Wednesday, March 25, 2015

A Little On Dr. Jon's Handcrafted Soap Co.

March 25, 2015 0
Dr. Jon's Shaving Soap Co. officially started on November 30th, 2014. But their story started out in 2013 when the founder, Jon Eplin, started getting into traditional wet shaving. As with many of us, it started to become somewhat of an obsession. Once he was hooked, Jon decided he needed to learn everything he could; including how to make his own soap.  


He found a recipe, but it proved to not be precisely what he would want in a shaving soap. So after much experimentation with just about every type of oil and butter that he could get his hands on, Jon finally had the recipe for a soap with great conditioning and hydrating properties which could easily produce a thick lather that he was looking for.   Dr. Jon’s also set out to design eye catching labels as well.  To paraphrase what they said about their labels: whether someone likes the designs or not they are difficult to not notice. 

Dr. Jon's was designed as a soft soap for ease of producing a lather.
We had the opportunity to sample Dr. Jon’s soap. Many have posted in shave forums, blogs, and even in their YouTube videos that Dr. Jon’s is a rather soft shaving soap.  We inquired about this and Dr. Jon’s had informed us that this was by design:
The decision to make a very soft soap was so that even new shavers would have no problems producing a thick creamy lather, hard pucks are great if you know what you are doing but can be somewhat frustrating for the new guy.

Dr. Jon's Handcrafted Soap is available in 2 oz and 4 oz tins
Classic: Jon's favorite.  The Dr Jon’s Classic Scent is a blend of lavender, cedar, lime, bergamot, vetiver, and rosemary.
Aphrodite:  This soap is a blend of rose, pomegranate, black currant and apple to make a sweet and floral fragrance.
Hydra: Dr Jon’s originally produced a mandarin and black pepper blend.  While the company had sampled that soap with customers they opted to not release it.  Rather, Dr. Jon’s opted to release a citrus soap that blends orange, lemon, lime, mandarin, grapefruit, and bergamot … which would be called Hydra.  Of their current soap line up, this is currently his wife’s favorite scent.
Savannah Sunrise:  This scent blends hints of Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Gardenia, Peach and Orange blossom
Big Green Monster: Dr Jon’s Big Green Monster blends lime, basil, and peppermint to create this scent.
Anne Bonny:  This is the Dr. Jon’s Take on Bay Rum.  This one is probably my favorite thus far.  The Anne Bonny scent is a blend of West Indies Bay leaf essential oil, dark rum, lime, and black tea.
Hex
:  A blend of black pepper, cedar, orange, and cinnamon



New Tobacco Based Scents planned for release in April
I asked Jon if there is anything in development at Dr. Jon’s Handcrafted Soap Co. and was pleased to hear that they have two new soap fragrances planned for release in April as well as a line of aftershaves that are slated for a release in July.  The response to Dr. Jon’s Handcrafted Soap products seems to be largely positive.  Even though I’m not certain what to expect with the new products, I’m sure it will have that unique Dr. Jon’s Handcrafted Soap Co. look, feel, and smell to it.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Live Maniler with Local Gent: Local Gent Shaving Co Products

March 07, 2015 0
Local Gent Shaving Co. has a passion for traditional wet shaving and for propagating the benefits to the masses. Founded in 2012, they fuse old-school technique with the Local Gent signature style to create products designed for men to live maniler. Local Gent Shaving Co. products are quality tested and made by men for men.  Using a custom blend of quality ingredients, Local Gent Shaving Company’s products are hand crafted in small batches in Riverside, California.
Local Gent Shaving Co PreShave Oil, Shaving Cream, and Aftershave Balms
As of this writing, Local Gent currently has seven scents of shaving cream and aftershave balms.  Not that long ago, they released their California Barber scent which is designed to give that fresh, clean, right from the barber shop feel.  You may have seen threads about them on badger and blade as well as on Instagram where a number of people showcase their Local Gent products in their shave-of-the-days pictures. 
The different scents of Local Gent Shaving Cream
We are very happy to be carrying Local Gent Shaving Co. Pre-Shave Oil, Shaving Cream, and Aftershave balm at theShavingEdge.com

Pre-shave oil
The Local Gent Pre-shave oils are available in five scents: Sandalwood, Bay Rum, California Barber, Eucalyptus Mint, and in a non-scented variety which they have dubbed Traditional.  The Mariner and Tobacco Lounge scents are currently not available in the Pre-Shave Oil.   

Local Gent PreShave Oil

Shaving Cream   
I was pleasantly surprised with the shaving cream.  Personally, I found the lather to have a decent slickness and cushion to it.   I found it to be a very light cream and it reminded me of a couple of others that I have used such as: Game Day Men’s Sandalwood Shave Cream or Derby shave cream in a tube. There are currently seven scents available: Bay Rum, Sandalwood, Tobacco Lounge, The Mariner, Lime Street, Eucalyptus Mint, and California Barber
Not a hard puck.  Local Gent Shaving Cream reminded me of some other creams that I've tried
I found that I didn’t need a lot of water to make a lather. An almond sized dollop seemed like just the right amount.  For me, running a badger brush under the tap hot water for a few seconds and shaking out most of the excess was enough water to generate a lather for a two pass face shave.  But as with all things wet shaving, your mileage may vary (YMMV)

Tobacco Lounge Shaving Cream
Aftershave Balm
The Local Gent After Shave Balms are handcrafted with a custom blend of ingredients designed to complement The Local Gent Shaving Co shaving cream.  This post shave doesn’t contain menthol and didn’t have the cooling sensation of other aftershave balms that I’ve tried, such as Game Day Men’s and Soap Commander’s Aftershave Balms.


Seven scents of Local Gent Aftershave Balm
Personally, I found that the Local Gent AfterShave Balm didn’t leave an oily residue on my or face and (to my nose) the scent didn’t linger for a long time.  However, like with post shave lotion, this is the kind of post shave treatment I prefer use after using a splash.  Like the Local Gent Shaving Cream, the post shave lotions are currently available in seven scents: Bay Rum, Sandalwood, Tobacco Lounge, The Mariner, Lime Street, Eucalyptus Mint, and California Barber


Dispensing Local Gent Aftershave Balm
Have you tried any of the Local Gent Shaving Co Products? Do you have a favorite scent?   Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think.