I don’t usually review a product I know nothing about. Usually I’ve heard something or seen comments on some shaving forum or seen a YouTube review or something. However, the Barberry Coast Shave Co. was entirely new to me until a few months ago when we started following each other on Instagram. After following for a while, I kept seeing recurring themes in their products: completely natural, zero toxins, cedar, tobacco, bay rum. I just knew I had to try something from Barberry Coast, but which product? Well, I had recently gone on a bay rum buying bonanza purchasing four different bay rums in the past month, so that was out. Barberry Coast seems to be better known for their aftershaves, so I went counter-trend and bought the Ascent shaving soap. I’m such a big fan of tallow and lanolin in my shaving soaps, so I also wanted to see how the coconut oil and glycerin base would perform.
My first impression upon receiving the Ascent shaving soap was that it was big, bigger than most shaving soaps. At 3.8 ounces, this was larger than most of the major British brands, for a lower price no less. So, initially, I thought I was receiving a good value. The Ascent smelled clean and fresh. There was a slight crispness to it that seemed to sharpen the senses. The fragrance was light, as is the case with most hard shaving soaps, but the real scents usually pop when you build the lather. Building the lather with this shaving soap was phenomenally easy. I followed the instructions from the Barberry Coast Shave Co. website and made sure to soak my puck first. I usually soak my brushes while I shower, so I just popped the puck in a mug and soaked it next to my brush. This is a pretty thirsty soap, and the more water I added, the thicker the lather got. The scent was nice; not too strong, but with definitely noticeable cedar and pine. I personally prefer scents to be stronger, but maybe I just have a bad nose or maybe I’m used to all those toxic chemicals that enhance scents.
The lather is where this shaving soap really shines. As I said, the more water I added, the thicker it got. The picture to the left from Barberry Coast Shave Co.’s website is not an exaggeration. I was able to repeatedly build lather with this thickness. With lather this thick, comfort was not even a question. I barely felt any of the different blades I used, and was able to get an extremely close shave every time. The coconut oil was an exceptional addition too. Every time I used the Ascent shaving soap, my face felt perfectly moisturized, but not greasy; just healthy.
The Barberry Coast Shave Co. Ascent shaving soap is absolutely exquisite product that outperforms most shaving soaps in both value and shaving experience. If I had to nit-pick, I would like the scent to be stronger, but that’s a personal preference issue, not an issue with the soap itself. I highly recommend the Ascent shaving soap, and you can pick yours up either on the Barberry Coast Shave Co. Amazon store or on their newly launched website.
As always we love to hear from our readers. Please let us know any thoughts you have on Barberry Coast Shave Co. or any other products you would like us to review. You can comment here or reach out to us on social media using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.
Regards,
