Wednesday 7th July
Ganders Goat Soap w/Hop, Sage & Birch
Bee Clean Honey & Peppermint Shaving Soap
Haryali DeLuxe (Grey) w/Synthetic 22mm
Gillette New RFB
Gillette Platinum (3) Blue
Brut Original Aftershave
I had high hopes for these new Gillette Platinum blades, but alas, with three shaves I'm left wanting ...
As I've said of so many blades, it's sharp enough (although "sharp" is not its most revealed character) but it was not a smooth shave and despite three shaves where I consciously made the lightest of touches, I'm left with some burn and a couple of bumps on my neck/throat area. Whereas many other blades can be forgiven for the "sharp enough" if they're also "smooth enough", these blades don't measure up - they get the job done, but it's a rough ride. Shame ... sub-7/10 which is just below par and a tick below "acceptable" for me. Not a blade I'd want to buy in any quantity, nor use again in the immediate future. That said, I've got a pack of the older white box Platinum blades to compare with next shave.
But what's that soap I'm using?
Bee Clean Honey & Peppermint? Yeah! I really wanted a peppermint soap. Not menthol, not eucalyptus, not tea tree. Alas, the new OSP offering of a herbal shave missed the opportunity to complete a small bunch of herbs with peppermint and opted for menthol. I saw that TOBS do a Peppermint cream. Tempted. But, eBaying, or Googling, or Etsying or whatever I was doing, I spotted this soap from Bee Clean and the ingredient list rather caught my eye, what with it being all manner of good stuff including rapeseed oil, which is something I am VERY enjoying with my pre-shave soap from Ganders Goat Soaps.
Ingredients? Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lardate, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Castorate, Aqua, Sodium Rapeseedate, Mel, Sheep Milk, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil & Sodium Chloride. So, some good fats there! rapeseed oil, since I'm curious as to how that might perform in a shaving soap, there's honey (from Yorkshire Bees, no less ... so you know that bit of it is
reet and
proper), there's sheep milk, then some herbals - borageseed oil, peppermint and lavender.
On paper, all good ...
But is it a shaving soap? I know, I know ... there are so many "shaving soaps" from competent home soap makers who rather miss the point and think big suds equates to "lots of lather", leaving you with yet another disappointing puck that you relegate to bath soap. Well, I am happy to say that it does lather up like a shaving soap producing a dense and protective lather which can be just about encouraged to build volume, but that it where it stops. It lathers well, it's dense, not especially voluminous despite teasing that it might be given it's quite thirsty. It doesn't fade away through the shave and the residual on the brush is certainly adequate for a second (and perhaps third) pass.
I took a single pass and then lathered up again afterwards to give it some more water gradually to see if it really could build up in volume. It doesn't. That's not a problem as the lather that it does build is certainly adequate and the gentle cooling is wonderful! Bob-on! Certainly a soap I'm going to be happy using again and again through the summer months; not necessarily a soap I'd shout about from the rooftops ... but the curious might do worse than have a look at:
https://www.beecleansoaps.co.uk/collections/mens-shaving-products ... and if you want more volume, maybe blend it with an Italian croap that's gone hard and lost its almond scent.
When it first arrived, I test-lathered up with a boar brush. Tonight, given proper use, it was a synthetic brush. Both achieved the same end result and with the test lather, the boar didn't magic away the lather left on the brush.
Positive.
Ahhh! Brut Original. Stay classy, Gents!