TOC Aromatherapy Shaving Soap

Henk: Right now it's opaque,because I haven't unwrapped it ... yep, you're right it's translucent going on transparent, with a layer of what can only be fennel seeds on top, given the smell. Having just washed my hands with it, I'd say it's a rather unremarkable artisan soap, except for the scent which is gorgeous.

SA: It's sort of pondwater green. There's another list on the other side of the label (the plot thickens):

"Sweet Fennel, Indian Sandalwood, Bergamot, Bay, Pettitgrain (sic); Lime, Shea Butter, Borage, Vitamin E, Fennel Seeds"

and a statement: "A blend of the finest organic ingredients to give you a wonderful creamy lather" (it wasn't that good). Finally, from the brochure: "All our products are 100% natural with no animal fats, no SLS, no parabens, no testing on animals, only family and friends". Make of that what you will.
 
With those essential oils I would be very surprised if there was not sufficient linalool, limonene and eugenol at the very least to warrant being declared on the label.
And I still can't see anything in the ingredients that would make it blue.
 
Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with melt and pour, and I believe some of the bases can be quite 'clean' in terms of the ingredients. But it's not really 'making' soap.
 
Sorry guys and gal, but I've not had much luck with this soap. And it's not for lack of trying. Could someone who's used this soap successfully please offer some advice to this confused puckwit? :(

It arrived yesterday from the very friendly Maggi Dearmer. First impressions: attractive looking aquamarine-coloured 'round' (much more opaque than translucent); lovely fresh scent; a nice big hunk of soap. I couldn't wait for my evening shave.

Now I should probably point out that I'm a newcomer to soaps - Palmolive (stick) and Tabac are the only ones I've tried so far. I've no doubt that my lathering technique is far from perfect, but I have had good results from the above soaps, particularly the rather odd-smelling Tabac :eek: .

I was quite confident I'd soon be whipping up torrents of lather from this beauty (following Antdad's lather tutorial). But it wasn't to be. It took quite a while to charge my damp Men-U boar bristle brush, after which I began bowl lathering steadily...then furiously. In all fairness, I did end up with an average-looking lather after some time, but it looked and felt very 'airy'. I added more soap, and a touch more water, whipped it up some more and arrived at a 'useable' lather. I can't say it afforded much cushion, but it did contribute to a trouble-free shave; so in that respect it did its job.

Having spoken to Maggi over the phone, and read some great reviews, I really wanted this great-smelling soap to succeed. So, an hour after shaving and reading-up on technique, I went to lather it again, but using a wetter brush this time. Again, the results weren't too great. Tried to lather up the round again today with a drier (but still damp) brush and achieved pretty much the same results as my first attempt. Gutted.
 
Oh dear. As the originator of this thread I feel responsible for your disappointment, but I still stand by my recommendation.

I have generally face lathered with this soap, but thought I ought to knock up a bowlful with a boar brush, and the result was just fine - that was quarter of an hour ago and it's still looking appetising. Specifically, I used an Omega 49, squeezed and shaken reasonably dry, loaded the brush for say 30 seconds (in other words, quite a bit of soap), and worked up the lather for a minute in the usual way. As we are blessed with nice soft Pennine water, perhaps that's the problem; on the other hand maybe it's the brush (as Ollie would say, I have an outstandingly large one).

It's noticeable that there's far less consensus among us here about vegetarian soaps than there is about tallow ones, which makes me wonder whether the former are more water dependent than the latter. I think everyone gets on with Tabac and Palmolive, though I really wouldn't expect Tabac to have done any better than the TOC did just now. Sorry Mr Ape, I suppose it's just a case of your mileage being at variance with mine.

Half an hour now and it's past its best, but definitely still there.
 
Andy, please don't take my review personally. I don't doubt that it works for you and the others who have already posted their findings - which makes it all the more frustrating for me. As a self-confessed inexpert lathermeister, perhaps I'll give this another go at some point. If not, there'll be a rather nice-smelling PIF coming somebody's way! :)
 
It's irritating to get a disappointing product though, isn't it, especially when the buying experience has been good? I was equally peeved by my recent experiences with Sedburgh and Arran Aromatics soaps: I really wanted to like them.
 
Hi Andy. You'll be pleased to know that it was my poor lathering technique that was behind my lack of success with the TOC soap. I sent it to SlimJim as a PIF and his feedback photos show wads of lather, both in the bowl and on his brush. :oops: Perhaps I'll revisit it when I've got my act together!
 
Naked Ape said:
Hi Andy. You'll be pleased to know that it was my poor lathering technique that was behind my lack of success with the TOC soap.
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Not really. I'm still not convinced you should be blaming yourself, but anyway I'm glad Slim Jim's getting the benefit.
 
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