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Post by ordinaryshaver on Feb 12, 2019 20:42:37 GMT -6
So, the green mountain soap has begun it's pass around voyage. I cut sample size pieces and placed them in wax paper. They are with the first user Flintstone . Once he gets his sample, he will send it on to the next person, etc. I would like this to be the central location for the reviews of the soap, so please post what you think here so I can link it back to the owners of the soap, that were nice enough to send us the samples free of charge. All we are asking for, is a fair review. If it works, tell us so, if it doesn't, let us know that also . I will hold off on my review, as to not give my thoughts until the package has made it to a few folks and reviews have started coming in. -Staff
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Post by jayaruh on Feb 12, 2019 21:29:59 GMT -6
Sounds like a plan.
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zykris
Lather Catcher
Tuggy against the grave...
Posts: 882
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Post by zykris on Feb 13, 2019 1:10:20 GMT -6
Roger.
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Flintstone
Lather Catcher
Scraper Blade Shaver...
Posts: 908
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Post by Flintstone on Feb 22, 2019 10:19:49 GMT -6
Looks like I'm up first, so here's my review. I used it for a week of shaves, and thanks to OS’ ability to dice the soap up, I was able to try both scents: Green-Vetiver and Balsam Spice. First, a little background to help you gauge where my comments are coming from: - I’m a face latherer who does not bloom his soaps
- My current favorite soaps are Modern Williams, Haslinger Schafmilch, Cella and Stirling
- I’m strictly a synth-brush user -- I’ve got several with various sizes, different brands with differently set knots.
- I’m a quick/thin latherer -- just looking for something to cover at a sufficient consistency, I don’t spend time trying for “butter cream”
With that out of the way, let's get to the meat of the review. I’ve broken my comments into the functional categories that I use when buying soaps: vendor (reputation, professionalism), product characteristics (ingredients, packaging), scent, lather, slickness, post-shave and value. Here we go: - Vendor. I obviously didn’t order the product from or through Green Mountain Soap Company, nor have I ever ordered product from them before. That said, they are obviously confident enough in their product to let a group of consumers, in a forum setting, use and comment on their product without them having any editorial control or censorship ability. I appreciate that kind of confidence in one’s product, and it says something positive to me about them as a vendor. I will also say that I did do a little poking around other forums and I couldn’t find any negative feedback or comments regarding the company or its business practices.
- Product characteristics. The shaving soaps appear to contain both tallow and glycerin, and the scents are purported to be from essential oils. I don’t have the boxes, so I can’t give you an ingredient list, and while the website has quite a bit of detail on soap-making and its history, I didn’t see the ingredient list posted there….I could’ve missed it, there is a lot of info on the site. I also can’t comment on packaging. Pictures look like the soap is just placed inside a light cardboard box. Truth to tell, packaging isn’t a hot-spot for me, so I’m fine with very basic/plain packaging, as long as the product isn’t compromised by it. My preference is for makers to plow their investment dollars into producing a high quality product, not fancy packaging.
- Scent. The scents (both Green-Vetiver and Balsam Spice) were very nice, and VERY subtle….really, they are barely there compared to other scented soaps. I could detect the light fragrance in the lather, and just a hint after I had rinsed, so these scents should not offend during the shave and will obviously not interfere with any post-shave fragrances. I prefer really subtle scents, and even I found the scents a little too subtle….probably because I really liked both fragrances and would’ve liked them to have been a bit more pronounced. Since I don’t use a lot of scents, it’s difficult for me to describe them to others, so I’ll leave that to those with more discerning noses than mine. I will say that soaps do seem to lose their scent with exposure, so it may be that these would be stronger right out of the packaging and perhaps maintain that strength if stored in an airtight container.
- Lather. This is definitely a hard soap, not a croap. It’s consistency is more like Williams and Haslinger’s, than Cella or even Arko. To load, I put the sample piece in a small plastic container and used a slightly damp brush to work/load the soap. Even though the soap moved around in the container I used, I managed to easily load the brush tips with a decent amount. Face lathering was straightforward, and I would describe the soap as thirsty. Wetting the brush tips during the lathering made the soap “come alive” and produce a reasonable amount of lather. Again, I don’t look for or try for butter cream, but I found I could get a lather at least as decent as I can with my other soaps. The lather lasted throughout the pass without any dissipation, and there was always more than enough on my brush for a 3-pass shave and touch-up.
- Slickness. This is the most important aspect to me, and my slickest soap is probably Williams. If Williams is a 10 on a 1-to-10 point scale, this soap is a 7 to 8. Plenty of slickness both in lather form and after the lather has been removed by the razor. It’s not the slickest I’ve used, but it’s more than sufficient in my opinion. A certain amount of slickness also stays after I rinse my face, and that’s a positive for me.
- Post shave. This is difficult for me to quantify, but qualitatively speaking, the soap left my face feeling “nourished”, not dry or tight, but rather like I had used a light moisturizer. It’s got a nice post-shave feel. Just as a footnote, the only aftershave products I use are Krampert’s Finest (Bay Rum and Frostbite), and because these products always make my face feel nice and restored, I actually waited a while before applying them so their excellent properties didn’t color my opinion of the soap.
- Value. On first blush, the price per ounce (using my soap sources) puts it higher than Stirling but lower than imports (like Cella & Haslinger); and like most soaps, it is significantly higher than the Williams. But I’m not sure that tells the whole story. I found that it took very little soap to make a decent lather, and I suspect 4 oz of this soap may last significantly longer than 6 oz of another comparably priced soap. So while it’s impossible to quantify in this test, my gut is telling me that this soap is a good value in terms of the cost per shave.
So the bottom line is Green Mountain Soap Company makes a good shaving soap, and I wouldn’t hesitate recommending them....especially to those who prize natural ingredients, subtle (but very pleasant) scents, and nice post-shave feel. I enjoyed my shaves with this soap, and I was especially taken with the fragrances and how my skin felt after the shave. I want to thank Green Mountain Soap Company for providing their product to our forum and opening themselves up to our feedback. And a special thanks to ordinaryshaver for putting this pass-around together. I’m very glad I got to try this soap, and I'm happy to now have this soap maker on my radar.
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pj3r
Lather Catcher
Posts: 842
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Post by pj3r on Feb 22, 2019 10:52:29 GMT -6
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Post by jayaruh on Feb 22, 2019 15:13:30 GMT -6
Thorough review there, Flintstone. I look forward to giving it a try.
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Post by wchnu on Feb 23, 2019 2:10:36 GMT -6
So, the green mountain soap has begun it's pass around voyage. I cut sample size pieces and placed them in wax paper. They are with the first user Flintstone . Once he gets his sample, he will send it on to the next person, etc. I would like this to be the central location for the reviews of the soap, so please post what you think here so I can link it back to the owners of the soap, that were nice enough to send us the samples free of charge. All we are asking for, is a fair review. If it works, tell us so, if it doesn't, let us know that also . I will hold off on my review, as to not give my thoughts until the package has made it to a few folks and reviews have started coming in. -Staff Still nothing from the next guy. Do we bypass and send to the one next after him?
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Post by ordinaryshaver on Feb 23, 2019 7:13:15 GMT -6
So, the green mountain soap has begun it's pass around voyage. I cut sample size pieces and placed them in wax paper. They are with the first user Flintstone . Once he gets his sample, he will send it on to the next person, etc. I would like this to be the central location for the reviews of the soap, so please post what you think here so I can link it back to the owners of the soap, that were nice enough to send us the samples free of charge. All we are asking for, is a fair review. If it works, tell us so, if it doesn't, let us know that also . I will hold off on my review, as to not give my thoughts until the package has made it to a few folks and reviews have started coming in. -Staff Still nothing from the next guy. Do we bypass and send to the one next after him? Yes, bypass him, we can always come back around to him.
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Flintstone
Lather Catcher
Scraper Blade Shaver...
Posts: 908
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Post by Flintstone on Feb 23, 2019 10:00:04 GMT -6
Thorough review there, Flintstone . I look forward to giving it a try. Thank you!
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Post by wchnu on Feb 23, 2019 21:09:19 GMT -6
Still nothing from the next guy. Do we bypass and send to the one next after him? Yes, bypass him, we can always come back around to him. Ok let whoever know to get me an addy.
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Post by wchnu on Feb 23, 2019 21:11:31 GMT -6
I am not as good a writer at Fred. I will say I like this soap. Lathers easy and has plenty of slide and slip. The scent is light and pleasent. I will be using up my sample for sure!
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Post by jayaruh on Feb 23, 2019 21:46:29 GMT -6
I am not as good a writer at Fred. I will say I like this soap. Lathers easy and has plenty of slide and slip. The scent is light and pleasant. I will be using up my sample for sure! Excellent minimalist review.
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Post by wchnu on Feb 23, 2019 22:16:15 GMT -6
I am not as good a writer at Fred. I will say I like this soap. Lathers easy and has plenty of slide and slip. The scent is light and pleasant. I will be using up my sample for sure! Excellent minimalist review. I could just say it works and I like it. Lol
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Post by jayaruh on Feb 24, 2019 6:41:28 GMT -6
Excellent minimalist review. I could just say it works and I like it. Lol Curb your enthusiasm there Fuzzy.
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Post by ordinaryshaver on Feb 24, 2019 22:20:02 GMT -6
zykris your next on the list. Send wchnu your address and he will ship it your way. OS
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