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Mama Bear Soaps – Ye Olde Barbershoppe Shave Soap

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Mama Bear's "Barbershoppe"

Ye Olde Barbershoppe is a rather nice combination of woodsy and spicy scents (mostly amber and bay rum, with a bit of musk according to Mama Bear’s website). Does it smell like a barber shop? Well, I guess that depends upon the barber shop. I guess the problem is that there isn’t any real agreement on what a barber shop scent should smell like, even amongst the experts. I can say it doesn’t smell a thing like Taylor of Old Bond Street’s Shaving Shop cream. Which overall I think is a good thing, I do prefer this scent.
Strength-wise, it’s not quite as strong as I would have preferred, but better than most of the soaps I review manage to pull off.
As for the shave itself, by now I’ve reviewed half a dozen of Mama Bear’s soaps. And I haven’t noticed a difference in how they perform at all. So here’s the standard boilerplate: Lathers up nice and thick to begin with; be sure to add a decent amount of water to get enough glide, but not too quickly as it’s easy to over-shoot the mark and be left with something too runny; if you’re using a scuttle, the heat will cause the lather to break down between passes, but a few extra drops of water and a quick stir will fix that up nicely. Gives a perfectly nice shave.

  • 8/10 Scent Pleasantness
  • 8/10 Scent Strength
  • 8/10 Lather Quality

Since I started these reviews, Mama Bear’s added some more options for sizes and presentation. The samples (like the one shown / used) are still a dollar each. However you can get 1.5 oz mug soap for $4.29, a 5 oz puck, for $9.99, with the option for a plastic tub or wooden bowl for an extra $1.65 or $9.99 respectively.
So, the overall score? I think that’ll probably have to be an 8/10. Definitely worth a shot.
Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Safflower , Glycerine (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soybean protein (conditioner), Wheat protein and fragrance.
 

Greg

Greg

2 thoughts on “Mama Bear Soaps – Ye Olde Barbershoppe Shave Soap”

  1. I use several Mama Bears soaps on my customers (over my VB Oil of course!) and really like the lather they produce as well as the scents.
    Dragon’s Blood and Frankincence and Myrrh are my two favourite scents. Absolutely wonderfull!
    As far as the “barber shop” smell is concerned, in my humble opinion, a distinctive whiff of Bay Rum is a must – with just a hint of Barbercide!!

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