Thread: The Gentlemen's Quarter - Free Samples

In for Desert Ironwood car air freshener.

Originally Posted by JP5

In for Desert Ironwood car air freshener.

That and body wash, face scrub, aftershave, floor cleaner, bitters mix for manhattans, and anything else you can muster.

Originally Posted by churley

. So Mr. Houston.....about the middle of July, I'll be making another request for testers here on SRP. Maybe I could put your name down on my list to try the formula, in exchange for feedback ??

Absolutely. Anything I can do to encourage you.

Originally Posted by MrHouston

Absolutely. Anything I can do to encourage you.

Awesome! ....you're very kind, thank you

Originally Posted by MedicineMan

I'll apologize upfront for the delay in getting this review on here. It's been a tremendously draining couple of weeks both at work and home.

First the scents:
I'm not one that can eloquently describe all the subtle aromas I'm getting on the soaps (any aroma for that matter). I will say that all are spot on and there wasn't a single one I did not thoroughly enjoy. I'll give what I feel is a strong, definitive description that was the first thing to pop into my head when I gave them a snort. Desert Ironwood is my favorite, but the other two are awesome (just a personal edge to the DI)

Desert Ironwood-just plain SEXY ! I would walk around in a bubble of this stuff if I could. I want a puck to put in my car. I would put a puck in the air ducts at home. I would use this as a laundry softener. I would buy the wife a "perfume" version of this stuff! The DI totally delights me. I just plain feel good from my head to my toes when this scent hits me. I've I was a dog my hind leg would be doing 150mph.

Cavendish Black- MANLY. This reminds me of the old timers I use to talk to as a kid. I was a late kid-three older sisters that were all out of the house by the time I was 4; my parents were the age of everyone else's grandparents...so, I spent a lot time with my parents friends. CB takes me back to a carefree time spent gaining wisdom from my elders. Yes, I was very aware at a young age that the time I spent with my parent's friends in conversation was worth more than I could imagine. I was fortune to have parents that instilled in me from a young age the wealth of knowledge I could gain from my elders. It's a comfort thing with CB and me. Reminds me of a "better time".

Oak and Moss-REFRESHING. Maybe an odd choice of a description, but to me it reminds me of being up in the mountains on a beautiful afternoon with the sun and tempt just right for a soft flannel shirt and a fly rod in my hand. I live in San Diego county now, and I'm a mountain man at heart. For a scent to transport me to where I WANT to be vs where work has taken me is invaluable. This scent is a "daily driver" for me and a another "comfort" thing for me. It takes me to "better place" and state of mind; kind of like the total "ahhhhhh" I felt when I came home to visit my parents after I first moved out. I would be at total peace on those visits. OM does that for me.

Performance:
Colleen told me she had used a lot of wet shaver's input and trial/error to develop her formula. IT SHOWS. It took me a shave or two to dial it in (that's all on me...I'm in a "trying synthetics" phase and trying different know sizes, too! So, getting the lather I wanted was on me not the soap).
The cushion and glide/slickness I got provided one of the smoothest shaves I've had in over a year. Although I was playing with totally new types of brushes I did used a tried and true 6/8's that has become an extension of my hand. These soaps gave me the cushion and slickness that I've found with some of my favorite "go to soaps" (CF, WK). Post shave was more than hydrated and irritation free (for a baseline: normally I don't have a problem with post shave dryness or soap irritation).

When it's all said and done I have to give Colleen a "WELL DONE YOUNG LADY, WELL DONE!"

She has a customer that has already been signing her praises to a co-worker (a young man at work that I converted to wet shaving). I'll be ordering some of her soap during my next "soap run" (I've got a ton of samples that are probably going to last me the next 8-10 months).

Cheers and be safe everyone,
Jer

MedicineMan....that has to be in the top 3 of best ever feedback in terms of detail. Honestly I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write in such descriptive terms. I can only say that I was grinning from ear to ear, and clapping my hands, yay! There was one thing though, that really caught my attention and that was your description of the "Cavendish Black".

When I create a scent, it's not done in a haphazard way; there is always a memory or my own peculiar thoughts attached to each custom blend. The CB is my memory of my Grandfather and a different way of living than what this world offers up today. He died when I was a young girl, but I have such wonderful memories of him, and of how things "used to be". I don't know, sounds crazy, but when you mentioned the same vein of thought, it just made me proud. Ya know like I did it! I captured the memory.

So I thought I'd share a little clip of what's written on the shop for the CB shaving soap:

The original intent of this Masculine Blend comes from early memories of my Grandfather. Born in the foothills of Pike Co Kentucky in 1907. Average height, slender build, hair black as the coal buried in the mountains, and eyes a piercing blue. My Grandfather, was anything but "average". His nickname was "White Lightnin"...... now some folks would say that a name like that must've had somethin to do with "Moonshine" ( maybe ) but what it really meant, was that's how fast he'd hit ya in a fight ....lol.

Of course by the time I came along in this story my Grandfather had grown older, and settled down a bit. He was a lay preacher in little town called "Birch River" WV. Back then....population was around 40 plus, give or take a few. His favorite rabbit dog "Lady" would also attend church sitting in the front lol.

Two things in particular that I remember was his soft laughter and the smell of his pipe tobacco. Good Memories!

Oddly enough sounds like my pops was a lot like your grandfather. He had a bit of a wild side-prior to my birth. When he did settle down (well into his marriage to my mother) he SETTLED down-started preaching.

I'd say you nailed it with the Cavendish Black (at least for me).

Side note: Pike Co is some beautiful country. Always loved my time living and roaming through Kentucky.
Jer

How crazy is that! maybe we're cousins lol

Good Afternoon Gentlemen

I know I seemed to drop off the planet there, sorry about that. I asked that my "Father's Day Sale" post be moved to a separate thread. It's my intent to keep this particular thread open for us to have discussions about TGQ shaving soap, ingredients, aftershaves etc. whatever you would like know, and/or to make suggestions regarding products you would like for me to add.

Yes....I did take note regarding the "Desert Ironwood" everything lol

Annnnd for ME to ASK YOU questions. I need a lot of input. I'm afraid my fella doesn't really shave, and the remaining men in my family all have beards. Pretty common here in the mountains. It puts me at a disadvantage when formulating, so while the "Original" shaving soap is a finished product, so to speak. My "Hard Water" formula needs tweaking. Now tis true, a few months ago I sent out samples on FB to test for hard water, and actually I had really good results. I was very pleased. The problem, lay more in how cost effective the formula would be at the given ratio of ingredients I put in....sigh. Hmmm....so what to do now? Lower the ratio, find the breaking point? Orrrrrr...... or I can use a proven base that some well known artisans use and tweak it to my preference, and then I'll need to send out samples, so I can discern what your preference is, because in the end, that's all that counts

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!

Out of curiosity. What makes your soap firmer? Is this intentional or a result of making a soap that lathers a certain way?

Tried the microwave method to soften it up. That seemed well. I guess if I wanted to lather off a puck (normally I don't) I could just warm it up to shape to whatever bowl/mug I was going to use and let it dry.

Originally Posted by churley

Good Afternoon Gentlemen

I know I seemed to drop off the planet there, sorry about that. I asked that my "Father's Day Sale" post be moved to a separate thread. It's my intent to keep this particular thread open for us to have discussions about TGQ shaving soap, ingredients, aftershaves etc. whatever you would like know, and/or to make suggestions regarding products you would like for me to add.

Yes....I did take note regarding the "Desert Ironwood" everything lol

Annnnd for ME to ASK YOU questions. I need a lot of input. I'm afraid my fella doesn't really shave, and the remaining men in my family all have beards. Pretty common here in the mountains. It puts me at a disadvantage when formulating, so while the "Original" shaving soap is a finished product, so to speak. My "Hard Water" formula needs tweaking. Now tis true, a few months ago I sent out samples on FB to test for hard water, and actually I had really good results. I was very pleased. The problem, lay more in how cost effective the formula would be at the given ratio of ingredients I put in....sigh. Hmmm....so what to do now? Lower the ratio, find the breaking point? Orrrrrr...... or I can use a proven base that some well known artisans use and tweak it to my preference, and then I'll need to send out samples, so I can discern what your preference is, because in the end, that's all that counts

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!

To clarify the options for the hard water formula. I believe I understand. You are considering:
A) Changing the proportions of the current formula to make it more cost effective
or
B) Changing to a known base used by other soap makers and going from there.