They were the very first artisan soap I bought when I started DE shaving last January. A couple of the scents didn't do anything for me at all, Hex being the main one. Others, like Hydra and Big Green Monster have been in rotation since I bought them. Always have gotten good shaves from them, and have recommended the brand more than a few times. Did a review of them last year after I got to try them out, I'll post it below.
The samples I bought of the aftershaves weren't very good at all though. Every one that I tried had an off-putting smell, and I hate that since I enjoy the soap scents so much. Only tried the Classic and Anne Bonny scents in the A/S, but after those initial experiences I don't think I'll be trying anymore.
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Have used many different brands and styles of soap since this initial review, but they still work great for me.
So my take on the Dr. Jon’s soaps now that I’ve tried my whole sample pack out. Minus the Savannah Sunrise because the scent list, other than the Orange and Peach, really didn’t sound very appealing to me. Not a big fan of floral scents myself. After my experience with the soaps I still may have to at least snag a sample to try.
As everyone that has gotten these soaps so far has stated, the packaging is very cool. I’m a Graphic Designer so I’m always mindful of aesthetics, and that was the first thing that stood out to me about the tins. Great all around attention to detail, down to the color coordinated tape to seal the tins.
Performance was awesome for me after a bit of newbie fumbling during my initial shaves. These were the first artisan soaps I got in after I started DE shaving way back a whole month ago, and I’m still loving them. Even with hard water I can get a great lather out of them with just a little bit of extra hydration and a couple more turns of the brush. No issues there at all. They don’t lather the same as a tallow based soap right off the bat of course just due to the inherent differences between the ingredients. With a little more effort, I was getting the same lather results as my Stirling samples that I have in rotation with the Dr Jon’s.
Honestly for me at this point, it boils down to scents. And out of five scents I ordered, four are definite keepers for me. Each has its own thing going on, but they all are well rounded scents to my nose. They all share a common airiness. Don’t get me wrong, they’re bold scents, but not overbearing. I honestly could do with a double strength version of some of them because I like the smells so much.
Anne Bonny- West Indies Bay leaf essential oil, dark rum, lime, and black tea. Bay Rum, but not like any others I’ve smelled. The lime gives it a nice punch while not taking anything over. Nice full fragrance. Got some on my t-shirt on my last shave, and caught myself sniffing at my sleeve to revisit the smell.
Big Green Monster- Lime, Sweet Basil, and Peppermint. Nothing hides in this one, all those mix to form an exceptionally clean and invigorating scent. Simple as that, it’s just a great one for me.
Classic- Never thought I’d be one to enjoy the “Barbershop” scents. Why do I want to smell like an old man? Well, I guess you can call me Pops now, because I can’t get enough of this. I’m not experienced enough with this type of scent to give an informed opinion, so I won’t even try. Complex scent with lavender, cedar, lime, bergamot, vetiver, and rosemary. The lavender, lime, and cedar stand out the most to me.
Hydra- This was the sleeper of the group. I wasn’t expecting to like this at all, but it came in the sampler, so I figured, it’s here so I’ll give it a try. The smell of burying your face in the citrus aisle of the fresh produce section. Just awesome.
Hex- The only one that I didn’t just fall in love with, and I was expecting it to be one of the favorites. Black pepper, cedar, orange, and cinnamon. I really only pick up the orange and a little bit of cedar. Not a bad scent by any stretch, just not for me. I think the others just made such strong impressions for me, that it just couldn’t hold up that.
All in all a great first Artisan soap purchase. 4 out of 5 keepers that will return as full pucks when my samples run out. Also, the owners seem like very cool people and don’t seem content being stagnant. They have two new scents coming out soon, one of which I am anxiously looking forward to trying. And hopefully they’ll be doing aftershaves of the scents in the future.
tl:dr Dr Jon’s soap good.
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