Dragonsbeard review and pass around

ExtraProtein excellent review and I completely agree that this combo of soap and Aftershave make my skin feel great without that sticky or oily post shave feel. I shave daily and have found the DB combo helps keep my skin in top notch condition

Review of Ethos/Oleo Dragonsbeard Shaving Soap 

Every now and then you happen upon a product that was never intended to get your attention and love. You either heard all the popular kids buzzing about it, got a coupon for a discount, or, in my case, got a sample from a sibling. 

The Preface:
1/ I don’t know Frank Lipani, aka Dragonsbeard (on many shave forums), zero correspondence with him until about 14 days ago. Frank is a well-respected member of the Shaving Community.  I know of him from reading his shave offs and interactions surrounding his fair critique on many products (enjoy all of it). I recently reached out to Frank asking him if he had any Dragonsbeard shaving soap and splash as it’s sold out everywhere. He said yes, I paid the man for it and here we are.

2/ I don’t write reviews. I write them if I really like a product or service, that is to say, something “really stands out” and there’s no substitute. I write the way I speak so have some patience with me, I’m not a writer.

The Review:
I was gifted a Dragonsbeard shaving soap sample by my brother on July 4. I read a few shaving threads about the debut of the product, it’s description by the manufacturer (Frank Lipani and his company Ethos) and a pass around to try it. I knew the soap was going to be decent as it’s collaboration with Oleo Soap Works out of Chicago.  Oleo specializes in Psoriasis, Eczema and Rosacea symptom management products.  Take the last sentence; add that to Frank’s experience in cosmetics (read that in a bio somewhere) and I think you’ll get a product that’s very good for your skin. It’s my opinion Ethos and Oleo did their due diligence and presented something pretty special. 
 
I won’t get into the technical aspect of the product, however, by the way my skin feels, additional steps have been taken to develop a great shaving soap and one that treats your skin well.   When I hear the words “and it’s very good for your skin,” I immediately think the aftermath is going to be sticky/tacky/shiny (oily).  DEFINITELY not the case here.  I did a little research on Camel and Sheep’s Milk, Kokum Butter and Duck Fat.  I was schooled on these materials being good for the skin.  I also looked into Frank’s “EOS COMPLEX” which is the “secret sauce” of high end materials that nourish and feed the skin.  
 
DB hit all my points of skin care; get rid of my facial hair, minimize any irritation, hydrate my skin, and make it feel soft and healthy overall.  I only shave 2-3x a week so my face gets to cool down after my shaves.  When I shave, I shave to pass the cotton ball test every time; otherwise it’s not worth doing.  If my skin feels this good after my shaves I can only imagine how a daily shaver’s skin will rebound!  
 
Lather/Slickness
I tried a synth, boar and badger whipping up some incredibly creamy, rich, solid and long lasting lather every single time!  DB produces a faint amber colour “cool whip” type lather, fluffy yet solid/firm and LONG lasting.  By long lasting I mean my lather sat for 15-20 minutes at a time before I rinsed out my bowl.  Always feels like a waste of good lather rinsing the bowl.  The slickness: BRILLIANT, felt like I had phantom lather on my skin after the initial pass.  Yeah, Phantom Lather, the kind you can’t see but you can do an additional pass as if you have lather on your skin. I used my most mild Level 1 OC & L3 SB Charcoal Goods to a .67 OC Wolf, Thiers straight, an R41, Barbaros, and iKon short comb, you name it, super mild to aggressive, I got the same shave every time. DB produces a lather to beat.
 
The Best Part for Last: THE SCENT
Dragonsbeard goes immediately into my TOP 10 most compliments of any fragrance in a soap I’ve ever had, and I’m fortunate to have had some goodies!  I find myself opening the container just to get a whiff of the smell! Scent of soap is VERY seasonally important to me.  I LOVE Citrusy and Woodsy/Spicy.  
 
Although the most important factors of shaving soap should be to help your skin combat irritation and the benefit of hydration; for me, I choose scent first.  I know I know, you should choose based on skin benefits, not the smell good.  Little or no scent does NOT excite me and I get bored VERY easily.  I NEED the smells.  The scent of Dragonsbeard is DARK, MASCULINE, MYSTERIOUS.  I fell in love with its scent the moment my brother gave me the sample back in July.  I knew the smell immediately, meaning, I identified with some of the components.  I think I said something like “it reminds me of Tom Ford Oud Wood or Tobacco Oud but better and different.”  After shaving with it that night, I said to my brother and cousins “I take back what I said earlier about DB smelling like other things I’ve had.  Dragonsbeard smells like Dragonsbeard, it has its own unique signature.  Its OUD, Agarwood, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Leather, Woodsy, maybe throw in some fall leaves and a sprinkle of grass clippings.  That’s what it smells like to ME.  On smell alone, the soap is an LA 10!
 
A little longer than I wanted but well deserved!
 
BRAVO Frank for a kick ass soap, I LOVE the Splash and the bath bar too! Alexandra said I smell delicious!  I would like this scent in some body lotion and looking forward to the next soap/splash/bath bar.
 
Cheers!

Thank you so much for the detailed review and the encouraging words.  I'm also glad you like the scent. It was definitely taking a chance coming out with that scent in my 1st release! I'll be adding more products to the DB Collection after the holidays when I release the Beta version of the shave soap with the new base and a updated version of the EOS Complex. The scent strength will be increased a bit and it will be in all the products that make their way into the DB Collection. There should be at least 4 and maybe 5 more collections released before the holidays.

Frank 

Review of Ethos/Oleo Dragonsbeard Shaving Soap 

Every now and then you happen upon a product that was never intended to get your attention and love. You either heard all the popular kids buzzing about it, got a coupon for a discount, or, in my case, got a sample from a sibling. 

The Preface:
1/ I don’t know Frank Lipani, aka Dragonsbeard (on many shave forums), zero correspondence with him until about 14 days ago. Frank is a well-respected member of the Shaving Community.  I know of him from reading his shave offs and interactions surrounding his fair critique on many products (enjoy all of it). I recently reached out to Frank asking him if he had any Dragonsbeard shaving soap and splash as it’s sold out everywhere. He said yes, I paid the man for it and here we are.

2/ I don’t write reviews. I write them if I really like a product or service, that is to say, something “really stands out” and there’s no substitute. I write the way I speak so have some patience with me, I’m not a writer.

The Review:
I was gifted a Dragonsbeard shaving soap sample by my brother on July 4. I read a few shaving threads about the debut of the product, it’s description by the manufacturer (Frank Lipani and his company Ethos) and a pass around to try it. I knew the soap was going to be decent as it’s collaboration with Oleo Soap Works out of Chicago.  Oleo specializes in Psoriasis, Eczema and Rosacea symptom management products.  Take the last sentence; add that to Frank’s experience in cosmetics (read that in a bio somewhere) and I think you’ll get a product that’s very good for your skin. It’s my opinion Ethos and Oleo did their due diligence and presented something pretty special. 
 
I won’t get into the technical aspect of the product, however, by the way my skin feels, additional steps have been taken to develop a great shaving soap and one that treats your skin well.   When I hear the words “and it’s very good for your skin,” I immediately think the aftermath is going to be sticky/tacky/shiny (oily).  DEFINITELY not the case here.  I did a little research on Camel and Sheep’s Milk, Kokum Butter and Duck Fat.  I was schooled on these materials being good for the skin.  I also looked into Frank’s “EOS COMPLEX” which is the “secret sauce” of high end materials that nourish and feed the skin.  
 
DB hit all my points of skin care; get rid of my facial hair, minimize any irritation, hydrate my skin, and make it feel soft and healthy overall.  I only shave 2-3x a week so my face gets to cool down after my shaves.  When I shave, I shave to pass the cotton ball test every time; otherwise it’s not worth doing.  If my skin feels this good after my shaves I can only imagine how a daily shaver’s skin will rebound!  
 
Lather/Slickness
I tried a synth, boar and badger whipping up some incredibly creamy, rich, solid and long lasting lather every single time!  DB produces a faint amber colour “cool whip” type lather, fluffy yet solid/firm and LONG lasting.  By long lasting I mean my lather sat for 15-20 minutes at a time before I rinsed out my bowl.  Always feels like a waste of good lather rinsing the bowl.  The slickness: BRILLIANT, felt like I had phantom lather on my skin after the initial pass.  Yeah, Phantom Lather, the kind you can’t see but you can do an additional pass as if you have lather on your skin. I used my most mild Level 1 OC & L3 SB Charcoal Goods to a .67 OC Wolf, Thiers straight, an R41, Barbaros, and iKon short comb, you name it, super mild to aggressive, I got the same shave every time. DB produces a lather to beat.
 
The Best Part for Last: THE SCENT
Dragonsbeard goes immediately into my TOP 10 most compliments of any fragrance in a soap I’ve ever had, and I’m fortunate to have had some goodies!  I find myself opening the container just to get a whiff of the smell! Scent of soap is VERY seasonally important to me.  I LOVE Citrusy and Woodsy/Spicy.  
 
Although the most important factors of shaving soap should be to help your skin combat irritation and the benefit of hydration; for me, I choose scent first.  I know I know, you should choose based on skin benefits, not the smell good.  Little or no scent does NOT excite me and I get bored VERY easily.  I NEED the smells.  The scent of Dragonsbeard is DARK, MASCULINE, MYSTERIOUS.  I fell in love with its scent the moment my brother gave me the sample back in July.  I knew the smell immediately, meaning, I identified with some of the components.  I think I said something like “it reminds me of Tom Ford Oud Wood or Tobacco Oud but better and different.”  After shaving with it that night, I said to my brother and cousins “I take back what I said earlier about DB smelling like other things I’ve had.  Dragonsbeard smells like Dragonsbeard, it has its own unique signature.  Its OUD, Agarwood, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Leather, Woodsy, maybe throw in some fall leaves and a sprinkle of grass clippings.  That’s what it smells like to ME.  On smell alone, the soap is an LA 10!
 
A little longer than I wanted but well deserved!
 
BRAVO Frank for a kick ass soap, I LOVE the Splash and the bath bar too! Alexandra said I smell delicious!  I would like this scent in some body lotion and looking forward to the next soap/splash/bath bar.
 
Cheers!

Thank you so much for the detailed review and the encouraging words.  I'm also glad you like the scent. It was definitely taking a chance coming out with that scent in my 1st release!  I'll be adding more products to the DB Collection after the holidays when I release the Beta version of the shave soap with the new base and a updated version of the EOS Complex.  The scent strength will be increased a bit and it will be in all the products that make their way into the DB Collection. There should be at least 4 and maybe 5 more collections released before the holidays.

Frank 

Dragonsbeard V2 with X2 Scent will be epic. It’s the scent that got me.  I’ve been a fan of anything Oud since Tom Ford did YSL’s Original “M7”. It’s my opinion the materials you’re using are top notch based upon my own fact finding mission.  

There are soooo many choices out here in this sport of Shaving.  Because I only shave 2-3x a week, I make it more fun for myself.  Every Saturday I lay out 3 soaps or creams that I’ll be using for the upcoming week.  My Sunday/Monday and Wed/Thursday shave are always the fun timely ones.  By timely I mean they’re not speed shaves.  I‘m happy to report Dragonsbeard made the cut for the 3rd week in a row! Maybe the scent compliments I’m getting are going to my head, lol!

Thanks again for a solid line of product, I look forward to the upcoming releases!

Thank you again Rob for the kind words and yes Il will be upping the fragrance level in both the soap and aftershave as well as any other products that will be in the Dragonsbeard Collection. Also I’m glad to be in the company of those other two soaps in your den. If that’s the original AOS Sandalwood where they used real Sandalwood I’m a big fan. I’ve not ever had the pleasure of trying Wills Vespers but I’m a also a fan of Wills work and he’s a nice guy to boot. Met him at the Maggard meet up this past summer.

I have vintage YSL M7 and like you it was my first experience with Oud and became an instant fan!

Btw for those that want the soap and aftershave I’ve got about 6 Shave soaps left and about 9 Aftershaves and 8 bar left. I noticed on the other site people where wanting it and yes it’s sold out in all the places it was carried.

DB

Thank you again Rob  for the kind words and yes Il will be upping the fragrance level in both the soap and aftershave as well as any other products that will be in the Dragonsbeard Collection. Also I’m glad to be in the company of those other two soaps in your den. If that’s the original AOS Sandalwood where they used real Sandalwood I’m a big fan.  I’ve not ever had the pleasure of trying Wills Vespers but I’m a also a fan of Wills work and he’s a nice guy to boot. Met him at the Maggard meet up this past summer.

I have vintage YSL M7 and like you it was my first experience with Oud and became an instant fan!

Btw for those that want the soap and aftershave I’ve got about 6 Shave soaps left and about 9 Aftershaves and 8 bar left.  I noticed on the other site people where wanting it and yes it’s sold out in all the places it was carried.

DB

YSL did a bang up job with Tom at the steering wheel.  I’ve been fortunate to raid my Grandfather’s and Father’s den over the years.  I was using scents in elementary school and high school and didn’t even know what they were until now. “Scents are an emotion,” every now and then I’ll be somewhere and someone will pass by and I smell JHL or Aramis, Z14 and it will trigger a time frame filled with distant memories. My Grandfather told a kid at the Barbershop a while back that he didn’t know shite unless he had worn Obsession in 80’s, lol.  Apparently I didn’t know shite at that moment either cause I had to look that up myself, lol.  That’s the oval bottle, lol, i’ve worn it! Dragonsbeard smells like Dragonsbeard, it “ain’t” like the others. You’ve sourced some real nice materials for your self-named products.

Was at the gym, got a drink at the bubbler, went back to the cables to finish up tricep rope extensions and a guy training behind me with a pal said dude, I can smell you over by the bubbler. I said good or bad, he said whatever that is it’s pretty awesome.  I don’t wear cologne or any smells to the gym however I’d be a liar if I didn’t say I may have thrown some splash in unscented lotion. Seems to be working for everyone, compliments going to my head for sure! 

Cheers

I really need to get out more. I guess I've missed this whole thread, until now. What a great venture!

Is the pass around over ?

Is the pass around over ?

The last one ended but we can surely get another one started if we can get at least a few members to sign up for it.

I still have a few pucks of soap and skin food splash left and at least it would give people a chance to try the 1st Gen versions before the updated beta version comes out after the holidays.

So we can start a list in the post below and see if we get at least a few members to sign up for the pass around.

Thanks for your interest!

If not enough people sign up keto I can lend you mine. I am sure you are going to love it and will probably end up ordering a few haha

I would be interested in trying it.