D R Harris Lavender vs Cyril R Salter Shaving Soaps

Boycie83

Boycie83

Messages
8,286
Location
Devon
Here it is. What you've all been waiting for. My DRH Lavender vs CRS shaving soap comparison.

I'll use the same hardware set-up for each shave and will each soap 3 times before moving on to the other soap. I'll start with DRH. Here's the enduring set-up:

20230115_193641.jpg

Razor: Mühle Rocca V4
Blade: Gillette London Bridge
Brush: Simpson CH2 Best
Splash: Speick

I've purposely chosen a slightly aggressive razor to test the soaps properly.

Let's have a quick look at the soaps. Both of mine are in tins and therefore not particularly photogenic. The ingredients lists are nearly identical apart from the last 3 ingredients. CRS seems to have an extra couple of 'things'.

CRS:

Screenshot_20230115_194359_Brave.jpg

DRH:

Screenshot_20230115_194319_Brave.jpg

From the tins, both smell identical. If there's a slight variation, it's ever so tiny and could be due to any number of factors.

What are we hoping to gain from this? Merely a subjective assessment on whether or not these are the same soap.
 
Last edited:
Razor: Mühle Rocca V4
Blade: Gillette London Bridge (1)
Brush: Simpson CH2 Best
Soap: DRH Lavender
Splash: Speick

First shave is with the DRH. An excellent lather whipped up by the CH2. Slickness was fine and the scent was pleasant - there but not overpowering. The only noticeable thing that let this soap down was the residual slickness. I was caught out when going back for a 'buff' under my nose when the razor skipped - leaving me with a small cut. I'll be cognisant of this from now on.
 
@Boycie83 Interesting they are both Parfum (fragrance oil). They have different allergens, which may make marginal difference to the fragrance to the nose.
Neither are true Lavender (i.e. Lavender Essential Oil).
The soap base appears to be the same though, apart from allergens from the fragrance oil.
 
Last edited:
BrianH said:
@Boycie83 Interesting they are both Parfum (fragrance oil). They have different allergens, which may make marginal difference to the fragrance to the nose.
Neither are true Lavender (i.e. Lavender Essential Oil).
The soap base appears to be the same though, apart from allergens from the fragrance oil.
Click to expand...
Thank you Brian. It's useful to have that confirmed by someone that understands the ingredients list. Is Lavender EO relatively expensive?
 
Razor: Mühle Rocca V4
Blade: Gillette London Bridge (2)
Brush: Simpson CH2 Best
Soap: DRH Lavender
Splash: Speick

We've had it scientifically confirmed by Mr Signature Soaps himself - @BrianH - that DRH and CRS are the same soap. Science! Theoretically this should mean the end of my thread but this is the internet. Opinion is more important than facts on the internet so I will charge onwards with my endeavour.

After I wrote the last shave up, I noticed that the soap was quite drying on my skin. I've been avoiding balms lately whilst using my artisanal soaps but it's clear I need to reintroduce them for this test. Not the end of the world but worth noting. Ignoring the scent, the drying effect reminds me of Arko.

Shave number two with the DRH Lavender. Easy to lather. A comfortable and drama free shave.
 
Boycie83 said:
Razor: Mühle Rocca V4
Blade: Gillette London Bridge (2)
Brush: Simpson CH2 Best
Soap: DRH Lavender
Splash: Speick

We've had it scientifically confirmed by Mr Signature Soaps himself - @BrianH - that DRH and CRS are the same soap. Science! Theoretically this should mean the end of my thread but this is the internet. Opinion is more important than facts on the internet so I will charge onwards with my endeavour.

After I wrote the last shave up, I noticed that the soap was quite drying on my skin. I've been avoiding balms lately whilst using my artisanal soaps but it's clear I need to reintroduce them for this test. Not the end of the world but worth noting. Ignoring the scent, the drying effect reminds me of Arko.

Shave number two with the DRH Lavender. Easy to lather. A comfortable and drama free shave.
Click to expand...
@Boycie83
From the labels the base ingredients are the same with a different version of lavender fragrance oil. What we don’t know is the proportion of each ingredient so, if they differ then the performance may differ. Hence, your test shave comparisons will be of interest. Hope I didn’t disrupt your thread by making the comments Chris.
 
Last edited:
BrianH said:
@Boycie83
From the labels the base ingredients are the same with a different version of lavender fragrance oil. What we don’t know is the proportion of each ingredient so, if they differ then the performance may differ. Hence, your test shave comparisons will be of interest. Hope I didn’t disrupt your thread by making the comments Chris.
Click to expand...
Not at all Brian. Your input is genuinely welcome - and very useful. I was unable to see the difference between base and fragrances from the ingredients. My comment was made in jest but lost its context in written form.
 
Boycie83 said:
Razor: Mühle Rocca V4
Blade: Gillette London Bridge (2)
Brush: Simpson CH2 Best
Soap: DRH Lavender
Splash: Speick

We've had it scientifically confirmed by Mr Signature Soaps himself - @BrianH - that DRH and CRS are the same soap. Science! Theoretically this should mean the end of my thread but this is the internet. Opinion is more important than facts on the internet so I will charge onwards with my endeavour.

After I wrote the last shave up, I noticed that the soap was quite drying on my skin. I've been avoiding balms lately whilst using my artisanal soaps but it's clear I need to reintroduce them for this test. Not the end of the world but worth noting. Ignoring the scent, the drying effect reminds me of Arko.

Shave number two with the DRH Lavender. Easy to lather. A comfortable and drama free shave.
Click to expand...

In my experience with extremely reactive skin, that dryness you refer to is likely a "mild reaction" to the scent.

I get that from around 60% of soaps!
During the shave, it feels like the soap has less slickness and/or no residual slickness.
After the shave, there is skin dryness.

Arko was a big offender for me! One of the worst! But the base recipe suggests that it shouldn't be drying.
Godrej shaving round also caused the same issue so I made a soap with identical ingredients (stearic/palmitic/coconut) minus any scent and the soap was awesome!
Excellent slickness and no post shave dryness.
 
Nav said:
In my experience with extremely reactive skin, that dryness you refer to is likely a "mild reaction" to the scent.

I get that from around 60% of soaps!
During the shave, it feels like the soap has less slickness and/or no residual slickness.
After the shave, there is skin dryness.

Arko was a big offender for me! One of the worst! But the base recipe suggests that it shouldn't be drying.
Godrej shaving round also caused the same issue so I made a soap with identical ingredients (stearic/palmitic/coconut) minus any scent and the soap was awesome!
Excellent slickness and no post shave dryness.
Click to expand...
I'm going to try the DRH Windsor after this test out of curiosity. Base should be the same.
 
Razor: Mühle Rocca V4
Blade: Gillette London Bridge (3)
Brush: Simpson CH2 Best
Soap: DRH Lavender
Splash: Speick

Final shave with the DRH. There's a lot to be said for using the same hard and software for "extended" periods. I was able to get the lather perfect much more quickly than day 1 of this exercise. I'd like to add that the razor, blade and brush have all performed admirably.

I've had 3 nice shaves with the DRH but the scent is a bit boring. I've got a sufficient feel of it to compare with the CRS which is up next.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom