Dr Henk's Formula #4
- Thread starter Boab
- Start Date
- Joined
- Wednesday September 23, 2009
- Location
- Almere, Netherlands
There's 20 65 gram tubs sitting in my spare room... as well as 10 (hope less actually) at the Dutch barbershop.
- Joined
- Friday July 10, 2009
- Location
- Inverclyde
It has been a couple of months since Henk kindly sent me a sample of his No4 soap. Before I received the sample I had to go into hospital for an operation this turned out to be more complex than anticipated so I was in for longer than planned.
When I returned home the sample along with a few other nice items were waiting for me, while I was recovering shaving was “as quick as I can†so I was not interested in enjoying any of the new products. I am now more able bodied and have recently been working my way through some of my new products.
Today I took the soap sample from Henk out for a spin. First impressions are that the texture is almost like glazing putty, I have P160 and other soft soaps but No4 is different from those. For the first few uses I broke a piece off and used a lathering bowl to work it into the brush, this worked well. Later I pressed some of it into a dish and used like a hard soap, again this worked well and for me is the preferred method. The texture of the No4 soap allows a great deal of flexibility in how it is used, I even thought about using it as a stick and rubbing it on my chops. I do not think Henk should change the texture (at least too much).
In use it loads onto the brush very easily, reading the thread that I missed while away I noted Henk said that he soaks the brush, lets it drip and then does one downward movement (no shaking) and then loads the brush with soap. I tired this today and this seems to yield the best results I have had so far. Doing this gave me a very creamy lather that is perfect in consistency. Previously I was definitely shaking too much water out the brush and then adding some back, the end result is the same but Henk’s method works very well and I will continue to use it with this soap.
The lather itself provides a very cushioning layer, so much so that even when rinsing if I feel a slightly rough spot there is still enough lubrication to have a quick touch up with the razor without reapplying more soap, Consistency of the lather on my first few uses was probably a bit thick, I guess this was because I took too much water out the brush but also that it is a soft soap that does transfer to the brush easily.
As for the scent, I am not in love with it but at the same time I am not put off by it either. It is a little bit domestic cleaner but the lemon zesty smell takes some of that away, overall I find it clean and fresh but not sure if I will get a little sick of it over time. At the end of the day as long as I don’t find a smell repulsive I would take performance over scent every day, and this is one of these instances. If it didn’t perform the way it did then I probably would not be writing this.
Post shave I noticed a few things. Rinsing my face I really can feel a slippy layer of that requires a few more rinses to clean off then other soaps, I guessing this could be the clay?. For me it leaves my skin soft and reasonably moisturised with only a light moisturiser or balm to follow. At the weekend I used an Iridium in my Muhle R41 (the old version which is very aggressive), and went for it so to speak with a BBS target. While I am not going to pretend there as no burn and the Alum did not sting quite a bit, the stinging was not as bad as expected and the bit of razor burn I had on my neck calmed down quickly.
With a “normal†shave for me (Persona type blade and Aristocrat #16) it leaves my skin feeling quite neutral, not greasy nor dry but calm and smooth. I am not saying that this soap is the holy grail and that you should bin all your other soaps. There are nicer smelling soaps, there are some that have more moisturising properties and others which will last a little longer so there are many points to consider when evaluating a product. But I do think this is a fantastic soap that scores highly across the board. It has been made by someone who clearly knows their stuff and it is worth a try for any wetshaver.
I read in the thread that there is now a No5 soap for sale and I will be buying some of that after the Christmas chaos.
When I returned home the sample along with a few other nice items were waiting for me, while I was recovering shaving was “as quick as I can†so I was not interested in enjoying any of the new products. I am now more able bodied and have recently been working my way through some of my new products.
Today I took the soap sample from Henk out for a spin. First impressions are that the texture is almost like glazing putty, I have P160 and other soft soaps but No4 is different from those. For the first few uses I broke a piece off and used a lathering bowl to work it into the brush, this worked well. Later I pressed some of it into a dish and used like a hard soap, again this worked well and for me is the preferred method. The texture of the No4 soap allows a great deal of flexibility in how it is used, I even thought about using it as a stick and rubbing it on my chops. I do not think Henk should change the texture (at least too much).
In use it loads onto the brush very easily, reading the thread that I missed while away I noted Henk said that he soaks the brush, lets it drip and then does one downward movement (no shaking) and then loads the brush with soap. I tired this today and this seems to yield the best results I have had so far. Doing this gave me a very creamy lather that is perfect in consistency. Previously I was definitely shaking too much water out the brush and then adding some back, the end result is the same but Henk’s method works very well and I will continue to use it with this soap.
The lather itself provides a very cushioning layer, so much so that even when rinsing if I feel a slightly rough spot there is still enough lubrication to have a quick touch up with the razor without reapplying more soap, Consistency of the lather on my first few uses was probably a bit thick, I guess this was because I took too much water out the brush but also that it is a soft soap that does transfer to the brush easily.
As for the scent, I am not in love with it but at the same time I am not put off by it either. It is a little bit domestic cleaner but the lemon zesty smell takes some of that away, overall I find it clean and fresh but not sure if I will get a little sick of it over time. At the end of the day as long as I don’t find a smell repulsive I would take performance over scent every day, and this is one of these instances. If it didn’t perform the way it did then I probably would not be writing this.
Post shave I noticed a few things. Rinsing my face I really can feel a slippy layer of that requires a few more rinses to clean off then other soaps, I guessing this could be the clay?. For me it leaves my skin soft and reasonably moisturised with only a light moisturiser or balm to follow. At the weekend I used an Iridium in my Muhle R41 (the old version which is very aggressive), and went for it so to speak with a BBS target. While I am not going to pretend there as no burn and the Alum did not sting quite a bit, the stinging was not as bad as expected and the bit of razor burn I had on my neck calmed down quickly.
With a “normal†shave for me (Persona type blade and Aristocrat #16) it leaves my skin feeling quite neutral, not greasy nor dry but calm and smooth. I am not saying that this soap is the holy grail and that you should bin all your other soaps. There are nicer smelling soaps, there are some that have more moisturising properties and others which will last a little longer so there are many points to consider when evaluating a product. But I do think this is a fantastic soap that scores highly across the board. It has been made by someone who clearly knows their stuff and it is worth a try for any wetshaver.
I read in the thread that there is now a No5 soap for sale and I will be buying some of that after the Christmas chaos.
- Joined
- Wednesday September 23, 2009
- Location
- Almere, Netherlands
And thanks for the glowing review 
- Joined
- Friday July 10, 2009
- Location
- Inverclyde
Henk, credit where credit is due this is a fine soap which you should be proud of. I try to post my genuine feelings (good and bad) but there is not a lot bad to say about this soap (in my opinion).
- Joined
- Wednesday August 5, 2009
- Location
- West Yorkshire
Quite. I've posted some rather gushing praise for No. 5 elsewhere, but only because it is a genuinely distinctive and impressive product. I haven't so far mentioned the scent (my nose is permanently blocked with sawdust), but I'd venture to suggest that you may prefer the sandalwood and vetiver - I certainly find it pleasant. As regards the texture, I'm not a regular user of creams, so my preference for No. 6 (or 5.1?) would be a return to the soft soap format, but whatever Henk decides to do next, I'm sure it will be well worth investigating.Audiolab said: