Monday, January 5, 2015

A Little on Soap Commander

It started as Simply 7 Skincare making bath soaps, lip balms, scrubs, and assorted lotions.  However due to a trademark conflict, Simply 7 Skincare set out to rebrand itself.  After speaking with the company, they told me rebranding seemed like it would be a rather bitter pill to swallow.  At the time the company’s founders, husband and wife team Darren and Carrie Seibert, had been exploring the idea of bringing some wet shaving products to market.   So, after a thoughtful and very emotional discussion they decided to make the jump and re-launched the company with a more male-centric brand with an emphasis on wet shaving .  In May of 2014, Soap Commander was born with their Recharge Line geared towards women and the Take Charge line designed for men.



The Take Charge line is made up of Shave Soaps, Bath Soaps, and Aftershave Balms geared towards men and the scents are named after characteristics that embody “Take Charge” Leadership.  As of this writing, Soap Commander currently have has nine core scents, a few which have been carried over from the previous company.    

Soap Commander Shaving Soaps
Confidence:  Carried over from the original company.  However, due to a component of the original formulation becoming unavailable, Confidence was reformulated to blend that is a honey, musk, and patchouli scent.  The new Confidence scent is in the same scent family as the original formulation and is steadily growing in popularity. 

Courage: Peppercorn, Citrus and Cedar. Courage was a scent that was carried over from the previous company. 


Endurance: Described as “Classic Spice,” the Endurance scent was inspired by the original Shulton Company version of Old Spice Aftershave.  From what I hear, this is Darren’s favorite scent.


Integrity:  Designed for people who may suffer from allergies or sensitivities to fragrances or colors.  Integrity is Soap Commander’s standard recipe without any coloring or fragrances added.


Love: Contains notes of roses. Nothing more. Nothing less. Inspired by the Klar Kabinett™ rose scented shaving soap. 


Passion: Another scent carried over from the previous company.  The Passion scent is described as slightly woodsy; a blend of teakwood surrounded by rich spices of cardamom, cinnamon, and clove upon a base of cedar, amber, sandalwood, and patchouli.


Respect: From what I hear this is Carrie Seibert’s favorite.  Respect combines lime and patchouli essential oils for a refreshing experience.
 

Vision:  This scent was also carried over from the previous company. Of the core scents this one is probably my personal favorite. Vision contains notes of citrus, black currant, pineapple, honeydew, muguet, and water lily upon a base of vetiver and mulberry along with peppermint essential oil. 
 

Wisdom: a blend of lavender and peppermint essential oils.


Soap Commander also periodically releases seasonal scents of their shave soaps, bath soaps, and aftershave balms.  These seasonal items are only available for a about two or three months.  


Soap Commander's Resolution Scent Aftershave Balm and Shaving Soap

They released a Sweet Tea scent titled "Refreshment" for the summer; an Apple, Orange and Clove scent for the fall which they dubbed "Thanksliving;" and most recently a Mistletoe, Fir, and Cranberries for the winter which is called “Resolution.”  Personally, I haven’t smelled Refreshment, but I really do like the Thanksliving and Resolution aromas.  We hear that a Fougere scent is in the making for the Spring of 2015.

The one noticeable characteristics of the Soap Commander shave soap is the rather large tubs that they are stored in.  Upon asking the company, they had informed me that this is by design. 



“We wanted a substantial container, in both form and function.  By filling an 8 oz tub with a little over 6 oz of soap, we were able to leave an intentional headspace which would allow the user to load his/her brush in the container, instead of needing a separate bowl for lathering.  In conjunction with that decision and those purposes, we chose to use waterproof labels which would withstand normal, daily use of the tub.”
Soap Commander leaves a headspace for brush loading and uses waterproof labels
Personally, I found the lather to have a nice cushion to it.  For me, running a badger brush under the tap hot water for about 10 seconds, shaking out some excess, and swirling it over the soap for about 30 seconds was enough for a pass over my head and two for face. Though, as with most things wet shaving … Your mileage may vary (YMMV).


Endurance Shave Soap

The Aftershave balm I found to be nice as well.  In general I like an aftershave splash for its bracing qualities. I do like balms too, but prefer ones that stimulate my skin after a shave. With the Soap Commander Aftershave balm I could feel a cooling build of the menthol after applying.  While I felt the cooling feeling of the balm was different than that of a splash, it was still an enjoyable feeling.  The aftershave balm didn’t leave my skin feeling greasy and fragrance seemed to last a while. 
Soap Commander Aftershave Balms
I asked Darren and Carrie what is currently in development at Soap Commander. Is there anything in the making that we could anticipate?  They had mentioned that Soap Commander will be releasing the reformulated “Purpose” scent.  This Bay Rum scent should be available very soon.

Do you have a favorite Soap Commander Scent?  Feel free to leave a comment below to tell us what it is.

2 comments:

  1. Great write-up! Thank you for partnering with us and for spreading the word about Soap Commander. We're honored to be working with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. We're very honored to be working with Soap Commander as well!

      Delete