Thread: Institut Karite

Originally Posted by vthomlinson

i'm putting provence sante verlain and institut karite on my list of next soaps to purchase.

Hello, Victor:

You will like both soaps. They lather well, with good cushion and glide, and the floral fragrance is quite pleasing, especially that of Provence Sante Verlaine — it's like spending a soft afternoon in a garden in Provence.

I have tried many soaps through the years. Were I to choose my favorite in every respect, however, it would have to be Provence Sante Verlaine.

Regards,
Obie

I have been using the IK Soap and IK Aftershave Balm for a few weeks now. I will say that they both smell exactly alike. It is a hard scent to describe but it is soapy and fresh. It is actually very pleasant. Aside form Tabac, this is actually my favorite soap fragrance.

I do not find these products as moisturizing as I would have thought given the high Shea Butter content.

The soap is very good, but not great. I like the Provence Sante slightly better as a performer, but I dislike the fact that the PS contains Talc so I may discontinue using it.

I will definitely keep the IK in the rotation as it is very easy to lather, smells amazing and is a very good partner for uberlathering.

Update:

I used the I.K. soap and aftershave today for my morning shave and I did things a little bit differently following some of the suggestions earlier in this thread.

I basically loaded my brush on the soap for twice as long and worked the lather in my scuttle for twice as long. It took a little work, but the lather that I got was thicker and slicker than I am used to getting with the I.K. soap. I was very, very happy. The scent is great and it gives my face such a clean feeling. I also noticed that the moisturizing properties were improved as well.

Also, I did the same thing with the aftershave balm. I basically applied it right after my astringent, and then, two minutes later, went back and applied a second layer. Again, much better result. No razor burn and my face felt nice and refreshed.

I was pleasantly surprised how a little tweaking could change results so drastically.

I did not like the IK aftershave AT ALL. It was like cold cream. No?

Has anyone noticed that IK soap softens your brush over a few months use. While that may be good for a boar or best, it softened up a silvertip quite a bit and made it a bit floppy. Just wondering if my experience was isolated.

Originally Posted by petr

I did not like the IK aftershave AT ALL. It was like cold cream. No?

Has anyone noticed that IK softens your brush over a few months use. While that may be good for a boar or best, it softened up a silvertip quite a bit and made it a bit floppy. Just wondering if my experience was isolated.

I am not sure what "cold cream" is, but I guess this is one of those situations where everyone has their own opinion. The I.K. aftershave is my go to everyday aftershave. There is nothing really special about it, but it is very moisturizing for me, not greasy and I like the light floral fragrance. It is nothing truly special, but it is great for the price. My opinion of course.

As far as the IK soap softening the brush, I cannot say. I have not noticed this with mine, but my IK soap is in rotation with 5 or 6 others so it would be hard to determine the culprit if something like this did occur. I would think this could potentially happen with any soap, but I rinse my brush thoroughly after each use. I wonder if the shea butter could have something to do with softening the bristles????

In terms of the french veggie soaps I would rate this right behind Martin De Candre and just ahead of Provence Sante. It is very moisturizing, though as petr mentioned I do worry about the excess shea butter having an adverse effect on my shaving brushes.

Gentlemen:

I use, in rotation with other products, both Institute Karite cream and soap and like them. I have noticed no problems with my brushes.

Regards,
Obie

I should have mentioned that I used the IK soap exclusively for about a year with the same rooney brush. I just got stuck on it for a while in my early days of soap buying. That was probably an extreme example.

Then, I went nuts and bought bunches of different soaps.

I'm glad the IK AS works for you.

The French shea butter soaps are far and away my favorites. To my old nose, the IK smells like the baby powder that was used when kids wore cloth diapers (clean diapers that is). When I finish shaving I apply a full coat on my face as if I was about to do another pass and just leave it on while I clean up - a few minutes. Rinse it off and nothing else I have used makes my skin feel like this stuff does. No other AS treatment. The Provence Sante Green Tea is my very favorite soap - and it does contain talcum. Every other shave, at least, is PSGT, PdP, or IK.

Originally Posted by Obelisk

The French shea butter soaps are far and away my favorites. To my old nose, the IK smells like the baby powder that was used when kids wore cloth diapers (clean diapers that is). When I finish shaving I apply a full coat on my face as if I was about to do another pass and just leave it on while I clean up - a few minutes. Rinse it off and nothing else I have used makes my skin feel like this stuff does. No other AS treatment. The Provence Sante Green Tea is my very favorite soap - and it does contain talcum. Every other shave, at least, is PSGT, PdP, or IK.

Sounds like you need to try some MdC and possibly Cade, though cade is my least favorite of them all.