As a resident of south Florida I am fortunate enough to call the place where many people vacation “home”. The tropical lifestyle is part of my daily commute and often gets lost in the grind of everyday life. Most days, I find myself taking the beautiful weather and scenery for granted.
South Florida
So exactly where is south Florida located? South Florida is located from Palm Beach all the way down to Key West, spanning over 200 miles and 4 counties. Some will argue that the western Gulf coast region is included but for arguments sake we will keep the original, non-offical parameters.
It’s a unique living experience to say the least. There are no mountains, there’s no snow and most of people you encounter were born and raised elsewhere. It’s an area full of diversity, and more Boston Red Sox and Yankee fans then Marlins fans at a home games. Ask ten people where they’re from and I guarantee most of them will say from somewhere else. It’s a place where you can experience a tropical getaway without ever needing a passport. It’s where I call home.
Most traditional wet shavers are always on the verge of looking for new products that are locally produced. For those residing in south Florida a search for those items would usually end up, empty handed. Now I know what you’re thinking, “There are scents out there based on the Florida lifestyle”. I’ve tried many of those scents and they are all great, but I was on a quest to find products that were truly made in the area I call home. Products made by people who understand what it truly means to live in south Florida.
Several months ago I discovered the Lather Bros Soap Company while doing my usual search for local vendors. I was ecstatic to say the least. I wanted to see if they truly were able to incorporate the lifestyle only a resident of south Florida would know. I quickly placed my order and waited in the typical (impatient) wet shaver fashion.
The Lather Bros Soap Company is a husband and wife team led by Andres Mateus. Andres discovered traditional wet shaving a couple of years ago when looking to enhance his shaving routine. He began collecting wet shaving apparel and was hooked just like the rest of us. He created the company with his wife about a year in and never looked back.
Andres and his wife are based out of the town of Miami Lakes and produce all of their own products on premise. Their goal is to make products that represent the beautiful city in which they live and to share a piece of Miami with wet shavers everywhere.
In addition to shaving products, they also make shampoo and body soaps, all available in matching scents.
Packaging
When I received my order from Lather Bros. I was pleased to find some samples of their other products neatly packaged with my order. They were even so kind to include a nice card and a free soap holder. The best part is, the packaged arrived the next day!
The artwork on the package reminds me of an old Miami scene. The image (designed by Mateus) symbolizes a street in what seems to be 1950’s South Beach with a classic car parked right by a local barbershop. Looking at the scene one can imagine a bunch of guys just hanging out in the barbershop talking about sports, weather or the latest news. The scene reminisces a simpler time before the area was flooded with tourists.
Scent
Being a barbershop scent fan I decided to go with El Barbero as my first purchase. The scent is composed of a “talc” base with a nice dose of citrus and a hint of musk. As soon I took a whiff I could almost imagine myself in a tropical barber shop with an old time barber give me a hot shave with a homemade soap that’s made with local oranges. It’s really quite pleasant and interesting at the same time.
The image on the packaging really fits the bill when it comes to the scent which you don’t realize until you actually have the product in your hands. If you close you eyes and take a whiff you can really imagine yourself leaving the barbershop to jump in your classic car. It’s really cool!
Performance
*Disclaimer: This article is my personal opinion of a soap/aftershave and does not represent the opinions of Sharpologist.
Soap
I have to admit, whenever I try a new artisan I’m always a little skeptical. There have been so many new additions to the wet shaving world it’s sometimes hard for some of these products to stand out from the rest of the crowd.
When I first lathered the soap, I couldn’t help but smile. The lather was rich and smooth, evenly covering my entire face. It lasted throughout each pass allowing the razor to glide with ease. There were no airy spots and the lather did not break down when either bowl or face lathering.
The scent of the soap was potent but not overbearing. Lots of citrus, with plenty of talc and musk as previously mentioned. The scent lasted throughout the entire shave and some.
I found myself face lathering more often than bowl lathering for whatever reason. I’m not exactly sure why but it just seemed right. I used both straight and safety razors over several weeks and found the soap performed just as good with either tool.
Aftershave
The aftershave consists of an alcohol base loaded with several other natural ingredients. Personally, I prefer alcohol based splashes rather than witch hazel because it seems the scent lasts longer.
The scent was spot on in comparison with the soap and matched perfectly. I used the “little goes along way” mentality when first applying it and found that the usual quarter sized drop was just a tad light. While the scent was nice I found it broke down after a few hours so I needed a little more to get through the day. As for performance, my face felt great! It did not overly burn and had my skin feeling good.
Overall
I really like this soap and aftershave combo. I feel that Lather Bros did a great job representing south Florida and love the fact that they are so close to where I live. As previously mentioned, when I close my eyes and take a whiff, the scent really represents south Florida to me.
The soap is a true performer. Great lather and scent factor. I’m not sure how to improve on it. As for the aftershave, I found that it takes a little more than the usual to get the scent to last. If I could offer any advice it would be to improve on that.
Overall a winner in my book. The south Florida lifestyle represented to the fullest!
Ingredients
Soap: Stearic Acid, Coconut Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Tallow, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Glycerin, Sodium Lactate Essential Oils and Fragrance
Aftershave: Organic Aloe Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Witch Hazel Water, Phenoxyethanol, Organic White Willow Bark Extract, Menthol Crystals, Tea Tree Leaf Oil, Organic Alcohol, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Essential Oils and Fragrance oils
About the Author:
Joe Borrelli is a long-time wet shaving enthusiast and collector. He hosts the Wet Shaving News/Talk Podcast , runs his own self-funded website http://shavestraightandsafe.com/ and operates a YouTube channel to help inform the community of new information involving the wet shaving world. Joe holds a BBA from Florida Atlantic University, and currently works for the nation’s largest wine/spirits/beer retailer. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his wife Linda, reading, writing, outdoor activities and collecting wet shaving apparel. Find out more about Joe here.
The lather looks great, and I too love barbershop scents. So this is something I might actually be interested in purchasing.
With that said, you really believe a shaving soap can be “truly…able to incorporate the lifestyle only a resident of south Florida would know”? Seriously? It’s shaving soap. fer Christ’s sake.
And, BTW, I’m a North Florida resident. I can’t possible imagine how any shaving soap can truly incorporate ANY lifestyle.
Good to see you aren’t promoting PAA like you usually do!
In Mexico the barber is referred to as a peliqueiro. Barbero is a slur. They should keep that in mind for boosting sales in the Southwest?