Initial Pass: Viking Shave Soap (and Citron Aftershave Balm)

While I have a lot of shaving products in the den, I was in the mood to try something new.  Not to long after I had this feeling, I received a notification on Twitter that Viking Soap and Cosmetic was following me. I suppose this was the catalyst that I needed; because not too long after that I decided to peruse their site and buy some of their products.

Mail Call!

I wound up buying sample sizes of the soaps they had available at that time:

Citron:   Citrus with undertones of bergamot and combined with menthol. To me, the menthol feeling was mild but was nice.  Of the scents, this one was my girlfriend’s favorite. 

Ironside:  According to the Viking Soap website, this scents namesake was the Viking King, Bjorn Ironside; described as a manly scent with notes of black peppercorn, leather patchouli, musk, and citrus.

Tree Of Life:  Notes of sandalwood and oakmoss.  On their website, Viking Soap and Cosmetic briefly explains the lore that the soap takes its name from:  In the middle of Asgard, the Norse Gods live in the Tree of Life (Yggdrasil) and we are darn sure it smells like this in there. 

Hedeby: According to their website, this scent takes its name after the famous Viking grave site where they discovered that Vikings wore plaid.  The scent was designed to be reminiscent of “tweed” scents with floral and grassy notes.

Old Norse:  This was the product that started it all.  This is the Viking Soap take on the barbershop-style scent. As far as favorite scents go, I’m torn between this and Tree Of Life.

I liked the size of the sample containers. Felt like I could load from it and didn't have to transfer to a mug or bowl 

Unfortunately for me, Lavender Cedar was released a few days after I made the purchase.  This will just give me a reason to pick something up at a later date.    

The Soap Yielded That Yogurt-like Consistency.

Viking’s shave soap contains tallow in the formulation.  So, the lather was similar to that of other tallow based soaps that I’ve used (like Arko or Sir Hare).  I felt that the soap it performed well; giving me a dense and slick lather that I used on both my head and face.  For me the texture of the soap, the lather, and thirstiness is comparable to The Strop Shoppe’s special edition line.  However, I personally found the scent to be a touch stronger. To my nose, I don’t find the scent to linger after washing my face (and/or head).  The soap is also rather soft. As Viking Soap describes it on their site: it is Italian in influence, perhaps a croap – straddling a thin line between cream and soap.  

Very soft texture. Was easily able to leave a dent with by lightly pressing on it.

Even though I’m more of a splash kind of guy, I decided to pick up their Citron aftershave balm since it noted it had menthol.  I will have to say that I found that the Viking Soap Citron Aftershave Balm is probably one that I felt could rival a splash (just my opinion).  I used two pumps from the bottle and applied it to my head and face.  I was anticipating it to be more like a lotion; one that potentially had a mild menthol cooling.  However, I applied it and after a few seconds I felt that distinct menthol feeling build.   Personally, I felt as if it had the build of Captain’s Choice Cat O’Nine Tails aftershave without the sting that comes from the alcohol.  However, that is just my opinion.   It took a few moments (I’d say about 10 min) for the tingling on to die down.   I scaled back the amount I used the next time I shaved and the tingling didn’t seem as intense.

Citron Aftershave Balm: A Nice Menthol-y Sensation. Needed Just a Small Amount.

I felt as if the scent was not overpowering and it did not linger even after applying to my head and face.   I like the burn of an aftershave and experiencing it with this balm was a pleasant surprise.  While, I have not tried the other aftershave balms as of this writing, I may need to pick up one of the other scents down the line and give it a try.

Full Sized Container Of Their Barbershop Scent: Old Norse

Have you tried any of the Viking Shave Soaps or Aftershave Balms? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.