Thread: The Obie Memorial First Tier Soaps and Creams Thread.

Thanks to Obie, many of us have enjoyed Oleo Soapworks soaps, and have become acquainted with Vida Perez. Recently, she's started offering soaps with duck fat. I've previously been impressed with duck fat soaps by Grooming Dept. I've found Vida's duck fat base to knock the excellent qualities of her soaps up one notch, especially slickness. So far I've enjoyed three scents in this new base, Rougere, Shiloh, and Treviso which smells like Tiramisu. If you haven't tried Vida's soaps, or have enjoyed them in the past, I highly recommend trying her new duck fat soap base.

Very impressed with the Saponifico Verasino Artic Tundra, It's my first time using this soap came my way as a gift it's been sitting in my shave den for more than two months, I'll leave you with a rather long-winded description, but my very first up usage of the soap are extremely positive.

Description

Refill shaving soap 150g, worked in plodder, extruded and sliced by hand.

The name derives from the geographical area called Arctic Tundra, where the vegetable additives used in this soap find their natural habitat

the Icelandic lichen (soothing, purifying, antibacterial, calming)
the cranberry (suitable for sensitive skin, soothing and toning, gives freshness and vitality).

This soap is based on the Beta 4.1 formulation but the new additives, in addition to the properties described above, possess the characteristics that make the Tundra Artica very different from our previous soaps.

The foam is lighter and requires less water to build up.

The performances are balanced to improve the cutting depth.

This happens because of a film-forming effect, very noticeable as the brush passes increases.

This film, once it resides on the skin, decreases the mechanical friction and has a protective action against the blade. While rinsing it off from the face, this film is very palpable on the hands.
Fragrance: to recall the atmosphere of the Arctic Tundra, we chose the scent of Agar Wood (oud) but harmonized to give the sensation of open and fresh spaces, with a markedly woody perception.

The logo on the soap is “hammered” as they used to do at the beginning of the last century, before the advent of the printing press.

The packaging is represented by a box of stiff cardboard covered with natural paper, personalized with stickers front / rear.

The refill is accommodated in a container of transparent PET to be used as “cartridge” for the loading of our wooden bowl, giving the possibility to switch between the various soaps.

With pride we can define the product 100% Made in Italy, as a whole: in addition to soap we saponified and worked, also the box, labels, PET and tissue paper, come exclusively from Italian suppliers.

Ingredients: Sodium Cocoate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Rapeseedate Sodium, Sodium Sunflower Seedate, Aqua / Water / Eau, Iceland Moss Extract, Fraxinus Ornus (Manna Ash) Sap Extract, Parfum / Fragrance, Vaccinium myrtillus Fruit Extract, Sucrose Cocoate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Xanthan Gum, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Citronellol

With maximum transparency, we explain the function of each ingredient but, for the protection of the formulation, the percentages are not declared.

Sodium Cocoate: sodium salt of coconut oil
Potassium Stearate: potassium salt of stearic acid
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate: sodium salt of coconut fatty acids (mild detergent, gives softness to the skin)
Sodium Rapeseedate: sodium salt of rapeseed
Sodium Seedate Sunflower: sodium salt of sunflower oil
Aqua / Water / Eau: water / moisture
Iceland Moss Extract: Icelandic Lichen Extract (soothing, purifying, antibacterial, soothing)
Fraxinus Ornus (Manna Ash) Sap Extract: Manna (highly softening and emollient)
Parfum / Fragrance: perfume
Vaccinium myrtillus Fruit Extract: Extract Cranberry (suitable for sensitive skin with a soothing, gives the skin firmness, freshness and vitality)
Sucrose Cocoate: saccarosi mixture of esters and fatty acid esters from coconut oil (gives the skin a soft and smooth)
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter: Shea butter (emollient, moisturizing, rejuvenating the skin barrier)
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil: sweet almond oil (moisturizing, elasticity)
Oryza Sativa Starch: rice starch (softening, soothing)
Xanthan Gum: xanthan gum (a thickener, lubricant)
Glycerin: Glycerin (lubricant, moisturizer, emollient)
Stearic Acid: stearic acid (gives the skin a creamy touch)
Sodium Chloride: salt (used during saponification)
Tocopheryl Acetate: Vitamin E (antioxidant, leaving skin smooth soft)
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil: grape seed oil (protects the skin from ageing, firming, stimulating the capillary microcirculation)
Citric Acid: citric acid (chelating)
Citronellol: allergen (in this fragrance)

Usage advice
Our formulations contain active ingredients that, in order to give the best performance, need to solubilize and/or melt. The maximum performance can be obtained in this way:

cover the soap surface with a thin veil of hot water for few minutes. The quantity of water needed may vary depending on your water hardness and the rate of humidity of the soap, a correct quantity is when the whole soap surface is covered by water,
soak a badger shaving brush (being it the best performer when it comes to water absorbing),
rinse it well and then pour the thin veil of water that bloomed the soap on the knot, and then start loading (20-30 seconds),
face/bowl lather without adding water.

Originally Posted by evnpar

Thanks to Obie, many of us have enjoyed Oleo Soapworks soaps, and have become acquainted with Vida Perez. Recently, she's started offering soaps with duck fat. I've previously been impressed with duck fat soaps by Grooming Dept. I've found Vida's duck fat base to knock the excellent qualities of her soaps up one notch, especially slickness. So far I've enjoyed three scents in this new base, Rougere, Shiloh, and Treviso which smells like Tiramisu. If you haven't tried Vida's soaps, or have enjoyed them in the past, I highly recommend trying her new duck fat soap base.

Arghhh...her site is down for maintenance....but I look at this as an, "intervention"....my soap drawers are getting past, "Hoarding" and slipping into wife and daughter in full on arms crossed, foot tapping mockery....but at least I got a, "Well the basement sure smells beautiful....".

The struggle continues against the unbelievers....

I really like the S V Artic Tundra Jamie. Its about the only soap/cream I can use without an aftershave balm/oil.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Arghhh...her site is down for maintenance....but I look at this as an, "intervention"....my soap drawers are getting past, "Hoarding" and slipping into wife and daughter in full on arms crossed, foot tapping mockery....but at least I got a, "Well the basement sure smells beautiful....".

The struggle continues against the unbelievers....

They are back open. The duck fat soaps are really terrific.

Richard, thanks for the heads up on Vida’s latest duck fat soap.

Hey Andrew, I gotta intervene against the Oleo site-down intervention: Vida’s website is back up, and I ordered her Shiloh duck fat soap a while ago, so you’re cleared to go in hot and order a puck or 10. I think of our SAD not as hoarding but rather as strategic stock piling in our collective struggles against shaving soap unbelievers!

Also, Andrew just caught your post from a few days ago, re: expectations.

Since we share many similar preferences in our soaps, perhaps we both are biased in our expectations of how our soaps should perform. With that said, I don’t think our expectations are wholly unreasonable, especially when we’ve paid premium prices for some products, so yep, I think it’s briefly memo worthy while the Boss jams in the background and I contemplate if the Patriots will make a comeback as they often do….

Soaps are as much chemistry as they are art.

The fats and or oils used, or not used, in a soap have major impacts on lather thickness and stability (dissipation) issues. For example, Castor oil is a good ingredient for lather stability but if too much is used, a lather can be sticky. Coconut oil will make a lather fluffier and bubblier but if too much is used, it can dry one’s skin. Olive oil is a great moisturizer but it can make lousy lathers. The point here is that a combination of fats and or oils and the amounts used, or not used, will play roles in how a soap’s lather thickness and stability perform. The Floris formulation we used missed the mark in terms of its lather thickness and stability.

Bottom line: Commercial soap makers who produce soaps that perform in terms of lathering well in most water types, that have reasonably thick lather, have decent, long lather stability, and are skin kind have done their chemistry, their R&D, and their art well—these are masters of their craft.

Have a puck of Windy City Barber and Shiloh on the way north.
Look forward to checking them out.
👍

I just bagged the Shiloh as well, supposed to be akin to Acqua Di Parma...wow....also grabbed the Jacmel....makes me want to go down and have a shave with one....

Originally Posted by SemperFi

Richard, thanks for the heads up on Vida’s latest duck fat soap.

Hey Andrew, I gotta intervene against the Oleo site-down intervention: Vida’s website is back up, and I ordered her Shiloh duck fat soap a while ago, so you’re cleared to go in hot and order a puck or 10. I think of our SAD not as hoarding but rather as strategic stock piling in our collective struggles against shaving soap unbelievers!

Also, Andrew just caught your post from a few days ago, re: expectations.

Since we share many similar preferences in our soaps, perhaps we both are biased in our expectations of how our soaps should perform. With that said, I don’t think our expectations are wholly unreasonable, especially when we’ve paid premium prices for some products, so yep, I think it’s briefly memo worthy while the Boss jams in the background and I contemplate if the Patriots will make a comeback as they often do….

Soaps are as much chemistry as they are art.

The fats and or oils used, or not used, in a soap have major impacts on lather thickness and stability (dissipation) issues. For example, Castor oil is a good ingredient for lather stability but if too much is used, a lather can be sticky. Coconut oil will make a lather fluffier and bubblier but if too much is used, it can dry one’s skin. Olive oil is a great moisturizer but it can make lousy lathers. The point here is that a combination of fats and or oils and the amounts used, or not used, will play roles in how a soap’s lather thickness and stability perform. The Floris formulation we used missed the mark in terms of its lather thickness and stability.

Bottom line: Commercial soap makers who produce soaps that perform in terms of lathering well in most water types, that have reasonably thick lather, have decent, long lather stability, and are skin kind have done their chemistry, their R&D, and their art well—these are masters of their craft.

You shame me...and you know me so well...I admit it...I did order two of the Shiloh...if it's like AdP....it will be the Deuce...

Originally Posted by Phrank

You shame me...and you know me so well...I admit it...I did order two of the Shiloh...if it's like AdP....it will be the Deuce...

Naw bro, I did the same thing...also 2 pucks and the balm are in bound! Spot-on, if it's like AdP, to quote you, "Lord Thundering Jesus!"