July 26, 2023 – Wildcard Wednesday!!!
- Brush: Stirling Synthetic Li’l Brudder
- Razor: Gillette Gold Ball-End Tech
- Blade: Gillette Rubie (3)
- Lather: Beak & Snout – Bard’s Barbershop
- Post Shave: RazoRock – Italian Barber Amici
- Fragrance: Creed – Erolfa
Yes, I used soap today. Even though Enndeegee is going to call be a scrub anyway, I hope you hear me out. Sincere post incoming. I know this isn’t what people want on WW, but it’s what you’re gonna get.
My best friend, Ben, has been getting into soap and lotion bar making for a little while now (a little less than a year, I think). It’s a hobby he so clearly loves, and he makes some quality bar soap, and our hobbies intersect enough that we’re able to talk for an obnoxious amount of time about soaps, vegan vs. animal products in soap, how to effectively market, why getting into perfumery is so hard and expensive, etc. I figured the Lather Games would be the perfect reason to ~~beg~~ ask Ben to try his hand at shaving soap. All the soap he’s made so far has been given away to friends, as is the case for this shaving soap, so the stakes were pretty low. Despite this, as usual, Ben put in his best effort and made a quality shaving soap that is, at least to me, impressive for someone’s first go at it. The base is similar to Catie’s Bubbles in that it’s on the softer, fluffier side, and is vegan. The scent is Crafter’s Choice™ Barber Shoppe – EO & FO Blend 123, so it smells like Maggard London Barbershop (among others). It’s enough fragrance to enjoy while shaving, and it lingers a little, but is not overpowering (and certainly doesn’t give any frag burn, as Ben is careful to comply with IFRA Standards). I followed this up with Amici due to its citrus blending nicely with any standard barbershop scent, and finished with Creed Erolfa (a sample recently gifted by Ben), which is a delightful chypre, and a reminder that I want to check out that fragrance family a lot more. Overall, blends of citrus all around this morning, which is perfect for the summer. #FOF
I appreciate Ben so much for putting in the time and effort to learn how to make the best shaving soap possible for his first ever attempt, even though it was for one person to shave during a ~~silly~~ incredibly meaningful shaving competition. He plans to sell his soaps under the brand Beak & Snout, inspired by one of his DnD characters. As such, since he declined to name his inaugural shaving soap, I named it Bard’s Barbershop. Ben may not want to actually have his soaps be DnD themed, but in the absence of Ben choosing a name himself, I am claiming full autonomy over soap naming decisions. We chatted the other day about sourcing tallow from nearby slaughterhouses. He's working on another shaving soap right now, I'm pretty sure. I’m so glad that I have ~~conned~~ helped Ben to go down this rabbit hole, and I hope that I have many more Beak & Snout soaps to shave with in the future.
Den Tour: Since last year’s games, I’ve bought a house. It very conveniently had built-ins in the bathroom that work quite well for my shaving supplies. I need to build a couple more shelves as I have to do a lot of rummaging to actually find what I need, but it all (somehow) fits, so that’s what really matters. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3