Review of Stirling Coniferous Soap and Ozark Mountain Balm

I vacillated between Stirling Coniferous Soap and Stirling Ozark Mountain Soap. Finally, I decided to get the Coniferous Soap, and the OM balm. 

I lathered the soap with my Muhle synthetic HJM. The soap was very easy to lather and has a wonderful piney earthy smell that really stretches out once lathered. Scent strength is about a five. The soap lathers quite easily; however, I don't subscribe to the idea that you must load enough soap on the brush to get three copious passes. I load the brush and keep it on the puck and if I need more lather I do a quick reload. I got enough for two passes and the soap was full of cushion and wonderfully slick once I added enough water. 

Reloaded and did a third pass and touch ups with my Kai Captain Standard with a Kai Captain Mild blade which is on its third shave. The soap performed wonderfully. Got a BBS shave. 

I never used Stirling's balms before. I ordered the OM and the Lime and used the OM, as noted. The balm has a consistency similar to Nivea balm--it's a liquid not a paste, unlike my beloved Soap Commander balms. I shook the bottle and poured a tiny amount on to my palm. It is a more complex smell than the Coniferous Soap. Lots of pine but something quite sweet and bright in there. Reminds me--is a dead ringer for--a product my sister used when I was a kid. It was called Vitabath, and it had a wonderful green smell, very clean. 

The balm went on and was a little greasier than I expected, but it sank right in to my skin, leaving my face ungreasy and feeling great. And the product list is wonderful. 

A home run for the soap and the balm. I do wish Stirling made at least a few soaps in vegan editions, and am hoping to see that on their site one day. Anyway, here's a pic. I never said I was the Scavullo of shave nerds. 

do you know what's in the balm? my sample bottle doesn't say and it gave me a burning feeling. I'm guessing it has alcohol in it and i'm probably sensitive to it. I use the Nivea sensitive balm. I want to branch out and try other aftershaves but seems most use alcohol

I have the bergamot lavender soap from them and its great. I want to try black cherry next. I might try this one too. I like pine smell. is it like fresh cut pine wood smell?

Coniferous is my favorite non-sandalwood woodsy scent. Ozark Mountain smelled like cinnamon apples to me. I need to make another Stirling order and try Rod's new soap formula. It's been a year and a half since my last order.

do you know what's in the balm? my sample bottle doesn't say and it gave me a burning feeling. I'm guessing it has alcohol in it and i'm probably sensitive to it. I use the Nivea sensitive balm. I want to branch out and try other aftershaves but seems most use alcohol

I have the bergamot lavender soap from them and its great. I want to try black cherry next. I might try this one too. I like pine smell. is it like fresh cut pine wood smell?

Ingredients for the balm: distilled water, witch hazel, aloe, meadow foam seed oil, emulsifying wax, unrefined shea butter, coconut oil, stearic acid, essential oil [fragrance], vitamin E, optiphen (preservative), allantoin.

No alcohol but you might have had a reaction to something else. I like Nivea too. Give Soap Commander balms a try. I find them fantastic.

Less like freshly cut pine and more like walking in a pine forest.

do you know what's in the balm? my sample bottle doesn't say and it gave me a burning feeling. I'm guessing it has alcohol in it and i'm probably sensitive to it. I use the Nivea sensitive balm. I want to branch out and try other aftershaves but seems most use alcohol

I have the bergamot lavender soap from them and its great. I want to try black cherry next. I might try this one too. I like pine smell. is it like fresh cut pine wood smell?

Ingredients for the balm: distilled water, witch hazel, aloe, meadow foam seed oil, emulsifying wax, unrefined shea butter, coconut oil, stearic acid, essential oil [fragrance], vitamin E, optiphen (preservative), allantoin.

No alcohol but you might have had a reaction to something else. I like Nivea too. Give Soap Commander balms a try. I find them fantastic.

Less like freshly cut pine and more like walking in a pine forest.

interesting. the witch hazel, meadow foam seed oil, emulsifying wax, and unrefined shea butter are all things I've never had in soaps. so could be any of them I guess. Maybe that means I'm not allergic to alcohol. whats in the soap commander balms?
its the first reaction I've had with wet shaving.

ah I might just try a sample puck first then . I've never been to a pine forest.

do you know what's in the balm? my sample bottle doesn't say and it gave me a burning feeling. I'm guessing it has alcohol in it and i'm probably sensitive to it. I use the Nivea sensitive balm. I want to branch out and try other aftershaves but seems most use alcohol

I have the bergamot lavender soap from them and its great. I want to try black cherry next. I might try this one too. I like pine smell. is it like fresh cut pine wood smell?

Which balm did you get?  There is zero alcohol in them as  we use alcohol free witch hazel distillate. If you got Bay Rum,  it's the cinnamon.  Whatever the scent,  it's most likely something specific in the fragrance causing the irritation.

I also had an experience with Stirling. I got on the site to order one of the new brushes. I decided to pick up some soaps while I was here. The brushes appeared to be gon but I picked up some soaps and some sample. Later in the evening I heard the brushes were on the site and for whatever reason, I clicked on it again. It was there the whole time and I was just missing it. Since the brush was what I wanted most, I ordered it as well. SInce I already had an order on the way. I asked Stirling to send it all in one package of they want. I said mostly as a joke, that if they wanted to throw in a coupe of extra samples, that would be great since they would save on shipping.
Well they reimbursed my shipping instead. I was grateful and thanked them but to be honest, I would have rather had some samples from stuff I wouldn't have normally tried. But it was nice of them to reimburse me.
The story doesn't stop there. I received the soaps and brush. I LOVE that brush. It is like an extra large plisson. The soaps were good.and high quality. but the customer service is why I am writing. Not only did the reimburse me but they also threw in some samples On Top of reimbursing the shipping. Tuscany and Ben Franklin Will Be in my near future. They are excellent.. The owners won me over with the customer service.

I also had an experience with Stirling.  I got on the site to order one of the new brushes.  I decided to pick up some soaps while I was here. The brushes appeared to be gon but I picked up some soaps and some sample.  Later in the evening I heard the brushes were on the site and for whatever reason, I clicked on it again.  It was there the whole time and I was just missing it.  Since the brush was what I wanted most, I ordered it as well.  SInce I already had an order on the way. I asked Stirling to send it all in one package of they want.  I said mostly as a joke, that if they wanted to throw in a coupe of extra samples, that would be great since they would save on shipping.
 Well they reimbursed my shipping instead.  I was grateful and thanked them but to be honest, I would have rather had some samples from stuff I wouldn't have normally tried.  But it was nice of them to reimburse me.
The story doesn't stop there.  I received the soaps and brush.  I LOVE that brush.  It is like an extra large plisson.  The soaps were good.and high quality.  but the customer service is why I am writing.  Not only did the reimburse me but they also threw in some samples On Top of reimbursing the shipping.  Tuscany  and Ben Franklin Will Be in my near future.  They are excellent..     The owners won me over with the customer service.

Stirling's customer service is fantastic. Soap Commander is also great at customer service. There are others as well, these are the two that come to mind.

Nice review. I use the Barber Shop balm, it is a great after balm

Stirling's post-shave balms are my favorite thing to put on my face after a shave! Right now I have Island Man and Margaritas in the Arctic.