Irish Shaving Soaps Review 5/5: SunRose Garden

A little bit about SunRose Garden:
The beautifully named SunRose Garden was set up by Natasha & Martin in County Wexford. Their background is in complimentary healing therapies and they are dedicated to using natural, active ingredients in their handmade products, and use as many locally sources components as possible. Their website offers a idea range of products including a face care range and gift packs. Their online shop ships worldwide and accepts all major credit cards.

Presentation:
With a lovely warm colour to both the bar and packaging, this is the only product in this review series that uses "open" packaging (ie. the product is not fully wrapped). While this is more environmentally friendly, as it minimises packaging waste, it also means that some people like myself will want to wrap it in something else for storage in between uses so that it doesn't dry out too much. On the website the "Clean Shave" bar is shown as being a round puck made in a floral mould. I'm unsure as to the reason behind this difference in presentation to what I received, however the bar is slightly soft and very malleable and so will easily fit in a shaving mug regardless of the shape. It is a good 100grams and the open-wrap presentation adds to that handmade feel in my opinion. This is not a slice cut off a larger block, this is an individual hand-crafted single bar which is a nice touch and feels more personal.


Ingredients:
Olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, avocado oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, neem oil, green clay, spring water, glycerine, essentail oils of bergamot, sandalwood, juniper and lavender.
I like the addition of the neem oil in this product as is is known for its antiseptic properties and thus is very good for the skin in small amount like this.


Scent:
When I looked at the list of essential oils used in the soap I though "that's an unusual combination" and I was right... the result is a wonderfully unusual scent. It's the type of scent that I keep on going back to and having another sniff of trying to pick out notes and work out the breakdown of the blend. It is light but the hints of sandalwood at a touch of a musk. It is fresh but neither distinctly floral nor fruity. It is lovely, addictive and my favourite out of all of those reviewed. It doesn't increase too much upon lathering nor does it linger on the skin but I am sitting here with it in my shaving mug beside me and I just can't get enough!


Lather & Shave:
You can not use too little water with this product. Martin, the maker, suggests rubbing it directly onto the skin and he's right. It will not create a usable lather in a bowl and it is very difficult to load onto your brush. The lather is thin and bubbly (more like a bath soap) but despite that it gives quite a good, moisturizing shave. There is no cushion to it so thick haired, sensitive skin types may not find it softening enough, however it has a nice glide and my skin is lovely and soft afterwards. A bit more work to use compared to a lot of soaps though.


Cost:
€4.00 per puck from http://www.sunrosegarden.com/products/Clean-Shave.html

Summary:
It gets the highest marks for its scent and consistency (nice, soft and easy to mold into your container) yet is lacking in cushion and lather durability. It's the type of soap that can hook you with its scent and that you'll put the extra effort into to get a shave out of it for that reason alone.


- BE


This is the last entry into this set of reviews - I hope you enjoyed them all and let me know if I missed any!

Irish Shaving Soaps Review 4/5: The Handmade Soap Company

A little bit about The Handmade Soap Company:
Having previously talked about this company at length I'll keep this slightly shorter, but please do look at my entry about them here: Handmade Soap Company Blog Post
Having been inspired by the cottage industries they saw in Australia, Donagh Quigley and Gemma McGowan set up the Handmade Soap Company in 2009. They use only natural ingredients and have won many awards for their company over the last couple of years. Their online shop ships globally and accepts PayPal.

Presentation:
Wrapped in lovely little boxes with beautiful, simplistic detail and design this packaging is my favourite out of the soaps reviewed here. They are also the only company to offer a 'his' and 'hers' version of their shaving soaps which is great for couples' gift options. I love the cut out details on the lids giving a sneaky peak into the contents and the bars themselves are a generous 110grams each.
The 'hers' is a lemon coloured bar while the 'his' is a more grey/light brown shade.


Ingredients:
Now this is where these guys really get brownie points. Yes, they use all natural ingredients but also, by providing a 'his' and 'hers' version they are also providing a vegan-friendly version in the 'hers' soap to offer an alternative to the tallow based 'his'! The 'hers' also is fairly unisex in scent so it gives an extra option to the gents out there!
Hers Ingredients: Coconut oil, sustainable palm oil, olive oil, aloe vera, water, sodium hydroxide, essential oils of lavender, juniper, lemongrass and howood.
His Ingredients: Castor oil, beef tallow, cocoa butter, shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, glycerin, stearic acid, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, aqua, essential oils of lime, basil and sweet orange 10001. 
Now here's the confusing part: despite what the ingredients label on the 'his' version says, the box itself says "essential oils of vetiver, wintergreen, juniper and sweet orange" and I have to say, given the overpowering scent of vetiver off the bar, I'm inclined to agree with the box, not the label.


Scent:
As I mentioned above, the 'hers' scent is unisex but personally I find the 'his' to be a strongly male scent in terms of appeal. 
The 'hers' is lovely and sweet, very juicy and becomes more enhanced while lathering and leaves just a whisper of a scent of the skin. The lemongrass keeps the scent fresh and fruity but is tempered from being sickly by the other notes.
The 'his' scent is unmistakably vetiver. Now unfortunately this is a scent that I really can't stomach too well. It's heavy and woodsy and very much a selected taste (though those who love it think it's amazing!). Like the 'hers' this scent also increases upon lathering and stays a little on the skin afterwards.


Lather & Shave:
Both soaps require just a tiny amount of water to get a usable lather. They are easily turned into an unusable  bubbly soap lather with too much water so just wet your brush, gently squeeze and add a drop or two extra as is needed. Again these don't bowl-lather well as it will disappear quickly but if you lather bit-by-bit on your skin you can get a decent shave out of them.
His: This lather is just slightly above a body soap lather. It's thin and bubbly and unfortunately a little sticky in terms of residue. My razor needed a thorough clean after using this. The shave is fine and there was no skipping but also no cushion or thickness to the lather. 
Hers: This one is a real surprise. Again the lather is thin and must be done bit-by-bit but the shave is very nice and probably left my skin the smoothest and most moisturised out of all the products reviewed. Add to that the inviting scent and you get a product that, while it doesn't look great, performs well. 
Neither lathers will help soften thick beards and the cushion isn't there to support heavy growth either in my opinion. 


Cost:
€4.50 for the "Hers" puck and €6.95 for the "His" puck from http://www.thehandmadesoapcompany.ie/catalog/index.php?cPath=2

Summary:
The "her" provides a wonderful scent, as well as the being surprisingly moisturisating despite it's lack of tallow. The 'his' was disappointing I'm afraid, however I have been told that the formulation has recently changed and it is in constant development to improve it's performance.


- BE


Click Here For Part Five: SunRose Garden

Irish Shaving Soaps Review 3/5: Dr. K. Soap Company

A little bit about Dr. K. Soap Company:
Set up in Cork by "Dr. K" this company strives to use only pure, natural ingredients. They contain no animal products nor are they tested on animals. As well as making shaving soaps, Dr. K. makes many other products such as lip balm and body butter and the website also carries a variety of accessories. Their online store accepts PayPal and ships worldwide.

Presentation:
Wrapped in paper with a sticker on top I'm instantly reminded of cupcakes when I see these 70 gram pucks! The label is pretty and informative and the soap is in the shape of a cupcake bottom (ie. the lower half of a muffin). They are the perfect size to pop into any shaving mug. I recieved one lime scented one and one peppermint scented one.


Ingredients:
These are SLS free. The ingredients below are for the peppermint version. The lime version is very similar and can be seen in the picture.
Sodium/Potassium shea butterate, sodium/potassium castorate, sodium/potassium palmate, sodium/potassium stearate, sodium/potassium cocoa butterate, sodium/potassium cocoate, vegetable glycerin, bentonite clay, sucrose, peppermint Oil (or lime peel oil as in the picture above), limonene, linalool.


Scent:
I adore the scent of lime so for the purposes of testing the product that is the soap I opened and used. That being said I can smell the peppermint one clearly through the wrapper and is smells minty (d'uh), fresh and slightly sweet. 
The lime scent is was initially strong when taken out of the wrapper but has become more subtle since first being opened. It is pleasant, natural, light and fresh. It doesn't have that lovely explosion of juiciness when lathering that I like, nor does it leave much of a scent on the skin unfortunately. However on the plus side this means that the levels of essential oil in it is probably not too high which would mean that it is unlikely to cause a reaction on sensitive skin.


Lather & Shave:
In a nutshell this is the best Irish shaving soap I tested. It forms a lather closest to what I would describe as a "proper" shaving soap lather. With that being said it is by no means perfect, but it is thick and has a moderate level of cushion and protection to it and leaves my skin beautifully moisturised. It lathers best on the skin rather than in the bowl as it doesn't load very well. It will load a little and this small amount will provide a small amount of good lather. However I found had had to reload, lather, reload, lather etc. for best results. It doesn't need much water at all and it is easy to whip up. It gives a nice glide to the shave and I will definitely use it again.


Cost:
€4.95 per puck from http://drksoap.com/handmade-soap/shaving-soap-lime/

Summary:
This is the all-round best performer in this set of reviews. Good scent, good lather, good shave. While I personally find the website gives it more of a "large company" rather than "small handmade artisan company" feel to the overall product I wouldn't hold this against them at all as it is easy to navigate and their prices are very reasonable. I would use this again and though it doesn't hit my top ten shaving soaps ever, it is nice to find a solid home-grown product I'm happy to use.


- BE


Click Here For Part Four: The Handmade Soap Company

Irish Shaving Soaps Review 2/5: Crobally Irish Soaps

A little bit about Crobally Irish Soaps:
Based in a small town in County Wexford, this family-run company makes soaps and skincare products using honey from their own bees and as many locally sources ingredients as possible. As an interesting addition they also run training days on soap making and pre-safety assessment training. Their online shop accepts PayPal and ships worldwide. 

Presentation:
The owner sent me a sample product and explained that the packaging that I have is not 100% identical to that of the actual product. Having said that, they are the only company in this series who provide their soap in a jar and so I don't have to find a shaving mug for the soap. Simple but effective, this resealable jar does the job. No bells or whistles but it has all you need without having to liberate another mug from the kitchen cabinet! The full sized product contains a minimum of 60 grams of soap per jar.


Ingredients:
The ingredients are not listed on the website but the owner has told me that the soap is 70% aloe vera based and 2% essential oils (in this case pine, sandalwood and patchouli oils). 


Scent:
BAM! sums it up pretty well. From the minute you open this jar you are hit with all three notes full on. While I could definitely recognise all three, my untrained nose couldn't make out the most prominent one, though I'm inclined to say it is the patchouli. Once you being to create the lather the scents really burst out strongly and it leaves a subtler scent on the skin afterwards. If you are a fan of strong scents and these take your fancy you won't be disappointed. They are not to my personal taste but that's just preference.


Lather & Shave:
For a handmade product this is best summed up as being a 'middle of the road' lather. It's not quite sure if it just wants to be a frothy, bubbly body soap lather or a thick, cushioned shaving soap one. It's somewhere in between. It really benefits from skin lathering rather than in the bowl and the trick is to use very little water. Just a rinse and squeeze of the brush and then a few drops on the skin. While the lather produced can't really be described as thick, it does paint on reasonable well and while there is very little cushion it did give good glide and left my skin lightly scented, nicely moisturised and ridiculously soft.


Cost:
Sold in a pack with their moisturising cream for €12.50 (€17.50 if you would like it in a set with a brush). Available at http://www.croballyirishsoaps.com/page4.htm


Summary:
Not my first choice but not a bad performer either. If you like these scents then you'll be very happy with the strength of them however personally they were not to my liking. People with essential oil sensitivities may find this too strong however.


- BE


Click Here For Part Three: Dr. K. Soap Company

Irish Shaving Soaps Review 1/5: The Burren Perfumery

A little bit about The Burren Perfumery:
Named after the awe-inspiring karst landscape in County Clare, this lovely perfumery (and herb garden and tea shop!) is currently run by the couple Sadie Chowen and Edward Biggs. All of their products are handmade using only natural ingredients most of which are herbs and flowers native to the area. They ship worldwide and offer a 10% discount of first orders.

Presentation:
Pretty as a picture and wrapped in handmade paper (some with tiny pressed flowers embedded in it) these soap blocks are 100grams in weight. The delicate and simple, clean presentation is lovely and each one feels like a small hand-wrapped gift. Inside of the outer paper is an inner lining of a light wax paper surrounding the opaque cream-coloured soap. The square shape means some pairing might have to be done to get it to fit into a shaving mug but the soap is easy to cut.


Ingredients:
Saponified Olive, Palm and Coconut Oils, Calendula Oil, Irish Spring Water.
(Bonus points to this soap for being very natural with no hard-to-pronounce stuff!). Also it doesn't contain tallow so it is vegan-friendly.


Scent:
This only comes in an unscented version so it's great for people with sensitive skin or allergies.


Lather & Shave:
Unfortunately this is where the product falls short. In brief, it lathers like a body soap, not a shaving soap. The clue to this is in the ingredients as it is so heavily oil-based. A foamy, bubbly lather can be produced but it has very little staying power and no thickness or cushion to it. Only a tiny amount of water is needed to get a lather on this (wet brush, gently squeeze brush, and rub on soap). The brush does not really "load" with product and lather is formed straight away.
With all that having been said, if you don't mind lathering your face bit by bit, there is a decent shave to be had provided you don't have very coarse hair. This lather does not soften the hair so thick beards won't have enough cushion, but it is very moisturising and your skin feels wonderful and soft afterwards. 


Cost:
€6.50 per bar from http://www.burrenperfumery.com/. 


Summary:
I love the ingredients and the look of this, but I think I would much prefer their standard body soaps and I imagine this soap could double as one quite easily. If you have a light beard and want a nice one-for-everything soap (maybe for travelling) then this could be a real winner, and those who are sensitive to fragrances will be attracted to this also.


- BE


Click Here For Part Two: Crobally Irish Soaps

The HUGE Irish-Made Shaving Soaps Review!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

Here it is folks! What you've all been waiting for and never even knew it... I've been working behind the scenes on this one for a while and finally I'm writing up the results! It all began a couple of months ago when I once again got asked the familiar question by a reader: "Do you know of any good shaving soaps made in Ireland?". After finding my usual reply of: "I haven't tried any, I'm very sorry" just far to lame for a blogger of my global fame (ok, so my mum thinks I'm cool - that counts, right?) I thought "Enough of this Barber Eile, let's see what's out there!"
A few e-mail conversations later with some awesome Irish soap makers, a few excited days waiting by the post box for little packages to pop through, and here it is...a review of the main 5 Irish-Made Shaving Soaps available (I'm open to expanding this if I've missed any!).

I'm going to post each review as a separate entry so as to make the products more searchable in this blog. In the interest of fairness I will review them in alphabetical order by company name. 
They are:

• The Burren Perfumery - http://www.burrenperfumery.com/ (Click For Review)
• Crobally Irish Soaps - http://www.croballyirishsoaps.com/  (Click For Review)
• Dr. K Soap Company - http://drksoap.com/  (Click For Review)
• The Handmade Soap Company - http://www.thehandmadesoapcompany.ie/  (Click For Review)
• SunRose Garden - http://www.sunrosegarden.com/  (Click For Review)

Each review will be broken down into sections: Presentation, Ingredients, Scent, Lather & Shave, and Cost. I used my Gillette Super Adjustable DE razor loaded with a Shark blade and set to 4, and my Men-U brush for every shave for consistency. 
So without further ado let us begin!
Click here for The Burren Perfumery Shaving Soap Review!


*please note that all products were received as a free sample for review, each supplier was informed that an unbiased review, without their edit, would be published in the interest of honesty and fairness*

Stop Go

Hey everyone,
Just to let my regular readers know that I have some uber-bloggings in the works. Sorry about being so quiet this month but my mum's illness has worsened though we hope it will get somewhat better soon.
Please stay tuned though and I'll be around and blogging again next week!
- BE