Thread: Straight Razor Designs "Lavender"

Okay, so I am not a "soap guy". Never was. Probably never will be. Nevertheless, a man has to do what a man has to do, and I had run out of creams to review. Enter SRD "Lavender" and "Lime". Tested the lavender thoroughly last night and this morning. An interesting experience. Read on...

Packaging: A black tub with SRD's corporate branding. A bit on the rustic side, really, but then again, we are looking at a bottom line soap, price wise. So that is fine by me, as I have Edwin Jagger products on display in my bathroom (meaning I even keep the Castle Forbes stuff hidden from view for aesthetic reasons).

Texture: A typical glycerine soap, translucent and hard. If you know Col Conk, this one is much like it.

Scent: This is where it gets interesting. I think I shall concoct a "Great Lavender Shoot Out" shortly, and this soap will not quite come out on top. In the tub, it is almost perfect. Not Castle Forbes perfect, but CF is a cream, and that positively affects the aroma, but almost perfect. Very subtle, but fresh, relaxing and rich. So far so good. Once you lather it up, the soap develops a less lavendery scent. Still very good. Undoubtedly an interesting scent, especially if you want some lavender, but not feel like sticking your face into a whole bush of it.

Latherability: Very good, especially for a soap. As a bonus, the soap takes kindly to slightly wrong amounts of added water. The lather can be creamy, and slick, and can also be whipped up fairly easily in a bowl, or on the face.

Cushion: More than enough. Being a soap and not a cream, the cushion is actually quite remarkable.

Moisturising: The bad news: this soap leaves my skin drier than a good cream. The good news: This happens to me with all glycerine based products. So if you get along with them in general, this should not be a problem for you at all. If you do not, get a sample of this product first. Avène "Cold Cream" to the rescue, and all is fine again.

Price: USD 13.49 for the Lavender is actually a really good price. Especially since this soap will go a long way.

Overall impression: This should make a great soap for beginners. It is affordable, it smells nice (if you like the unexpected aroma), and it performs way above average. Certainly one of the best soaps I have tried so far - but then again, I am not a "soap guy" ;)