The Obie Memorial First Tier Soaps and Creams Thread.

[petercp4e]

My take on the Gunpowder /Spice soap.
The scent is very robust spice. As far as Gunpowder...maybe??
They should change the name to Spice/Gunpowder.
It has a heavy duty Old Spice scent that kinda lingers like Tabac.
Lathers nicely. The cushion and glide are as Obie stated..more glide, less cushion.
I'm the opposite of Obie as far as sensitivity. I could probably shave with Lava soap and it wouldn't bother me so this wasn't a problem.
Definitely not a top tier soap, but a real good overall tier 2 performer for the under $20.00 price point.

Pete <:-}

[Srdjan]

It is the gunpowder spice oil they use. I am pretty sure it's the real stuff (gunpowder haha!) I had samples of the AS tonic of the same variety, highly concentrated. I applied it only once after shaving, never again. My face was burning for good 20-30 minutes (this is not an exaggeration). The real thing, bottled, is not as heavily concentrated, this needs to be said and I can't stress it enough. Later on I got the bottled tonic and I actually liked it quite a bit.. The Bay-Whiskey-Lime is my favorite scent.

[Obie]

Gentlemen,

So then I'll add The Holy Black Gunpowder Spice to my list of soaps and creams that burn my skin. The others include:

1. Boellis Panama 1924, a well known and pricey Italian shave soap, torched my skin so badly the first time I used it that I didn't even finish the shave. Another brush and soap finished my shave. I gave the soap to a friend and he liked it. Go figure.

2. Gold Dachs, a German shave soap, lasted only two shaves. This was some years ago during a period of experimenting with a variety soaps and cream. I don't know what I did with the soap.

3. Musgo Real, a Portuguese shave cream, lasted two or three shaves, if I recall, after I figured out why my face burned during and after the shave. I threw the cream in the garbage. Ironically, the Musgo Real classic aftershave has been a delight for my skin.

4. And now The Holy Black Gunpowder Spice. I must say, I have not smelled gunpowder since Vietnam, so I suppose the fragrance in the soap is of gunpowder.

5. I know there have been other burning and irritating soaps and creams in my shave history, but this is all I recall right now. (Even now at age 27, where I have parked myself for many decades, I get a storm of senior moments.)

Gentlemen, I should stress that my skin is ultra-sensitive: I can't wear wool; new dress shirts must be washed five or six times before I can wear them; same with underwear; and so on. More and more, too, I find myself using synthetic shave brushes, as their soft tips are really comfortable on my face, and they also work quite well with my soaps and creams.

[BobH]

Gentlemen,

Gentlemen, I should stress that my skin is ultra-sensitive: I can't wear wool; new dress shirts must be washed five or six times before I can wear them; same with underwear; and so on. More and more, too, I find myself using synthetic shave brushes, as their soft tips are really comfortable on my face, and they also work quite well with my soaps and creams.

This why your list of top tier soap/creams is especially useful to beginners who have no idea if their skin is sensitive and to what degree. Just pick one or two of your top tier to start out with to avoid irritation and know that if the soap/cream does not perform the cause is looking at them from the mirror.

Unlike you my skin is relatively insensitive but I too have had irritation a time or two caused by a soap/cream that I used. It almost seems that the heavily scented soaps/creams are more prone to causing irritation.

Bob

[Obie]

This why your list of top tier soap/creams is especially useful to beginners who have no idea if their skin is sensitive and to what degree. Just pick one or two of your top tier to start out with to avoid irritation and know that if the soap/cream does not perform the cause is looking at them from the mirror.

Unlike you my skin is relatively insensitive but I too have had irritation a time or two caused by a soap/cream that I used. It almost seems that the heavily scented soaps/creams are more prone to causing irritation.

Bob

Bob,

These are excellent points. Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, some of the heavenly scented soaps or creams would likely be irritating for gentlemen with ultra-sensitive skin. I say "some," because there are scented soaps and creams that are comfortable for me:

1. Wickham 1912 Russian Leather, which has robust leather fragrance, is pure delight.
2. Tabac, which also has a robust scent, is a joy to use.
3. Oleo Soapworks' shave soap Windy City, which has a robust powdery scent, is a pleasure to use.
5. Barrister & Mann's Latha works well for me in the burn department.
There are many other scented soaps and creams that I find a treat to use.
6. On the other hand, many of the almond scented Italian soaps are killers.
7. Some of the Meisner Tremonia soaps lasted couples shaves because of the burn they gave me.

And so on . . .

[HopChugger]

Yes, some of the heavenly scented soaps or creams would likely be irritating for gentlemen with ultra-sensitive skin.

Even those of us with average skin can run into problems. I don't consider my skin to be sensitive whatsoever, yet I had a tub of Stirling Barbershop light my skin up like the fourth of July. I even gave it a second chance, which was a terrible idea. Yet every other Stirling soap I have used has been fine. Go figure!

[Obie]

Even those of us with average skin can run into problems. I don't consider my skin to be sensitive whatsoever, yet I had a tub of Stirling Barbershop light my skin up like the fourth of July. I even gave it a second chance, which was a terrible idea. Yet every other Stirling soap I have used has been fine. Go figure!

"Go figure" is right, my friend.

By the way, this afternoon I gave my Holy Black soap to a friend, hoping he will like.

[Obie]

"Go figure" is right, my friend.

By the way, this afternoon I gave my Holy Black soap to a friend, hoping he will like it.

Gentlemen,

I am compelled to send The Holy Black Gunpowder and Spice soap to the Basement. The soap has been a disappointment.

Although it lathers well enough and has acceptable slickness, the cushion is mediocre. Worst, though, the soap burns the skin. It did mine. Granted, I have ultra-sensitive skin. Yet, I gave the soap to a friend, hoping it would work for him, but he sent me a note today, saying, "Is this soap supposed to burn your face?" My friend's skin nothing like mine.

To make up for the discomfort I caused him with The Holy Black Gundpowder and Spice, I gave him the gift of Mitchell's Wool Fat. Mitchell's will treat him well, I'm sure.

[Leatherstockiings]

I guess the gunpowder moniker is apropos.

[petercp4e]

"Go figure" is right, my friend.

By the way, this afternoon I gave my Holy Black soap to a friend, hoping he will like.

Obie,

Sadly, mine has departed as well.
For me, it was the overpowering scent, which really turned me off.
I shaved with it before I showered in the morning. I could still smell it on my face in the evening.
Two days later I can still smell it pretty strongly on the brush that I used, even after soaking it twice in hot water.
If anyone thinks that Tabac is strong and lingers, this has got it beat by a mile.

Pete <:-}