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Black Tie Razor No. 13 Soap and product review
I received my entry foray into their products at the STL meetup. I realize the products I received are highly regarded so when the time was right to fully delve into them, I went full force. I found some unexpected surprises and disappointments as I used them.
First off there is a specific way in which to use them, and it takes some explanation. Starting with the soap, it is unscented. The user can use it in this manner, but it is intended to be used in conjunction with their scent oil. The oil is to be added while mixing the lather, or once the user has finished mixing their lather. In addition, the oil itself can be used as a preshave oil and has the added benefits of also scenting the soap as the lather is generated on the face. (face lathered)
So to pause right there, olschoolsteel likes the minimum steps required to get the lather to his face. Adding more steps is out of his routine, and can be cumbersome. The good aspect of this brand is that you can have multiple scents with the same soap base from the same soap maker. The downfall is if you face lather or oil your brush before loading, or have to go back to the soap for a reload, you risk the chance of scenting the soap base with the oil you are using. Then after multiple uses with multiple scent you will find the scents will mix, negating the idea have having separate scents. To get around this it is best to use a scuttle to mix the lather and have a place to add the scent oil without scenting the tub. The only time I use a scuttle is with creams so this was out of the ordinary for me.
The after shave balms. They are very unique in performance but are an exact match with the scent oil used in the soap/preshave oil. I like their as they feel smooth and less greasy that other artisan offered balms. In less than half an hour it feels dry to the touch yet extremely smooth.
The soap is top notch. It feels on the verge of almost being overly superfatted. But that is just the way I like it. I put this soap slickness and post shave moisture on the same level as Stirling Electric Sheep and Scott's Pine. (Of course Rod's is Sheep tallow+lanolin) The rich slickness and density of this soap is one that can only be experienced as comparing them to others seems hollow. The balm just extends this feeling till the next shave.
So here we are. The next shave. Before I go on I must preface this by saying that I called Dominick to pass on my customer concerns and feedback. I am aware of the fact that I could be perceived as a fanboy or artisan troll or anything in between. But I am a man and he is a small business owner that cares about customer feedback so I gave mine directly to him verbally to replicate what I found.
If you have used the post shave balm anytime in the previous day and do not thoroughly wipe your face with a clean wet washcloth before you shave, it will decimate this gorgeous lather. Personally I am so accustomed to just wetting my face and lathering up for a shave that I never consider what it will do to the lather. I am not a preshave face scrubber/exfoliator/preshave ritualistic kind of guy. What happened was I built the lather as directed and as I applied, and continued to build it on my face as is customary. But before I could get from ear to chin it was disappearing. By the time I got to the other ear it was gone. When I was finished with my neck, the brush was devoid of lather anywhere it touched my face. There was lather on the collar and my fingers, and in the scuttle. But none on my face or brush. It literally turned to water and ran down my chest. It was amazing and devastating at the same time. Remember those 1980s antacid commercials where they would mix or pour in an antacid and the bubble would instantly disappear? Then you get the idea.
After thinking about how or why this happened, the only thing different I could think of was the application of the balm the night before. I then washed and rinsed everything including and especially my face I started over again. This time it was a drama free shave. But later after applying some balm I made more lather and the disappearing lather happened again. So for me the disaster and success was both repeatable.
In conclusion I believe these products are one of the best top tier products you can get, when used individually. My only warning would be to remove any and all traces of their post shave balm from previous shaves. My fear is that a user will make a half hearted attempt at making and applying lather, fail, and run to a forum and bash this product without realizing the real reason why this awesome lather could fail so instantaneously. My other fear is someone would read this review and jump to the conclusion I am trolling/bashing/schilling/fanboying etc. Nope. I am here to say that it is the process that matters here, not so much the product. The product is sound, it just doesnt play well with its siblings on the same playground.
Dominick and the crew at Black Tie Razor are aware of what I found but given that each product is awesome in its own right, I dont think they will be tweaking any recipes, but I dont know. I cant speak for them. If I were them I dont know that I would either given the performance of their products, individually speaking.
Also tagging dapper636 here so he isnt caught unaware of this post.
I received my entry foray into their products at the STL meetup. I realize the products I received are highly regarded so when the time was right to fully delve into them, I went full force. I found some unexpected surprises and disappointments as I used them.
First off there is a specific way in which to use them, and it takes some explanation. Starting with the soap, it is unscented. The user can use it in this manner, but it is intended to be used in conjunction with their scent oil. The oil is to be added while mixing the lather, or once the user has finished mixing their lather. In addition, the oil itself can be used as a preshave oil and has the added benefits of also scenting the soap as the lather is generated on the face. (face lathered)
So to pause right there, olschoolsteel likes the minimum steps required to get the lather to his face. Adding more steps is out of his routine, and can be cumbersome. The good aspect of this brand is that you can have multiple scents with the same soap base from the same soap maker. The downfall is if you face lather or oil your brush before loading, or have to go back to the soap for a reload, you risk the chance of scenting the soap base with the oil you are using. Then after multiple uses with multiple scent you will find the scents will mix, negating the idea have having separate scents. To get around this it is best to use a scuttle to mix the lather and have a place to add the scent oil without scenting the tub. The only time I use a scuttle is with creams so this was out of the ordinary for me.
The after shave balms. They are very unique in performance but are an exact match with the scent oil used in the soap/preshave oil. I like their as they feel smooth and less greasy that other artisan offered balms. In less than half an hour it feels dry to the touch yet extremely smooth.
The soap is top notch. It feels on the verge of almost being overly superfatted. But that is just the way I like it. I put this soap slickness and post shave moisture on the same level as Stirling Electric Sheep and Scott's Pine. (Of course Rod's is Sheep tallow+lanolin) The rich slickness and density of this soap is one that can only be experienced as comparing them to others seems hollow. The balm just extends this feeling till the next shave.
So here we are. The next shave. Before I go on I must preface this by saying that I called Dominick to pass on my customer concerns and feedback. I am aware of the fact that I could be perceived as a fanboy or artisan troll or anything in between. But I am a man and he is a small business owner that cares about customer feedback so I gave mine directly to him verbally to replicate what I found.
If you have used the post shave balm anytime in the previous day and do not thoroughly wipe your face with a clean wet washcloth before you shave, it will decimate this gorgeous lather. Personally I am so accustomed to just wetting my face and lathering up for a shave that I never consider what it will do to the lather. I am not a preshave face scrubber/exfoliator/preshave ritualistic kind of guy. What happened was I built the lather as directed and as I applied, and continued to build it on my face as is customary. But before I could get from ear to chin it was disappearing. By the time I got to the other ear it was gone. When I was finished with my neck, the brush was devoid of lather anywhere it touched my face. There was lather on the collar and my fingers, and in the scuttle. But none on my face or brush. It literally turned to water and ran down my chest. It was amazing and devastating at the same time. Remember those 1980s antacid commercials where they would mix or pour in an antacid and the bubble would instantly disappear? Then you get the idea.
After thinking about how or why this happened, the only thing different I could think of was the application of the balm the night before. I then washed and rinsed everything including and especially my face I started over again. This time it was a drama free shave. But later after applying some balm I made more lather and the disappearing lather happened again. So for me the disaster and success was both repeatable.
In conclusion I believe these products are one of the best top tier products you can get, when used individually. My only warning would be to remove any and all traces of their post shave balm from previous shaves. My fear is that a user will make a half hearted attempt at making and applying lather, fail, and run to a forum and bash this product without realizing the real reason why this awesome lather could fail so instantaneously. My other fear is someone would read this review and jump to the conclusion I am trolling/bashing/schilling/fanboying etc. Nope. I am here to say that it is the process that matters here, not so much the product. The product is sound, it just doesnt play well with its siblings on the same playground.
Dominick and the crew at Black Tie Razor are aware of what I found but given that each product is awesome in its own right, I dont think they will be tweaking any recipes, but I dont know. I cant speak for them. If I were them I dont know that I would either given the performance of their products, individually speaking.
Also tagging dapper636 here so he isnt caught unaware of this post.
) and I did not have the problems mentioned above. However, my technique is a bit different. I tend to shave in the morning so the balm goes on right after I shave and wash my face. I bathe or shower at night so the warm water may be helping to open my pores as I scrub my face. By that time, I can only assume that using the balm in the morning gives it all day to absorb into my skin and by the time that evening bath or shower comes I am cleaning away any remnants of the balm.
