Dr. Harris Windsor Hard Shaving Soap

Yes you did readthe title correctly I have tried and am now reviewing a hard shaving soap. Ifyou have read my other posts then you will have seen that I have reviewed softsoaps and creams to date but recently I have started to use hard soaps againand I want to share with you all what I think.

Dr. Harris &Co. Ltd. is a very well know producer of shaving regalia within the traditionalshaving community and as a company has been around since 1790 earning two Royalseals of approval. They have a number of differently varieties of soaps,creams, aftershaves etc… but I will be reviewing the Windsor hard shaving soap.

I got a puck ofthis triple milled soap sometime ago when it was first released by Dr. Harrisand it sat with other products waiting to be used. At first sight it looks likeany other puck of shaving soap – white, flat top, and rounded base. I’m sorryto say but it looked a little boring. I did not go for the wooden bowl (beachor mahogany) as I have many but this option would improve the overall look ofthe soap but looks are not everything!

What about thescent? Very nice, fresh, clean, and crisp scent with a very mild citrus and blackpepper background to it. As I have found with other hard soaps in the past andstill continue to do so, you do get a smell of soap (hard to believe I know, stoplaughing) but this is what I think give it the clean scent I like. It got amixed response on “the other half test” with a none committal shrug and “it’sok”. No pleasing some people!

Now to thelathering method, normally I would bowl lather as I have done with the otherreviews but for hard soaps I tend to favour the face method so that’s what Idid. By dipping the soap quickly in my sink of hot water and draining off theexcess, then using my NF Tubby 2 brush I swirled my brush around getting a goodcovering of the soap on the tips of the brush. By doing this you start thelather in the tub/bowl/jar the soap is in. The soap lathered up really well onmy face each time giving an even coverage of stable and smooth lather. Therewas easily enough lather in the brush for two passes before going back to thepuck.

The shaves weresmooth and friction free. The lather remained stable throughout and left an ok butnot great slickness behind between passes. I tend to find this is the case withhard soaps. My face felt a little tight and not as hydrated as I expectedfollowing the shave.

Overall this is agreat smelling and lathering soap. It comes from a company with great pedigree andthat really shows. The only thing I would say against it would be thehydration, it does lack a little in this area but not enough to call it a truenegative point as this can easily be rectified by a good aftershavemoisturiser. Would I use this soap again? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes and asan introduction to hard soaps I would recommend it given that is it easy tolather up and use.

Scent Lather Hydration Overall

4½/5 4/5 2½/5 11/15

Simpsons Luxury Shaving Cream

If you are a traditional wet shaver then you will have found it hard to avoid the name Simpsons. Most, if not all, of us have either owned or tried one of their world famous shaving brushes. They have now branched into the world of shaving creams but does their cream live up to the name they have created with their brushes?

How does it look? At first sight the tin looks professional if not a little plain. The red lettering hits you right between the eyes but you might be forgiven for not immediately associating it with the Simpsons shaving brushes brand due to the font and “funky” use of different sizing not seen on their brushes. The tin itself is small and light with a screw top which makes it great for traveling with.

So down to why you are really reading this post. The scent? Simpsons describe the cream’s scent as “The cream is scented only with pure essential oils & herb extracts and no added fragrance”; I’m not sure what essential oils or herb extracts they have used. I would describe the scent as none descript, not unpleasant but not really present. When I first opened the tin I first thought it smelt very clean with a very mild background sent that I could not and still cannot place. When I put this cream through “the other half test” my wife too was unable to place the scent but thought it was quite pleasant.

How did it lather up? Over the time I have been using the cream I have lathered both by face method and bowl method:

Face method – using my NF Tubby 2 pre soaked in hot water I dipped the tips in the cream and whipped up the cream. I was very happy with the ease and speed that the cream lathered up to a thick and smooth lather.

Bowl method – again using my NF Tubby 2 and an almond sized scoop of the cream I achieved a similar result.

The lather itself was exactly what it says on the tin, luxury, lathered up quick and easy to a thick, creamy, and stable lather. There were no big bubbles and it held the warmth from the water very well. After each pass there was the expected slickness left on my face and it hydrated my skin quite well.

The shave was very smooth and well cushioned. The cream reduced friction on every pass and even on one day when I had a three day growth to my beard and I was using a 4 shave old blade there was very little irritation.

Simpsons on their website make a bold statement: "We guarantee that this luxury cream will enhance your whole wet shaving experience, leaving you revitalised and your skin feeling fresh and super smooth" I'm not going to make much comment on this as it will be up to you to decide if the cream lives up to this statement but overall I really enjoyed this cream and the shaves I’ve had with it. The thing that lets it down a little is the scent (or lack of it). It is a little on the pricy side with an average £12.99 for a 125ml pot but not as expensive as some creams from the established cream producers. Would I use it again? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes to both beginners and experts alike.

Scent Lather Hydration Overall

3/5 5/5 4/5 12/15

I've been away

Hi all,

I've not posted for sometime but that is about to change. Thanks for the emails.