To Scent or Not to Scent

A review of OSP/Orange & Patchouli shaving soap.

As usual I acquired the soap through a third party. The artisan soap making field is many deep and many wide. A trip though the landscape can be dangerous and perilous. It is always a judgement call on how how one's words will be received. Those both pro and con on any given soap can create a literal storm in reaction. Please remember this simple rule of impartial product reviewing: I look at, and test, the product. The maker is faceless and of no interest to me. If the product is good, I will say so and point out what I feel are it's high points and possible points that could (I didn't say can or should) bear improvement, that's for the maker to decide. If I find a product that doesn't make the grade, no mater how I work with it, I will not post a "don't touch this" review. I'm not writing these reviews to do maker or vendor bashes. As is with most products of many types and kinds, if it isn't up to snuff it will sink from view on it's own.

A quick word on why I use only the Gotta 5/8 bellied razor in these reviews. Being a ultra hollow, bellied grind it is a very thin, flexible blade. It is sensitive to pressure used on it while shaving. Different grinds require a subtle change in pressure used for each grind. I like the bellied grind for the simple reason of the fact that I must use the lightest possible pressure thus, minimizing that factor of a shave. It allows me to concentrate on glide and cushion.

As usual, it was a three day test using a Horsehair, Boar and then Badger brush. Day one was dry face before lathering. Day's two and three were lathered, rubbed in and re lathered after I stropped the Gotta.

When I opened the plastic container I got a good whiff of orange and what I guess is patchouli. I say I guess since my scent deprived nose has never, to my knowledge, ever smelled patchouli. I was pleased to be able to smell the orange since it is the citrus scents that I seem to only be able to smell. There was that additional scent being carried with the orange that added a slightly woody, earthy tone to it. If that is patchouli, I like it. The building of the lather was a dream. It almost exploded out of the brushes. Spent about 45 seconds building soap up on the brush and about three minutes building a bowl lather. It did feel a little thirsty, but I might be a little critical on that point. I think I preferred the Boar brush with this soap. The orange scent was strong enough to last a while on my face as I shaved. Now, a bit of amazement, on my part, happened on the third shave. As I was lathering my face I accidentally swiped a brush full of lather across my moustache (I have a moustache and goatee) and didn't immediately wipe it off. Well, my pleasure index rose quite a few notches when I realized I was getting a continual scent delivery to my nose. And it didn't stop with the shave ending. Even after wiping my moustache clean I enjoyed the orange and mystery scent combination for about an hour and half after the shave. I state, unequivocally, I have envy bordering on jealousy, for all off you that have a full range smeller.

I find this artisan soap, OSP, a few steps above just about all the artisan soaps from several countries out there that I have tried and am most pleased with it's glide and cushion. And since I can appreciate the scent with a moustache application it will be added to my soap rotation.