artisansoap said:
Arrowhead - I'm glad to hear the lather isn't the worst you've seen. I must be getting somewhere after all :lol: . I look forward to hearing how it is to shave with when you use your safety razor, and I certainly wouldn't want you to use a cut-throat with a lather you weren't happy with :shock: . I'm also glad that you like the smell - I'm rather proud of that particular blend
Oh, it's a long way from being the worst, trust me. The very worst ever is actually a bit pricey - I have a vested interest in not naming names but Sonny will be smiling to himself. By the way, on reflection I agree with the poster who said that the scent is better wet than dry. I haven't the foggiest notion why that might be, but now that my nose seems to working again it's quite evident.
So yes, I did shave with it, in a very circumspect sort of way, and using a well known combination of razor and blade (Rocket and UK Wilkinson, chaps). I just could not build the lather to a creamy stable consistency in a bowl or directly on my face, and wound up relathering in the course of a single pass. I didn't feel that the soap gave me much protection, cushion or glide, and I would not use it with a cut throat.
HOWEVER: this is by no means unprecedented, in fact I've said exactly the same about soaps from our other artisan makers (with the exception of Henk) during their development phases. For my purposes that airy texture (you can hear the bubbles bursting) will have to go, and the stability will have to be improved a great deal before I give this soap the thumbs up, so a tweak to the recipe is definitely indicated.
That said, there's a very good shaving soap to be had here if you get those physical properties sorted. For one thing the scent is appealing and rather distinctive, and for another the after shave skin feel is very good indeed, outstanding even. I've made a point of being straight with you in my comments here, but you certainly shouldn't be discouraged by them ... I hope that you'll find this helpful.
