I just received a new shaving puck in the mail today from Green Mountain Soap. I had a feeling it would arrive today so I postponed my morning shave. Stubbly and itching to try it I tore open the package like a man who had skipped breakfast and was ready for adventure, both of which I was.
Over toast and coffee I carefully read the box the puck came in and tri-fold insert. I could tell this product was really well thought out from the formulation to the presentation. The soap itself is a beefy 2.5” x 2” puck, fitting perfectly in a mug of antique shaving scuttle.
Normally, I go for the vegan shaving soaps but after reading a few reviews about this new kid on the block my curiosity was piqued. Green Mountain Soap is a hopping little family owned and operated company located in Huntsville, Alabama. From what I read, their soaps sound to be out of this world. This may be due to the fact that the soap makers, Elaine and Richard Hamner, both worked for NASA prior to the company taking off. [Pun most definitely intended]
So there I was with breakfast crossed off my list and drunk on anticipation. I opened the hot water tap and began to fill the sink. I placed my razor, brush, and the soap into a mug and filled it with hot water to allow the cake to soften while I jumped in the shower.
Ten minutes later I took my position in front of the mirror. I removed the razor and brush from the mug and dumped out the water in which the soap had been softening in. I squeezed out the brush and began to build a starter lather. This proved easy enough. When the brush was loaded I moved it over to my scuttle and began to create lather.
Again and again, in the reviews I had read, the buzz word “thirsty” was brought up when describing this soaps performance. However, I couldn’t disagree more with this assessment. Let it be known right now my water is soft and filtered so that could be a key factor in my effortless lather production. But I am not so convinced.
However, at the end of the day, lather is nothing more than distraction or even obsession for some. We have been trained from years and years of advertising to respond to dramatic, aerosol, and chemical built lather when that’s not really where the rubber meets the road or, even better, where the blade meets the skin. A great shaving soap is more about the glide and friction reducing oil coating your skin. This is the very reason why a lot of men are turning to shaving oils, the original “Shaving Cream.” Also note that lather equals air bubbles, and too many air pockets will not provide you with the lubrication you need when dragging a blade over your skin. So look closer at the performance of the soap rather than at the amount of suds that bloom forth. It is this very type of quality shave one can expect from GMS…but I digress.
After creating a rich lather I applied it to my face and neck and made my first pass. Great glide without drag or road bumps. I re-hydrated the scuttle again after dipping my brush in the sink and with a few whirls, watched the suds come back to life. After my second pass I tried a “dry” pass to see how much coating residue was left on the skin. I didn’t need to drag my razor too far to realize there was no residue, and that’s fine.
Some shaving soaps leave a residue after the lather is rinsed off, this can last most of the day, and unless the soap is loaded with coconut oil this is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s quite moisturizing. GMS does not leave a residue and that is fine with me, it leaves the option to moisturize or not on my mood, rather than by default.
Now to give this review a broader, objective feel I asked my friend Mantic59 (Mark Herro) what his experience was with the GMS puck knowing that the two of us use considerably different qualities of water.
“It takes a little more work with my hard water (takes longer to lather and I have to add water slowly) but I enjoy the scents and it performs well for me.” says Mantic59
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Overall, I am very pleased with the performance of this soap. It has a great shielding quality and glide, which aided me in achieving a good shave after only three passes. The puck is hard and will last for a long time. I encourage all who have yet to try GMS to give them a shot, and please let me know your results below!
9/10 Glide
7/10 Lather
8.5/10 Performance
To find out more about Green Mountain Soaps Please visit their very informative site www.gmsoap.com
ABOUT DOUGLAS SMYTHE
Founding member and contributing writer for “How to Grow a Moustache”, an innovative cutting edge blog dedicated to all things facial fur & wet shaving. His mission: Create facial awareness and use his super powers [read:moustache] for good. Contact Douglas: whiskers@howtogrowamoustache.com
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About Douglas Smythe
