Thread: Osma Soap

Originally Posted by sharptonn

You are SO pulling our legs!

You know I have no sense oh humor. What am I lying about you figure? Seriously, it lathered up like a champ.

Of course it did, David!...Like a champ!

I can dig it!

Now WHERE'S that sample?

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Of course it did, David!...Like a champ!

I can dig it!

Now WHERE'S that sample?

You know, I’m getting that feeling like you’re mocking me again. It’s getting old. Can you dig it?

Originally Posted by earcutter

Sleep well knowing I gave it to a Spaniard and fellow wet shaver who’s here on a year contract. According to rumor, he loved it.


UPDATE:

I decided to test lather again today. I let my tap run pure hot, soaked my brush and put some water on top of the puck to let it soften.

I came back about 7 minutes later, dumped the water on top of the soap, but didn’t shake any water out of my brush. Then, I had at it. At first, I wasn’t holding out hope. The mix was super liquid, and the bubbles way to large, but I kept at it. And I’m glad I did, the stuff exploded on me.

The bubbles got small, the lather silky, and it built so much, it flowed out of my bowl and fell into the sink! No question I had to work harder, but man, it paid off. I put some on my arm and walked away for a bit (7 min?).

When I got back, the soap on my arm was still wet and super slick! I mixed the brush in the bowl again and it thickened the lather even more! Nice! And I’m still loving the scent!

I’ve got soaps that have better lathers, but this stuff is ok! Just about everything i have now lathers easier, but I’m thinking this stuff is going to work just fine. It needs a ton of water! I’ll report back when I start shaving with it.

I’ll say this, I’m more excited now about it now than ever!

And that shave test?

Originally Posted by earcutter

You know, I’m getting that feeling like you’re mocking me again. It’s getting old. Can you dig it?

Nonsense.....Just hanging-out. No fun to be had. Was just kidding, of course.
Good luck.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

And that shave test?

I’ve decided to shave with my soaps for a week straight at min to see what the face feels like with prolonged use. I’m still in “week BAUME.BE” lol, so it’ll probably be Friday or Sat before I shave with the Osma.

Originally Posted by earcutter

I’ve decided to shave with my soaps for a week straight at min to see what the face feels like with prolonged use. I’m still in “week BAUME.BE” lol, so it’ll probably be Friday or Sat before I shave with the Osma.

It’s a good idea. Use different razors in different stages of wear. Give it a chance to have good days and bad. Then make up your mind.

FWIW, this thread has caused me to haul out my cake of Osma, bloom it, then rub it lightly across my 72-hour beard before building things with a slightly loaded TSS in-house, walnut-handled silvertip badger brush. The initial lather resembled that which many others provide, a promised visual cloud to shaving by way of removal of the cloud. And yet the lather here is not that simple. The soap itself is most slippery in physical handling (I think this translates to "slickness" in straight-razor speak) and the lather, after about halfway into the first pass, starts to disappear. What to do then? The instinctive reaction is to add more lather; but really, this is where the slickness comes into play, as though one were shaving with an oil rather than a soap. Suffice it to say that the soap's presence, and moreover protection, is still there, even though the lather's protection cannot be seen. This is analogous to touch-ups with thinner lather or just water at the end, in that one can already start to concentrate upon the blade's edge contact with the hair itself at an intermediate stage. After a couple of passes like this, I really struggled for what I should add to it after a cold water rinse, the smell as mentioned being so great, and my face feeling so smooth. In the end, I just opted for the cold water rinse to remove any lingering alum trace.

Update # 1:

My first shave.

Man, talk about an interesting soap! I’ve alread spoken as to how I make my lather; on a moist puck, I place a fully loaded brush on and go hog wild until I figure it’s time to bring it over to my bowl.

Agian, I had no issue. I made the lather and then took a shower leaving the lather and brush in the bowl to float in hot water. After the shower it had thickened somewhat, not much.

Anyway, after my second pass I thought I should take a picture of my lather before I forgot completely.




That’s after two passes already!


I am not having any issue getting this to lather. None. But it is a “thin lather.” It’s not that thick reach into a layer or two of skin animal fat kind of lather. It feels really, really light. And yet, it works really, really well. The confidence a good tallow soap gives me to “bear down” on my razor, I get from this stuff too! It protects.

What else? Oh yeah, unlike some other reviews where they say using alum after proves worthless... well that might be true if you’re shaving properly. I was really pushing to see what the soap could do and when I rubbed the alum over “that spot” on my neck, there was sting lol.

Anyway, I just gave myself the closest shave I’ve had since trying the AdP the first time a little over a week ago. My face feels genuinely fantastic with a great mix of “dry” while still being hydrated.

If I could never use an aftershave splash or balm again, this would be my soap.

I’ll use it for a week and give my final verdict on it then.

UPDATE #2:

Interesting - you know that fresh after shaven face feel? 12 hours later I still have it. It’s being destroyed because I can’t stop touching my face but wow! I can’t think of another soap I’ve used that did that. Crazy.