Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber Shave Soap Review

Listen to this article

Is there anything more ghostly than a ghost town? As the sun sets, the only sounds that can be heard are the crunch of snow under footsteps and the howling wind. Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber shave soap is what you may think of when exploring these towns

Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber Shave Soap

From the Chiseled Face website:

“The wild west may be long gone, but its memory still lingers in the ghost town’s barbershop.

“This is a classic barbershop scent with a western twist – main notes being bergamot, basil leaf, white patchouli, oakmoss, texas cedar, leather, smoke, and gunpowder.”

Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Aloe Vera Juice, Potassium Hydroxide, Beef Tallow, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Glycerin, Fragrance, Mango Butter, Avocado Oil, Silk Powder

Alternative Version

There is also a newer version of Ghost Town Barber with a slightly different formulation. From the Chiseled Face webpage:

“While we still stand behind our OG base 100% and do not currently have plans to discontinue it, it has been five years since it was released and it was time to create a more modern shaving soap formula….

“This is a classic barbershop scent with a western twist – main notes being bergamot, basil leaf, white patchouli, oakmoss, texas cedar, leather, smoke, and gunpowder.”

Ingredients: Glycerin, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Castorate, Silk Hydrolysate, Potassium Tallowate, Lanolin, Aloe barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Fragrance, White Kaolin Clay, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Castorate, Sodium Lactate, Allantoin, Potassium Kokumate, Sodium tallowate, Sucrose, Ulmus Fulva Bark Extract, Sodium kokumate

Both formulations are offered.

What Others Say About Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber Shave Soap

Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber shave soap (original formulation) has been around for a while so it isn’t too difficult to find a range of thorough reviews. Here’s a sample:

“My overall impression of this soap is that it is a fresh, clean scent, that is absolutely unoffensive…. The bergamot definitely shines out front, followed by gunpowder, cedar, and (I think) basil. Honestly this scent is so well blended it’s tough to pick out individual notes, but it just works. My only gripe is I wish it was about 50% stronger in the soap….

“Performance

“CFG soaps are not super thirsty, and are very forgiving…. It’s quick, easy, and always gets the job done. As for the nitty-gritty performance details, it’s not the greatest soap ever, but it’s hard to point out a specific shortcoming. Slick, protective, and a really good post shave….

“Overall

“This is good soap that smells good. I like it. It would be my top recommendation for a new shaver due to the ease of lather and universally pleasing scent. If you haven’t tried CFG before this would be a great place to start….” LINK

“After soaking and wringing out the shave brush, I went ahead and started working the bristles deep into the soap for about 30 seconds…. Overall, it was nice on the application and consistency….

“The tallow base for this shave soap created a nice and slick surface for the razor blade to glide on. The results that I was getting from this shave soap in tandem with my blade and safety razor were exquisite.

“I found the cushion to be a bit mild….

“The smell from this shave cream was quite pleasant. It has an old-timey fragrance similar (but definitely not the same) as sandalwood. It’s rich, nice, and warm….

“Generally, I rate that my skin is mildly sensitive. When using the Ghost Town Barber Shave Soap, I experienced no irritation…. Kudos here to Chiseled Face….

“One of the biggest drawbacks to this soap I have noticed after using it for several shaves was that it dissipates rather quickly….” LINK

“After my last aerosol can started sputtering a runny mess instead of lather, I went for this product and a synthetic brush instead of repeating the dreaded aerosol cycle.

“It was the best decision I could have made. Even though I still use a cartridge razor, this soap’s lather feels just like what comes out of a can if not better, and I love the scent. Would recommend this product to anyone who shaves and likes a crisp, earthy smell.” LINK

Amazon (affiliate link) has 250+ ratings of Ghost Town Barber with a 91% positive sentiment.

“I really wanted to like this product. I have been wet shaving for a 1 1/2 years now and I have tried several different shaving soaps. I was really hoping this would be a good brand to add to my collection…. Unfortunately this is not the soap for me, I ended up having several cuts on my neck after shaving. If you’re looking for good soap and you have sensitive skin, this is not the soap for you….”

————-

“This stuff is great. About a bean size amount and a bit of water in a lather bowl makes a really dense slick foam. Using a safety razor with this stuff is amazing. The smell is a really classic manly smell. I tried a sample pack of these guys’ different smells, I got a big one of this one. Seems to be made of high quality ingredients. My skin is allergic to every kind of product if it uses artificial smells. I haven’t had an issue with any of these Chiseled Face products.”

My Experience With Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber Shave Soap

I’ve had a jar of the original formulation of Ghost Town Barber shave soap in my shave den for some time. Although not in my “heavy rotation” (to borrow an old term from my broadcast radio days) it does get fairly regular use.

Scent

Off the jar I get a mild smokey, powdery vibe, with just a hint of leather, to my notoriously insensitive nose. Lathered on the face it softens quite a bit. But I think it’s definitely in the neighborhood as a “barbershop” scent . Even with the smoke and leather notes I think it’s pleasant and shouldn’t be an issue for most shavers.

Lather

I get a thick, voluminous lather lather with very little effort, even in my “hard” water. The consistency for me is dense and almost yogurt-like. As one of the reviewers above mention, I think the lather is quite “forgiving.” Unlike one of the reviewers above I do not experience any significant ‘dissipation’ or instability of the lather.

Performance

I find the lubrication/glide of Ghost Town Barber excellent. The cushion is very good, but as some other reviews mention it may not be at the elite level of some other shave soaps. Post-shave skin moisturization is solid but again not quite at the elite level for me. As I mentioned earlier Ghost Town Barber may not be in my heavy rotation of shave-of-the-day setups but over-all I find it performs very well, especially for its price point!

Summing Up

Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber shave soap is one of those products I like to call a “modern classic.” It’s been around for a while, performs solidly (and even punches a bit above its price point), and continues to sell well. Ghost Town Barber is available at the Chiseled Face website and other sources including Amazon (affiliate link), Maggard Razors, Top Of The Chain (in Canada), West Coast Shaving (affiliate link), etc.

Get your best shave EVER, no matter what shaving products you use. I'm Mark ("mantic59") of Sharpologist. Join me and thousands of others on Sharpologist's Shaving Information list: get a weekly email with tutorials, article summaries, and discounts.