Thread: De Vergulde Hand Shave Soap

De Vergulde Hand Scheerzeep
(De Vergulde Hand Shave Soap)

Producer: Remark Groep - Meppel, The Netherlands

Type: Shave Soap

INCI (List of Ingredients): Sodium Stearate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Cocoate, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua, Kaolin, Glycerin, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Benzyl Salicylate, O-Tolyl Biguanide, Linalool, Amino-Tri, Limonene, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, CI 77891

Besides the usual ingredients found in most of shave soaps, some of them are of chemical origin and I do not truly appreciate their use in soaps, such as Benzyl Salicylate, O-Tolyl Biguanide, Linalool, Amino-Tri, Limonene, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hexyl Cinnamal, Score: 6

Pakage: Plastic, essential and cheap tub, however handy and functional, in which the soap puck easily fits in the bottom leaving a lot of upper space, enough for working the soap with a brush, Score: 8

Quantity: 75g (2.6oz)

Smell: It has a quite unusual smell for a shave soap, however, I guess it is the kind of "love it or hate it" smell, with reminiscent of citrus fruits and hints of lavender, not so bad but it is the type of smell you would expect to find in a shampoo or hand soap, Score: 8

Lather: It easily makes an abundant, rich, creamy, stable and long lasting lather. Like every puck, it takes quite a lot of water in order to give a satisfactory result, however, after having soaked the puck in lukewarm water for about five minutes, I loaded my well-soaked brush for about 15 seconds and that was enough to make a rich lather, enough for three passes and more. The lather has tiny bubbles with few large ones, however creamy, fat and stable. Score: 10

Shaving: The sensation on the skin is very good, quite refreshing, with a creamy and smooth sensation, no sign of dryness or dried lather, the razor can easily slide. In my opinion, this soap has an insufficient moisturizing effect on the skin, at the end of each pass I noticed some signs of dryness of the skin and some signs of irritations as well, Score: 7

Conclusion: The lack of a moisturizing effect on the skin is, in my opinion, the worst quality of this soap, leaving the skin quite dry at the end of the shave. As a soap, I would rate it as "good", although I do not like some of its ingredients, it makes a very good lather, Score: 7

Great review as always. Thanks. I've never heard of this brand, Where did you get it?

Originally Posted by kinc

Great review as always. Thanks. I've never heard of this brand, Where did you get it?

It was a lovely gift I received from the Netherlands. It seems it is very popular in that country as well as in Flanders. If only it had a better moisturizing effect, that would make it a very good soap.
By the way, I see you are from Italy: it is always nice to see fellow Italian shavers joining this forum. Benvenuto! (Welcome!)

Thanks for that great review.

I was concerned at first when I saw that hand. I thought it meant stop-don't use this. Har har.

i believe that company has been making soap for 450 years!

Out of curiosity, why is "hand" in the title if it's made for shaving? Is the hand simply the symbol of the brand?

de vergulde hand means The guilded hand.....guilded means rich and superior in quality so i guess it means this soap is something rich to be held in your hands

Cheers!

I guess I could have spent time on the net researching it, but it's always nice to get an answer from the source

Originally Posted by jmsodpc

de vergulde hand means The gilded hand.....guilded means rich and superior in quality so i guess it means this soap is something rich to be held in your hands

Gilded, not guilded. But yes. Means gold plated and is associated with posh things of course.
This is a very popular soap in the Netherlands, where you can find it in any store that sells shaving items.

Gentlemen,
I tried this soap a couple years ago and found it mediocre. It lathers relatively well, and I liked the clean fragrance, but the cushion and the moisture were anything but impressive. I retired it for good and have not looked back.