Glide from Cold River Soap Works

I have been a tester for a soap that was just released by CRSW. Larry has spent a year creating a soap with exceptional slickness and water holding capacity, as well as post shave face feel, and he has exceeded his goal. I have not shaved with a slicker lather, making it a joy to use for straight razor shaving. I lightly loaded a damp brush for 30", then built my lather by adding small amounts of water until it suddenly expanded into a rich, voluminous, luxurious lather with nearly unbelievable cushion and glide. I swear that I could even feel the cushion and glide while using my brush, as there was a very "soft" feeling while painting on the final strokes. Out of habit, I always use an AS followed by a balm, but I purposely withheld them when using this soap. There was a mild residual slickness even after my cold water rinse, and hours later, my face still felt hydrated and soft. I have never used a soap with this amount of stability in the lather, probably related to it's amazing ability to hold a lot of water, and it will hold up for as many passes as desired. At the end of my morning shave, I took a leftover glob of lather and left it out in a shaving bowl. When I returned home from work 12 hours later, there was a small skin on the glob, but once removed the same lush, creamy lather remained.

This soap excels in its slickness and in its post shave face feel. In my 56 years of wet shaving I haven't shaved with a soap with this amount of slickness, cushion, glide, and face feel. The testing soap was unscented, an I'm eagerly awaiting the three scented soaps that were just released. All I know is that the performance is incredible, possibly a game changer.

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Richard, thanks for your great review! Damn, CRSW Glide is sold out for now but I'll be checking regularly to order and give it a try. ;)

Sigh....sold out, story of my life.....will be like waiting for the LPL to dry out and actually perform.....:D

The Select soap is excellent, so I am really looking forward to the Glide, which I was fortunate enough to order before it sold out.

I just spoke with Larry, who was surprised at such a large response for this soap. Once people use it and discover how great it is, I'm sure he'll be surprised again. He said that more is curing, and will be available in a couple of weeks. By that time I'll have reviews of of the scents, although I think I'm better at judging the quality and performance of a shaving soap than its scent.

A soap that doesn't just vanish in 10 minutes? I got to give this a try. That is one of my issues with a lot of artisan soaps. Lather the face, shave half of it and then you have to replenish the lather as its just fades away. Drives me nuts! I guess this will go on the list to try. Thanks for the review.

BTW, Is it a heavy buttery/creamy texture?

Well, I just used "Fragile Confusion", and I gotta say, this soap went to the bottom of Tier 2 for me.

Tad miffed, as I feel I've essentially purchased 3 tubs of unscented soap, ingredients could be, "Rotted Zombie Flesh, Fish Entrails, and Stale Beer with a Cigarette Butt in the Bottom", and I wouldn't know it, wouldn't be able to tell.

Same as the "Madmans' Bouquet"...no scent.

Whilst I expected to mention the depth and wide ranging aromas, nada, the Nivea cream I applied afterwards stands out more, and it's unscented....this soap has great potential, but kinda feel like I now have 3 tubs of essentially the same unscented soap that I'll probably never use again.

Gotta wonder how it made it out the door with literally zero scent, even the Krokus Saffron is a veritable blaring symphony of scent compared to this....:(

Geez Phrank,
This is puzzling to me.
I have used the Fragile Confusion a couple of times. I get a medium strength sweet barbershop scent with a good dose of black pepper mixed in.
I always shower after I shave, and this is one of the few scents that linger a bit that I can still smell throughout the day. This one even does what it says and comes and goes. It is pretty mellow and pleasing during the day, but I can still smell it.
If I were you I would try to contact Cold River Soapworks and discuss it with them. Maybe they would be willing to replace it.
I have always had an acute and enhanced sense of smell though....Maybe it's just me??

Pete <:-}

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Originally Posted by petercp4e

Geez Phrank,
This is puzzling to me.
I have used the Fragile Confusion a couple of times. I get a medium strength sweet barbershop scent with a good dose of black pepper mixed in.
I always shower after I shave, and this is one of the few scents that linger a bit that I can still smell throughout the day. This one even does what it says and comes and goes. It is pretty mellow and pleasing during the day, but I can still smell it.
If I were you I would try to contact Cold River Soapworks and discuss it with them. Maybe they would be willing to replace it.
I have always had an acute and enhanced sense of smell though....Maybe it's just me??

Pete <:-}

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I've got one more to try, superb soap in application, Richard hit the nail on the head in terms of the soaps performance, stellar, leaves the face feeling superb and the glide is unlike any other soap I've used. Maybe it's my nose, or the soap has to get some air, it is the first time use on each one....we'll see with the next flavour.;)

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Originally Posted by SemperFi

Richard, thanks for your great review! Damn, CRSW Glide is sold out for now but I'll be checking regularly to order and give it a try. ;)

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They seem to have restocked a couple of the Glide scents. I just grabbed the agarwood one and the bouquet one was in stock too. :rock:

That's too bad that you won't use them again... Maybe you can donate them for the giveaways? (Or to me ;) )

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Originally Posted by Phrank

Well, I just used "Fragile Confusion", and I gotta say, this soap went to the bottom of Tier 2 for me.

Tad miffed, as I feel I've essentially purchased 3 tubs of unscented soap, ingredients could be, "Rotted Zombie Flesh, Fish Entrails, and Stale Beer with a Cigarette Butt in the Bottom", and I wouldn't know it, wouldn't be able to tell.

Same as the "Madmans' Bouquet"...no scent.

Whilst I expected to mention the depth and wide ranging aromas, nada, the Nivea cream I applied afterwards stands out more, and it's unscented....this soap has great potential, but kinda feel like I now have 3 tubs of essentially the same unscented soap that I'll probably never use again.

Gotta wonder how it made it out the door with literally zero scent, even the Krokus Saffron is a veritable blaring symphony of scent compared to this....:(

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On a more serious note, how does it compare to uber-lathering (soap + cream) or adding Cremo? I hear that those combinations just rock.

Scents, like everything else with shaving, are a very personal thing. My own take on the strength of Glide scents is:

Madman's Bouquet: 7/10
Olfactory Hue: 6/10
Fragile Confusion: 4/10

I find Olfactory Hue to be a masterful blend of oud, sandalwood, and frankincense, and it's become one of my favorite scents.

Madman's Bouquet is not a typical floral scent. It seems more like a spicy, dirty, floral oud, and one I find to be sublime.

Fragile Confusion is just that. This is not a soap for someone who prefers strong scents. I can barely detect scent out of the jar, but once lathered a fragrance appears, only to fade, then appears again. Now that I've lathered it a few times, I'm enjoying it more and more.

I continue to find Glide to be exceptional in every way. It lathers with ease, it's incredibly slick, and very moisturizing. No other soap leaves my face feeling this good throughout the day. I love Olfactory Hue and am enjoying Madman's Bouquet, and Fragile Confusion is growing on me.

I opened a couple of CRSW products on Christmas morning. I shaved later in the day with the Glide Olfactory Hue. As everyone indicated, the performance of the Glide was great.
The scent was nice, but not one I will either love or hate.

I also received a tub of Select Bay Rum. I already have a tub of Captain's Choice Bay Rum, which I love, and Ogallala Bay Rum which has too much clove for my preference. The CRSW Bay Rum is different from either of my other two. I like the scent better than the Ogallala, but not as much as the Captain's. I have not yet shaved with the new Bay Rum, so I cannot comment on that quite yet.

Got my CRSW Glide yesterday from my DW. I received all three scents and have no issue smelling them right out of the container. The Fragile Confusion is very light but the other two are not weak at all. Actually perfect strength for me as I can't stomach many of the stronger smelling soaps.

Used the Olfactory Hue this morning. The scent is beautiful! I think you need to appreciate Oud to love this one but I'm really digging it. Performance is even better than I expected. I've read a number of reviews but I was not prepared for this level of performance. This is one slick soap, easy to lather no problem, very good cushion, takes a ton of water and top shelf post shave. Outstanding cream! Yes, I said cream as I think it's more of a cream than a soap. Had one of the closest and most comfortable shave to date this morning. Quite possibly a game changer of a product but perhaps to early to make that pronouncement after only one shave. I suspect that it's true but I'll give it a few more shaves. I do know that GLIDE is the perfect name for this soap!

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Originally Posted by Phrank

Well, I just used "Fragile Confusion", and I gotta say, this soap went to the bottom of Tier 2 for me.

Tad miffed, as I feel I've essentially purchased 3 tubs of unscented soap, ingredients could be, "Rotted Zombie Flesh, Fish Entrails, and Stale Beer with a Cigarette Butt in the Bottom", and I wouldn't know it, wouldn't be able to tell.

Same as the "Madmans' Bouquet"...no scent.

Whilst I expected to mention the depth and wide ranging aromas, nada, the Nivea cream I applied afterwards stands out more, and it's unscented....this soap has great potential, but kinda feel like I now have 3 tubs of essentially the same unscented soap that I'll probably never use again.

Gotta wonder how it made it out the door with literally zero scent, even the Krokus Saffron is a veritable blaring symphony of scent compared to this....:(

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Well, dots are connecting a bit, after my last shave with the Fragile Confusion, I looked at the next one up, "Olfactory Hue", and noticed that all 3 of these soaps were definitely on the very moist to even wet side, thinking that maybe, thanks to Semper Fi, that as Jay mentions, that the soaps may have needed to saponify, or cure a tad longer.

So I took the original two that I had tried, and I've left them open for the last several days, day before yesterday, I took the "Olfactory Hue" and left that open as well, thinking I'd see if that made a difference with first shave....and this time, quite a nice treat for the nose.

Just finished my shave about 15 minutes ago, very dry here so applied a thick layer of Nivea, and I can still smell the Frankincense...super nice.

I gave the other two soaps a wave under my nose to check them out, and sure enough could easily smell the Vanilla in "Fragile Confusion" and got that Ylang Ylang sweet smell from the Madman's that was similar to to Eufros Ylang Ylang....

So thinking that maybe just the extra 72 hours has been just what the soaps needed, fragrance is definitely coming out, and regardless, the technical aspects of this soap are pretty near perfect.

Would love to see some more soaps, or more of these, the Olfactory Hue was superb tonight, so thinking maybe a bit more strength on the scents, or perhaps longer curing, or maybe a bit more of both....think I had read earlier that he had a new batch coming as he sold out rather quickly, so maybe not enough curing time in the restocking.

Either way, smooth as silk face, and I keep looking over my shoulder for the Lava Lamp and the curtain of beads, loving that Hippy incense smell.....:D

Thanks Phrank :tu





And quit looking over your shoulder, just go get the lava lamp out of it's storage place and get in the way back machine :roflmao

Phrank, I just knew that the scent profile of these soaps would come around and work for you.
I have just received Olfactory Hue and used it for the first time. Fantastic scent and the outstanding performance that I am coming to expect from Glide.
I might just have to go for the Madman's Bouquet to complete the trifecta.

Pete <:-}

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Originally Posted by petercp4e

Phrank, I just knew that the scent profile of these soaps would come around and work for you.
I have just received Olfactory Hue and used it for the first time. Fantastic scent and the outstanding performance that I am coming to expect from Glide.
I might just have to go for the Madman's Bouquet to complete the trifecta.

Pete <:-}

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Yes, just about to go down for a shave myself, and seems that they just needed to dry out a bit....I should know better to jump the gun, many times I've opened a new soap, and it wasn't until following shaves that the scent started to come out - today is going to be "Fragile Confusion", and could smell it as soon as I opened the lid....;)

Ok, I got my order yesterday with 2 of the Cold River Soap Works scents.
Madman's Bouquet & Olfactory Hue, both smell amazing!!! I do agree, they need to dry out/cure a bit more than they are when packed/shipped.
I chose to go with Madman's Bouquet this morning.......WOW!!!!!!
This croap is equal to or even better than Castle Forbes in my opinion. Yes I just said that :dropjaw:

Now the scent is very pleasing, a floral aroma in which I smell Rose as the predominant. No complaints there.
The lather is superb, but you really don't need to load the brush up heavy to get more than enough. I overloaded and it took a bit to get it right. So take caution there.
This was followed by an absolutely amazing shave!
The slickness of this croap is top notch, and I didn't even feel the blade of the razor on my face with it's cushion.
After the shave the aroma, intoxicating as it is, was still there. My skin felt soft and so smooth. Much like using a cream aftershave.
To me this croap has set a high standard for others I'll try.
In my opinion, this is at the top of tier one!!!!

For the cost I'm quite surprised at the quality. For an artisan croap, it's put all others behind it.

Thanks for bringing this croap to mine and the forums attention.

Can anyone tell me about the scent of Fragile Confusion? I'm trying to steer away from super scented soaps and this sounds like it might be a good one. Is the scent light as the website says?

^ Yep, the website is accurate in my experience with Fragile Confusion. It is very lightly scented. At times I didn't detect any scent and at other times, what did came through was subtle and fleeting. With that said, I'll add the standard caveat emptor, YMMV depending on your sense of smell and etc. :)

I’ve got it and like the scent very much. On first use, I thought was a nice light scent that couldn’t possibly offend anyone. In other words, it’s a safe scent.

Thanks fellas! Went ahead and ordered the soap.