Goat Milk Shaving Soap and Aftershave Detailed Review!

The first thing you will notice about the goat milk shaving soap from The Arizona Goat Milk Soap Co. is the size of the soap cakes. They are approx. 1" tall x 2" wide but dont let this be a deterrent, the soap is absolutely amazing. I have a large soap mug that I normally use a 3” cake with, and I simply smooshed them together until I had a large thick level cake of soap, this took less than 90 seconds with some warm water. The extra height of her soap is nice for those of us with brushes that have shorter handles!

I must say that it is also very nice to know I am using a soap that is handmade, not to mention that the goats she gets the milk from live on her property and are treated like family. Her family raises these goats from babies and they are bottle fed in their own home. Here are some photos of the 2006 litter outside grazing and hanging out. http://www.thearizonagoatmilksoapcom.../babypics.html

Also please keep in mind throughout this review that I have VERY sensitive skin, so if something is gentle enough for me, chances are it will work for anyone.


Ok now for the review!

The Pros:
The soap lathers like nothing I have ever seen before. It is the only soap I have ever seen that lathers like a cream. The soap produces a very thick rich lather that is about the consistency of old fashioned wall paper glue. It is VERY rich and VERY dense, but still extremely wet and slick and I would consider this the soaps best trait. The soap has a very pleasant scent that wont clash with any other scents you may use. It is light but still vibrant enough that you know you have used it. The scent most reminds me of the smells of the beach, probably mostly due to the lavender, almond and coconut oils used in it. What amazed me most about this soap is that I absolutely didnt need to use aftershave afterwards. I really cant say enough about this soap, but what I can tell you is that I really do not imagine that I will be using anything else in the near future. As I sit here writing this review there is a warm breeze blowing and I can constantly smell the soap and aftershave combination, and its a wonderful scent. The final plus for this soap is the price, at $2.50 a cake, it cant be beaten! In fact I almost feel guilty for only paying this much, I really think she could raise the price and still sell just as much.

On a side note, when I told my fiancé about it, she told me thats why she has been using her regular soaps for shaving her legs because she doesnt need to use a lotion afterwards due to the lather and moisturizing qualities.

The cons:
1. The size is slightly abnormal which may bother some
2. If you are used to having to use a moderately wet brush you WILL over lather this soap into a thick frothy overflowing mess.
3. While I happen to love the scent, some of you may prefer a range of scents, but this soap only comes in this particular "flavor" for now.



The Aftershave:

I will compare this aftershave to Trumpers Coral Skin Food, because that is the other aftershave I am using now.

This aftershave is clean and non greasy, it is super quick drying and leaves a pleasant scent that will mix well with anything. The scent is light and airy and will not overpower any other scent you may be wearing. It is apparent by a very slight bite (and the label showing the ingredients) that there is some alcohol in this aftershave, however the bite of the aftershave is much more subdued than most others I have used in the past. Trumpers skin food has no alcohol and is very soothing which I like, but for days I am on the run I find that it just takes far to long to soak into my skin and dry. I look like a shiny greasy mess. So while this aftershave probably doesnt moisturize quite as well and does have some bite to it, it dries so quick and does do a good job that it will be my first choice when I am on the run. Keep in mind however, that if you are using the soap you may find that you don’t even need an aftershave!


And for the record, no I am not getting anything out of this. No free soap, no money, I just really like the family that runs the company and the way they treat their animals. The fact that I love their soap is just a major bonus.

Both the soap and the aftershave can be purchased in a kit or separately from the following link:
http://www.thearizonagoatmilksoapco...ngandtools.html

Also, if you live with a woman who shaves in the shower or just likes nice fragrant gentle soaps, check out her other stuff, I believe you can even get a sample pack.
http://www.thearizonagoatmilksoapcom...pshopping.html

Hello all! I am Mrs. The Arizona Goat Milk Soap Company and I'm delighted with the review of my soap here, thank you to the poster who gave the review, I'm pleased that you like it and I'm thankful for such a kind review.
A couple of notes about the soap- the original batch of shaving soap produced was 2" diameters, we do agree that it is too small and have changed to size to 2 1/2" diameters but if need we absolutely can go up to 3" diameter size. We would love to hear anyone's opinion on what the size should be. Also as far as the fragrance goes, we realize that one fragrance does not fit all, LOL, we would be happy to begin offering a variety of fragrances and would love to have your input on what fragrances would be desired. :) Please email us with your comments regarding desired shaving soap size and desired fragrances at tazgmsc@aol.com
Our desire is to keep at it until our soap fits our costumers needs and wants, we wont be happy until you are. :)
Thank you for your kind words!!!

There are two popular sizes of shaving soap:

2.5" which is a standard size
3" which is a larger size.

It really depends on the person and the size of their mug or bowl, but I dont see why a 2.5" wouldnt work for all.

I love the scent BTW, I wouldnt change it for anything!

I got my piece yesterday and used it this morning. It's quite nice. I don't find the scent to be as strong as JLstorm described (maybe I just don't have that strong a sense of smell) but it's good soap. The only thing I can compare it to so far is the Mammabear soap. It lathers a bit less easily (there's a bit more of a trick to getting good lather) and the original 2inch cakes are a bit small. But it's great and smells nice and lubricates wonderfully.
All in all a very good piece of soap I say.

LX I smelled the scent so strong because I was sitting in a room with a breeze, so everytime the wind would blow I would smell that scent. I also had on the aftershave though, which may have helped?

I definitely think there is a slight learning curve with the lather, but I have never seen a soap that is easier to over lather withf a tiny bit too much water. I wouldnt trade it for the world because once water/soap mixture is right, the lather is awesome. When you say that mammabear soap lathers easier, do you mean that it is even MORE touchy with the water/soap ratio, or that you dont have to worry as much your water vs. soap content?

For instance, Trumpers is VERY forgiving...stick a wet brush in there and you will get good shaving lather. This soap produces lather that I prefer even to trumpers, but like I said its not as forgiving.

The Mammabear soap is a bit more forgiving on the water/soap content. I think....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

The Mammabear soap is a bit more forgiving on the water/soap content. I think....

---

I believe it. Normally that would have been a con instead of a pro, I dont know whether it was patience or luck (I only adjusted my water to soap ratio 3 times), but the lather I found was just heavenly, and that would have probably been less likeley with a more forgiving soap or cream. The brush and the soap was dry enough that with other soaps the lather would have been a thick dry mush, but with this stuff it was thick and creamy but had great lubricity. I am not sure if its due to the fat content or what, but it was just perfect. You may want to experiment a bit. I was using an AOS badger brush, Im sure its a cheapy mixed badger (I got it in a cheap kit). So my brush doesnt hold much water as it is, but I still had to shake it out a bit.

I received my order from TAGMSC. I took some pics to show what you get when you order the shaving set; a good price for a starter set, minus a razor (& strop -- this is SRP!). Overall, I'm looking forward to using these products.

The soap and aftershave have a strong scent right out of the box, but the little bit of aftershave that I rubbed into my hands mellowed during dry down. My initial impression of the aftershave was favorable; it felt very moisturizing, had a slick/powdery feeling after dry down without being sticky, and dried quick enough. The photo of the dab of aftershave I took because I was intrigued by its properties. The dab started "floating" in my palm, like an ice cube does as it initially melts -- curious -- a property from the goat's milk? The soap is pictured to show you its overall size (I'll post more after use). The first description of the scent for these products that I could come up with was "popsicle!?!?" It was very sweet smelling, but not sickly so.

The included mug is a simple ceramic coffee mug with the company name. The brush is boar bristle (with a painted-on stripe); the knot size was measured at 20mm with an inexpensive caliper. I have it compared to a Crabtree & Evelyn best badger brush and a Savile Row SR208 super badger brush.

[By the way, the 39.1KB limit for JPEG files is ridiculous!]

Wow thanks for all the pictures. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the soap...and also the brush...but I gotta ask, if you have those nice badgers why did youget a boar??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JLStorm

Wow thanks for all the pictures. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the soap...and also the brush...but I gotta ask, if you have those nice badgers why did youget a boar??

---

SBAD SBAD SBAD

The whole package was inexpensive for the mug, soap and aftershave lotion; I didn't mind getting a brush in the offer too. I really think this is a smart starter kit for someone looking at moving from the existing "mainstay" products (e.g., Barbasol foam, Edge gel, etc.) into a more traditional product.

Okay, so I got an opportunity to use and document these products for the first time. Below are pictures to go with the text.

First is a picture of the equipment (photo #1): TAGMSC shaving soap & aftershave "milk" lotion, Wade & Butcher "For Barber's Use" straight razor with custom cocobola scales & inlaid nickel silver bolsters, SCS best badger shaving brush with am 22mm knot (there's that SBAD again! :D). Then, a picture (photo #2) of the stubble it's up against (this is like two days worth of growth -- terrible, huh?)

My initial attempt at lathering wasn't up to par; it was way too dry and sticky -- wasn't getting any volume (photo #3). I was concerned with JLStorm's report of waterlogging, and didn't want to do that too. Notice too all the soap & water that drained away from the soap & brush into the mug (photo #4); a soap cake the size of the inside mug diameter will deinitely correct this issue & be more standard in size (keep the thickness the same though).

I lathered in the mug for one minute. The next two photos (photos #5 & 6) show the lather applied to my face and after one minute. The lather dissipated slightly, but it remained moist and slick (observed during rinsing it off). Not satisfied with the lather that I got, I went back to the mug with additional water in my brush. I lathered for another 30 seconds and got the next photo (photo #7). One more picture of the face after applying the new lather (photo #8).

Finished shaving, I applied the aftershave (photo #9). This amount was enough to cover my entire face, neck, ears, and back of neck. I massaged it in for about 45 seconds to a matte finish; it did not feel greasy or appear to leave a film or residue on my face.

I let my wife do a scent check after the shave; her first thought was berries, then "clean/soap" scent. I must say that the scent was not distracting during the shave, and is mellower than when you put your nose right to a new soap cake. All in all, nice products, and the price is a bargain.

xchris,

Thanks for the very detailed review. I've never seen one as thorough as yours, complete with photos and all. Great stuff.

Ed

Very strange...when I do it my face is solid white with thick lather...I dont get it. If I add to much water my mug looks like a washing machine with too much soap in it that is overflowing. I'll post a picture tomorrow of what my lather looks like. Thanks for the review...doesnt sound like you were thrilled..sorry about that.

Great review Chris, very helpful, especially for guys like me who've yet to go the brush route.

JL. The difference in your lather from Chris' may have something to do with the water softness. I just changed cities and have noticed the change from my body soap. But then again, as a traveler you should be somewhat familiar with this.

X

JLS,

That was my first time using it, so don't take my results as definitive. I rather like a wetter lather than most, and usually have a thinner looking lather. I find that I usually have to tune my technique when switching around betweeen diffferent soaps and creams. I will likely improve my lather in subsequent uses. Like xman stated, my water condition is probably playing a role in the lather that I'm getting (for all products). I wasn't thrilled, but I certainly enjoyed the product; I just have to adjust to make it optimum. I don't regret having purchased it, and expect to use it in rotation; the resulting shave was very good despite my lack of technique. I'll post more once I've gotten several shaves in.

edinLA44 & xman,
Thanks for your kind comments.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xman

Great review Chris, very helpful, especially for guys like me who've yet to go the brush route.

JL. The difference in your lather from Chris' may have something to do with the water softness. I just changed cities and have noticed the change from my body soap. But then again, as a traveler you should be somewhat familiar with this.

X

---

Yes, I am..and I thought about that after I wrote my post. But still with the lather I get, I would assume even different water there would be a good amount of lather. Anyway, I'll post a pic of what I get later tonight when I shave. Chris mentioned he liked a thin watery lather...I like the opposite a thick robust lather that is just wet enough to shave with. I just feel/felt bad because I had endorsed the product initially, even though I know nothing pleases everyone. At any rate, hopefully your next shave will be better chris!

JL, sorry to be the bearer of bad news here but I have to be honest with my review. I received two bars of the soap and the first thing I noticed that they are indeed small. Very small would be a better description. I normally use an Old Spice mug and this bar wouldn’t even hit the ribs inside the mug. I picked up a Fire King shaving mug ( coffee cup) which is small for it’s size and the bar floated around the bottom of that. I did like the bars fragrance when first opening up the package, but it really doesn’t have much of a smell when applied. My biggest problem is the lack of lather. The words “rich and thick” just do not apply to this soap. It creates a light airy and foamy lather that mostly disappears before you are done applying to the rest of your face. It doesn’t dry out and seems to be fairly slick, but the lack of lather that you can see makes for guess work where you have shaved. I have tried three or four times using various amounts of water and still would get similar results. My water softener is working again and tested prior to use. You can get an average shave with this soap since it does have some desirable traits, but I will be using this for bath soap.

Glen

I got some good lather...but only after a few tries. It took a bit of practise to get it right....

Here are some pics of the lather I get, although it seemed by the time I reached for the camara some of the lather had disapaited, but you get the idea. I guess I just got lucky and found a water/soap ratio that worked for me, I experimented a bit and I just love the results, it covers better and stays wet longer than most other soaps I have used, and like I said in a previous post, it really cuts down on my NEED for aftershave (although I use it anyway cause I like the smell)...ohwell to each their own, I just feel bad that people ordered it cause I said I liked it and ended up wasting their money, sorry guys. :(

http://71.18.27.116/images/shaving/T...oap_in_mug.JPG
http://71.18.27.116/images/shaving/T...face_front.JPG
http://71.18.27.116/images/shaving/T..._face_left.JPG

JL,

The lather in the bowl looks "soapy", with a lot of large air bubbles. Is this how the soap lathers, or is the pic of the bowl before the lather was fully developed?

RT

Its actuall not a great pic, especially with the white on white. The thick lather is under the brush the sides built up some of the thinner stuff. It builds up the thin soapy lather first and then in about 20 seconds I get the thick lather in my brush, but not much extra lather in the mug. The lather in the brush after about 20 seconds is enough to cover my whole face (minus my neck). I have a crappy badger brush that doesnt hold a ton of lather or else I would have taken a picture of the brush itself, which would have had a nice contrast to it.

It's how the stuff lathers I believe. It turns out pretty nice I think.

Tried the balm last night. Nice stuff, heats up a bit more than I expected though. It "burns" less, but for a longer period than the Nivea Balm which I didn't expect.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

Tried the balm last night. Nice stuff, heats up a bit more than I expected though. It "burns" less, but for a longer period than the Nivea Balm which I didn't expect.

---

There is alcohol in it, which I prefer not to have in my aftershaves. I still use it, and its pretty good, but I dont like it as much as I like the soap.

Actually the aftershave doens't burn me anymore....I don't know why. Maybe the first time I just shaved wrong and irritated my face. I used the stuff today and really didn't need any aftershave...used some anyway though. I felt like a million bucks.
You can use the lather as an aftershave because it sinks into your skin completely if you give it a couple of minutes.

The more I use this stuff the more I like it. It's becoming my best and baseline soap and aftershave.

ya it is amazing stuff, I really love it. Its the only soap I use right now.

I've been using the aftershave lotion for about 2 or 3 weeks now and I think I'll be hard pressed to replace it with anything better. I'm hoping Mary (soapwolf) gives it a good run for it's money with her skin food replacement and I'm willing to help her out with feedback and testing, but I'm telling you *nothing* I've tried works as well as this goat milk aftershave right now.

I like the proraso aftershave lotion. I *hated* the C&E aftershave lotion (it made my face itch something fierce, although the soap doesn't have that effect). This stuff is incredible, smooth, cool (I don't get any burn from it), smells clean and light and absorbs into my skin almost instantly. Leaves my face smooth and fresh and feeling like a million bucks.

I haven't tried their shaving soap yet (I will when I reorder) but I did get the sampler of unscented soap and lotion for my fiancee and she loves it. I'm hooked on Colleen's lemon verbena bath soap and am waiting for her to bust out with the storefront but I'll still be buying this goat milk soap for my fiancee I'm sure.

-- Gary F.