(This post was last modified: 04-23-2020, 12:53 AM by AJSharp.)
Dragonsbeard introduced us to his ETHOS soap with an Oud scented limited release with Oleo Soapworks back in August 2019 and it was an immediate success based on its rave reviews and rapid sell out. So how do you improve on Dragonsbeard’s initial soap release? Well that may be easy (if you are Frank) or difficult (if you are a competitor soap maker) but, in my opinion, Frank AKA Dragonsbeard managed to outdo himself with his recent release of his ETHOS Grooming Essentials of soaps, skin foods (ie splashes) and EDPs.
Impressions: This collection has his proprietary line of high end ETHOS ingredients that if you ask he will happily go into detail with you in a more comprehensive manner than I ever could summarize. He has used his chemist knowledge and decades of experience to create an exceptional product. The ETHOS Grooming Essentials includes a Lavender (Lisse), Pineapple (Succes) and Clean/Unscented (Pure) selection with accompanying skin foods/splashes and EDPs. The packaging is high end including his shipping and cloth bags for the supersized 7 oz soap, 2 oz splash and 2 oz EDP. He also included a soap “spoon” and a splash sample of either the lavender or pineapple scent depending on which one you did not order. I opted for the Pineapple Noir tripak after discussing my preferences with Frank – he is very customer focused and loves talking all issues “wet shaving” related.
Lathering: With (less than an almond sized amount of) the minimally soft soap I was able to bloom and (bowl) lather a previously soaked silver tip brush. Frank claims the soap needs plenty of water but I only needed slightly more dribbles (we have a water softener) during my lathering – it was not as thirsty as he suggested. In no time I generated a slick lather somewhere between a meringue and yogurt consistency. My brush held enough for a 1.5 - 2 pass shave (I usually do not perform a 3 pass shave).
Shaving: The shave was slick and cushioned my face with ease. The initial mild scent of pineapple on the dry soap was definitely more noticeable once the lather was applied – it was neither overly strong nor artificial as other soaps tend to be. There was no facial skin irritation, itch or burning which I have had in the past with some well recognized brands so this was a plus.
Post Shave: My post shave routine was easy as there were no cuts or nicks - a cool water rinse was followed with the accompanying skin food. The post shave feel was amazing ! There was no dryness or irritation as my face felt well hydrated after the lather/shave. I felt hydrated enough post shave that aftershave/moisturizer was unnecessary. That’s how good this ETHOS Grooming Essentials shave soap is. But since I had the skin food, which I recommend, I splashed it on for the full post shave treatment. Here is another attention to detail which I commend Frank on as the skin food reducer is small such that the amount of splash extruded is minimal giving one the ability to adjust easily the amount used rather than those companies that give larger opening to allow all the product to spill out. The smaller reducer was much appreciated and will ensure the skin food is never wasted. I found the post shave “pineapple” scent was soothing and noticeable but not overpowering. And since I had the EDP a couple of fine misting sprays sealed the deal for the next several hours.
Summary: The ETHOS Grooming Essentials collection of shave soap, skin food and EDP was a fantastic experience and in particular the Pineapple Noir tripak worked beautifully. It works as well as any soap out there but excels in the post shave experience. As “skin food” the face is well hydrated after use which sets it apart from most shave soaps putting it into a category with few competitors. As a crucial barometer, my spouse, who rarely if ever comments on my shaves was impressed with the smoothness and scent of the ETHOS Pineapple Noir collection. That, for me, seals the deal with recommending this as a high-end soap worth top tier status. In fact I have heard from a friend who has used all manner of “high-end”, exclusive and expensive soaps that he is now getting rid of all those “other” soaps because of this ETHOS Grooming collection. That alone could save me plenty of storage space and I will probably not add any further soaps given my experience so far. For me I cannot think of a better soap with matching splash/EDP that I have used (and yes I have tried many of those other high end releases) that can match this ETHOS collection. Since I am happy with this release I cannot wait for his future product releases and wish him luck in expanding his offerings.
Great job Frank