Member
(This post was last modified: 12-25-2016, 09:31 PM by GloryUprising.)
From the manufacturer: Desmond's Barrow (DB) Shaving Soaps are made with the highest quality ingredients, including tucuma seed & shea butters, tallow, lanolin and rice bran oil.
Website: https://www.desmondsbarrow.com/
TL;DR Pro: Excellent cushion and slickness. Excellent water and heat tolerance.
TL;DR Cons: Scent strengths can use a tiny bump.
Price: $17-20 USD depending on exchange rate with CAD for 110g (~4oz)
Quality/Appearance: Soap comes packed in an EXCELLENT metal can. Wide enough for my biggest brushes and deep enough that the whole load stays contained and relatively mess free. Cap of can fits in the bottom of the container (for those of you who care about that stuff). Label is waterproof.
Soap texture is hard-soft; In between Mystic Waters and Sterling more toward MW.
Scent: Lovely clean scents mostly made from essential oils. Scent quality is very natural with no hints of ‘artificialness’. I’ve got the whole collection here and my favorites are ‘Mossy Lime’ and ‘Orange Patchouli’.
Some scents are complex and cerebral, while others are simple and emotional. Both types have it’s place, and Desmond’s Barrow is of the latter category.
(Editorial: Scrithnscrub’s “Vetiver” is one of my all time favorite soaps for scent and performance and I’m working on getting Peter to offer it in Desmond's Barrow).
Lather: Softer nature renders a super quick and easy load without any need to ‘bloom’.
Resulting lather is super dense and cushioning, which is unsurprising since ‘Scrithnscrub’s’ was my go to in this category (but I refrained from referencing it since the soap was not widely available).
Conversations with Peter revealed that Desmond’s Barrow was slightly reformulated from previous scritchnscrub soap iterations to increase the density and ‘grip’ which Peter defines as “the ability of the foam to hold the blade to your skin for closeness”. I will say the slight formulation change does in fact yield a thicker and slicker lather that is VERY water stable. This slickness rivals all the current artisans and main stream soap makers and has propelled DB to the top of my ‘desert island soap’ list.
Efficacy: Slick and protective nature of this soap makes for a very efficient and comfortable shave.
I ran the soap thru the ultimate torture test: Feather DX, Mild Blade - Day 3, No Prep. The resulting shave was extremely comfortable and I got a BBS with three passes and zero stinging with the alum pass.
Moisturizing: Extremely moisturizing even in the winter weather. I can get away with using no after shave products with this soap without much trouble and my skin tends to be dry.
Website: https://www.desmondsbarrow.com/
TL;DR Pro: Excellent cushion and slickness. Excellent water and heat tolerance.
TL;DR Cons: Scent strengths can use a tiny bump.
Price: $17-20 USD depending on exchange rate with CAD for 110g (~4oz)
Quality/Appearance: Soap comes packed in an EXCELLENT metal can. Wide enough for my biggest brushes and deep enough that the whole load stays contained and relatively mess free. Cap of can fits in the bottom of the container (for those of you who care about that stuff). Label is waterproof.
Soap texture is hard-soft; In between Mystic Waters and Sterling more toward MW.
Scent: Lovely clean scents mostly made from essential oils. Scent quality is very natural with no hints of ‘artificialness’. I’ve got the whole collection here and my favorites are ‘Mossy Lime’ and ‘Orange Patchouli’.
Some scents are complex and cerebral, while others are simple and emotional. Both types have it’s place, and Desmond’s Barrow is of the latter category.
(Editorial: Scrithnscrub’s “Vetiver” is one of my all time favorite soaps for scent and performance and I’m working on getting Peter to offer it in Desmond's Barrow).
Lather: Softer nature renders a super quick and easy load without any need to ‘bloom’.
Resulting lather is super dense and cushioning, which is unsurprising since ‘Scrithnscrub’s’ was my go to in this category (but I refrained from referencing it since the soap was not widely available).
Conversations with Peter revealed that Desmond’s Barrow was slightly reformulated from previous scritchnscrub soap iterations to increase the density and ‘grip’ which Peter defines as “the ability of the foam to hold the blade to your skin for closeness”. I will say the slight formulation change does in fact yield a thicker and slicker lather that is VERY water stable. This slickness rivals all the current artisans and main stream soap makers and has propelled DB to the top of my ‘desert island soap’ list.
Efficacy: Slick and protective nature of this soap makes for a very efficient and comfortable shave.
I ran the soap thru the ultimate torture test: Feather DX, Mild Blade - Day 3, No Prep. The resulting shave was extremely comfortable and I got a BBS with three passes and zero stinging with the alum pass.
Moisturizing: Extremely moisturizing even in the winter weather. I can get away with using no after shave products with this soap without much trouble and my skin tends to be dry.
-Spencer
