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I received two items from Badger & Hone recently. Ogallala Bay Rum shaving soap, and a bottle of their Bay Rum & Sandalwood after shave. Rather than review them seperately, I will simply relate my experience here if that's ok with everyone.
The Soap,
The soap arrived in a 100 ml round cake with no pot at all, just the cake by itself. I melted it (30 seconds in the microwave), and then put it into one of my own pots, and labelled it, as you can see from the picture.
The soap lathered really well at first, and the Bay Rum scent is subtle but rather nice. However, the soap began to break down before I had completed the second pass, and by the third pass, all that was left in the shaving bowl was froth and bubble. So I had to go back to the cake for more product. In my opinion at over £6 for a 100 ml soap cake without packaging that doesn't hold its lather, is not money well spent. I do realise that with every new soap we do need time to get used to it, and to develop a suitable technique, maybe I didn't use enough water for instance, in which case the fault is mine. But I wasn't impressed whoever's fault it was.
The After Shave
The aftershave at £14 for 240 ml is good commercial value. The scent is lovely, and I think it is even better than the peppercorn alternative. The sandalwood adds something classy to this aftershave and I would recommend it to anyone who has not tried it yet.
I always use a balm before applying a splash, and in this case I used DR Harris' After Shaving Milk, and this reduced the burn by about 50% making it pleasant rather than a sink-gripping trauma that has been described by others on this forum.
I suppose the real test of any product is to ask yourself the question, "Would I buy it again?"
Would I buy the soap again? No.
Would I buy the aftershave again? Yes definitely, a lovely product for the winter rotation.
The Soap,
The soap arrived in a 100 ml round cake with no pot at all, just the cake by itself. I melted it (30 seconds in the microwave), and then put it into one of my own pots, and labelled it, as you can see from the picture.
The soap lathered really well at first, and the Bay Rum scent is subtle but rather nice. However, the soap began to break down before I had completed the second pass, and by the third pass, all that was left in the shaving bowl was froth and bubble. So I had to go back to the cake for more product. In my opinion at over £6 for a 100 ml soap cake without packaging that doesn't hold its lather, is not money well spent. I do realise that with every new soap we do need time to get used to it, and to develop a suitable technique, maybe I didn't use enough water for instance, in which case the fault is mine. But I wasn't impressed whoever's fault it was.
The After Shave
The aftershave at £14 for 240 ml is good commercial value. The scent is lovely, and I think it is even better than the peppercorn alternative. The sandalwood adds something classy to this aftershave and I would recommend it to anyone who has not tried it yet.
I always use a balm before applying a splash, and in this case I used DR Harris' After Shaving Milk, and this reduced the burn by about 50% making it pleasant rather than a sink-gripping trauma that has been described by others on this forum.
I suppose the real test of any product is to ask yourself the question, "Would I buy it again?"
Would I buy the soap again? No.
Would I buy the aftershave again? Yes definitely, a lovely product for the winter rotation.
