavy Tech with Astra SP blades). The lather is slick and very protective.
Scent: (10/10)
TOBS Natural is a fragrance-free, unscented cream…and I mean absolutely no scent (also preservative free). And this is important because some soaps that are advertised as unscented still have a scent of some kind, either from a masking agent or a tallow or lanolin kind of earthy smell. But this one is superior in terms of it being completely unscented. For those shavers who are scent sensitive this is a top performer. And because it has no scent it won't conflict with any AS or ASB you may choose to use.
Price: (9/10)
At $23 Canadian for a 150 gram tub...for me this is good value. The plastic tub is recyclable and reusable. (I plan to use mine for my Haslinger soap pucks)
Would you buy again: (10/10)
Absolutely. In fact TOBS sells a wide variety of other shaving creams. I would not hesitate to buy the Natural cream version again.
Shaving soap ingredients:
From the label on the soap:
Overall: (10/10)
I only have positive things to say about this soap. Every shave was a great shave. The packaging looks great and it is a pleasure to use and it left my face feeling great. TOBS Natural is ideal for those shavers who want good skin care and a scent free, all natural product. I would put this cream in the luxury shave cream category at a great price. An absolute pleasure to use.
Over time I have accumulated a drawer full or shaving soaps and creams and recently decided to tackle them one at a time. I ordered TOBS Natural Shaving Cream about a year ago and used it in a rotation of other soaps/creams. I didn't count how many shaves I managed to squeeze out of this tub, but it was quite a few. When you use a soap or cream every day for a period of weeks you really get to learn its properties and qualities.
Taylor of Old Bond Street started making shaving products in 1854. Their website is a pleasure to browse. They describe themselves as a family business. They state: “The 'Taylor' brand epitomizes classic British style and understated elegance, reliability and quality.â€
Website: http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/
The soap comes in a screw top plastic tub. Its appearance is a white, rich cream.
Ease of lathering: (10/10)
I have done several lather tests with this soap and in every instance it produces a great lather. I have tried with hard, medium and soft brushes (boar and badger) and in every case it was very easy to lather. My shaving process is quite simple: I face lather, so I soak my brush in a mug of warm water while I shower. I scoop an almond size glob and place it on the end of the brush and begin lathering. I have soft water, so...YMMV depending on your water hardness. I also tried this soap on my palm with different brushes. I did not try bowl lathering. The lather is very thick and creamy.
For these reasons I gave it a 10/10 for ease of lathering.
Life span of lather: (9/10)
The lather lasts a long time. Once applied to my face the lather showed no sign of deterioration. I prefer a thick lather so I never had any problems with it drying on my face. An almond size glob of cream yields enough lather for several passes. Adjust your water content to achieve the right consistency that is right for you.
General skincare: (9/10)
There are several ingredients in this Cream that have great moisturizing properties for my skin. I don't have dry or sensitive skin and with this soap I do not feel the need to apply a post-shave moisturizer (I do anyway). This cream would be good for those days when you have a really bad case of razor burn....or when you need one of those "be gentle with me " days.
Lubrication: (10/10)
TOBS Natural is very slick. Add enough water and it is super slick. It makes it easy to get a great shave with little irritation.
How protective: (9/10)
Always a difficult thing to judge. I am not an aggressive shaver and my razor/blade are fairly mild (Gillette Heavy Tech with Astra SP blades). The lather is slick and very protective.
Scent: (10/10)
TOBS Natural is a fragrance-free, unscented cream…and I mean absolutely no scent (also preservative free). And this is important because some soaps that are advertised as unscented still have a scent of some kind, either from a masking agent or a tallow or lanolin kind of earthy smell. But this one is superior in terms of it being completely unscented. For those shavers who are scent sensitive this is a top performer. And because it has no scent it won't conflict with any AS or ASB you may choose to use.
Price: (9/10)
At $23 Canadian for a 150 gram tub...for me this is good value. The plastic tub is recyclable and reusable. (I plan to use mine for my Haslinger soap pucks)
Would you buy again: (10/10)
Absolutely. In fact TOBS sells a wide variety of other shaving creams. I would not hesitate to buy the Natural cream version again.
Shaving soap ingredients:
From the label on the soap:
Overall: (10/10)
I only have positive things to say about this soap. Every shave was a great shave. The packaging looks great and it is a pleasure to use and it left my face feeling great. TOBS Natural is ideal for those shavers who want good skin care and a scent free, all natural product. I would put this cream in the luxury shave cream category at a great price. An absolute pleasure to use.
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