This review is for the Aermeda Shaving Soap with Rice Milk, and the Organic Pre-shave oil.
The products are made in New Zealand and both come in brushed stainless steel containers.
The outer packaging is also very nicea and would make a wonderful gift!
The soap is a solid croap. This means, you can dent the soap with your finger but you would need to press fairly hard. Kind of similar to a well cured Stirling soap.
Scented with natural essential oils of orange, clary sage and ylang ylang, it has a very soothing, relaxing aroma. It really does well to make shaving a relaxing experience! It's definitely not a punch you in the face type scent and that's what I like about it. It's present enough to enjoy it and for the scent to impart a soothing effect.
You'll notice the unique ingredient list of the soap, in that both tallow and stearic acid are not present in this soap.
The lather stability and density primarily come from the use of soy wax.
This ingredient is a great way to make a nice shaving soap, and along with the rest of the ingredients, it'll be a creamy, slick and conditioning lather.
Brush loading:
I took my 26mm synthetic brush and in about 15 seconds I had plenty loaded up, ready to bowl lather.
Once i had a bowl full of lather, I started face lathering with circular motions and the lather thickened right up rapidly. After that, it kept thickened up even more so I had to add a little bit more water. Worked that in for about 20 seconds and I had glistening, rich, slick lather.
(Pics are from the bowl lather, prior to face lathering)
The razor just glides right through the stubble. The ability of Aermeda soap to soften up the stubble really makes it very easy to shave comfortably.
The lather itself doesn't feel overly "fatty". This was evident during the shave as the lather was very creamy and nice, but not so thick that it prevents a deep cutting shave.
I got a full BBS without any skin dryness or irritation. It was just such a nice face feel, supple and smooth, no greasiness!
Overall, this less-known shaving soap has really surprised me in a very good way.
The overall soap and brushed SS bowl have exceeded my expectations and I'll very happy to have this soap in my den!
Value: 8/10
Scent (to my liking): 9/10
Scent strength: 6/10
Ease of loading: 10/10
Ease of lather production: 10/10 (thickens up nice and quick!!)
Lather stability: 10/10 (stayed thick and rich throughout the entire shave)
Slickness: 9/10
Post shave feel: 9/10
The Organic Pre-shave oil (PSO):
I don't use a PSO every day as I generally don't feel the need for it.
I do however, apply 3 drops before a shave on those days when my skin is sensitive or dry due to climate, like harsh winters.
I find using a PSO one or two days kind of resets my skin back to good condition, hence why i don't need it daily.
I apply 3 drops of this beautifully scented PSO, rub it in and let it sit for 2 minutes before applying lather and shaving.
It absorbs very easily and prepares the skin for a nice smooth shave.
Lavender, Rosemary and ylang ylang essentials provide a wonderful start to the shaving ritual.
It's light so doesn't clash with the shaving soap.
The oil blend is a tad thicker than that i would prefer but since it absorbs so well, it's not a big deal, just being nitpicky. I guess I'm used to the thinner consistency of the Somersets shaving oil I used to shave with when using mach3.
The products are made in New Zealand and both come in brushed stainless steel containers.
The outer packaging is also very nicea and would make a wonderful gift!
The soap is a solid croap. This means, you can dent the soap with your finger but you would need to press fairly hard. Kind of similar to a well cured Stirling soap.
Scented with natural essential oils of orange, clary sage and ylang ylang, it has a very soothing, relaxing aroma. It really does well to make shaving a relaxing experience! It's definitely not a punch you in the face type scent and that's what I like about it. It's present enough to enjoy it and for the scent to impart a soothing effect.
You'll notice the unique ingredient list of the soap, in that both tallow and stearic acid are not present in this soap.
The lather stability and density primarily come from the use of soy wax.
This ingredient is a great way to make a nice shaving soap, and along with the rest of the ingredients, it'll be a creamy, slick and conditioning lather.
Brush loading:
I took my 26mm synthetic brush and in about 15 seconds I had plenty loaded up, ready to bowl lather.
Once i had a bowl full of lather, I started face lathering with circular motions and the lather thickened right up rapidly. After that, it kept thickened up even more so I had to add a little bit more water. Worked that in for about 20 seconds and I had glistening, rich, slick lather.
(Pics are from the bowl lather, prior to face lathering)
The razor just glides right through the stubble. The ability of Aermeda soap to soften up the stubble really makes it very easy to shave comfortably.
The lather itself doesn't feel overly "fatty". This was evident during the shave as the lather was very creamy and nice, but not so thick that it prevents a deep cutting shave.
I got a full BBS without any skin dryness or irritation. It was just such a nice face feel, supple and smooth, no greasiness!
Overall, this less-known shaving soap has really surprised me in a very good way.
The overall soap and brushed SS bowl have exceeded my expectations and I'll very happy to have this soap in my den!
Value: 8/10
Scent (to my liking): 9/10
Scent strength: 6/10
Ease of loading: 10/10
Ease of lather production: 10/10 (thickens up nice and quick!!)
Lather stability: 10/10 (stayed thick and rich throughout the entire shave)
Slickness: 9/10
Post shave feel: 9/10
The Organic Pre-shave oil (PSO):
I don't use a PSO every day as I generally don't feel the need for it.
I do however, apply 3 drops before a shave on those days when my skin is sensitive or dry due to climate, like harsh winters.
I find using a PSO one or two days kind of resets my skin back to good condition, hence why i don't need it daily.
I apply 3 drops of this beautifully scented PSO, rub it in and let it sit for 2 minutes before applying lather and shaving.
It absorbs very easily and prepares the skin for a nice smooth shave.
Lavender, Rosemary and ylang ylang essentials provide a wonderful start to the shaving ritual.
It's light so doesn't clash with the shaving soap.
The oil blend is a tad thicker than that i would prefer but since it absorbs so well, it's not a big deal, just being nitpicky. I guess I'm used to the thinner consistency of the Somersets shaving oil I used to shave with when using mach3.
