I admit it, I am a victim of FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out. This particular ailment leads to scrolling through wet-shaving websites for hours, pouring over reviews and convincing myself I really need that shave cream, soap, aftershave, blade or razor in my life. I know I am not alone, but I am willing to embrace the condition because it does lead me to try new products.
Background
This is one of my latest. While I used to lean more towards shaving creams, I have always had a few sticks in my shave den. To me, they are about the easiest way to get a quick lather and nothing beats it if you travel. Take that TSA, it’s a stick!
I found these on Italian Barber. A four-set of small sticks was on sale for under $12. I wanted to learn more about the company, so I contacted the owners, Joseph and Michael.
I was working a late shift, and to my surprise, one of the owners responded personally within an hour. He told me the RazoRock company began when Michael and Joseph were on vacation in Italy in 2008. Joseph’s father-in-law, a retired Italian barber, was living in the United States and couldn’t find any alum stones. Michael found a bunch at a small shop in a town in Tuscany. They tried the blocks themselves after shaving and that’s where they got the idea for Italian Barber and RazoRock.
They began contracting artisan producers of shaving soaps and aftershaves in Italy to make special products for them under the RazoRock brand. Now they have dozens of products under that brand, for sale on their website.
Michael said they started selling these sticks in 2019 and are made by one of their artisan shave soap makers.
The Soaps
Each stick is triple-milled, meaning it has been passed through stainless steel rollers at least three times. This process pulls any excess moisture or air from the soap. On the Italian Barber website, it said that because it is a hard triple-milled soap, loading your brush will take longer than a soft soap, cream or croap. They compared the technique to be similar to using Tabac or Mitchell’s Woof Fat, with a longer loading and lathering time.
As I mentioned in an earlier article, I’ve been shaving my head for a few years and shave sticks are now in my rotation. When I saw these sticks, I definitely wanted to give them a shot.
Each of the shave sticks has a different scent, but all four have a male perfume-scent. It is not too strong and does not linger, but each is pleasant.
Blue
Italian Barber describes the blue label as “A Cool and clean barbershop scent with notes of bergamot, lemon, lavender, and baby powder. Our take on Blue Floid.”
Ingredients: Potassium Palmate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Aqua, Parfum (Fragrance), Palm Kernel Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Lanolin, Pentasodium Pentatate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Alpha Isomethyli Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin Limonene, Linalool.
Gold
The website says the gold label is “The Quintessential Italian Eau De Cologne – Sophisticated Citrus…our famous XXX.”
Ingredients: Potassium Palmate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Aqua, Parfum (Fragrance), Palm Kernel Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Lanolin, Pentasodium Pentatate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hydrocitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Isoeugenol, AIsomethylionone, Oakmoss(Evernia Prunasti), Charcoal Powder.
Black
The black label is described as “A Classic Barbershop Fougere.”
Ingredients: Potassium Palmate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Aqua, Parfum (Fragrance), Palm Kernel Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Lanolin, Pentasodium Pentatate, Tetrasodium Etidronate,Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool, alpha-Hexylcinnamaldehyde, d-Limonene, 4-(4-Hydroxy-4-methylpentyl)cyclohex-3- enecarbaldehyde, 4-Allyl-2-Methoxyphenol.
Green
Italian Barber describes the green label as “A Woody Aromatic – Fresh, Clean and Bold.”
Ingredients: Potassium Palmate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Aqua, Parfum (Fragrance), Palm Kernel Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Lanolin, Pentasodium Pentatate, Tetrasodium Etidronate,Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool.
Green and blue are my favorites but all four have a good fragrance. It is not overpowering and I find none battle with any aftershave I apply.
Performance
As for performance, I use the sticks to apply directly to my face and head and always get a good lather. It cushions nicely, and let me tell you that when you’re shaving your head, you notice real quickly which products don’t cushion and protect!
After applying to my head, I used my Semogue Owner’s Club for about 30 seconds and got a thin layer of lather.
I added a bit more water and continued and after another 30 to 45 seconds I got the better lather that I expect from these sticks. Granted, this is not a “lather explosion” I get from a lot of creams and soaps, but it is slick and cushiony.
It does not dry out my head or face and like I said before, the scent is light and does not interfere with any aftershave I choose to use.
I bought the four pack of shave sticks when it was on sale for $12.99. On the site, it shows the price at $18.99. Having put all the sticks into my rotation for several months, I feel like the higher price is still a bargain for what you get. Even after more than a dozen shaves, I really can’t tell if the sticks have gotten any shorter.
Conclusion
Bottom line is these are great shaving sticks that perform great, can be taken anywhere and at this price point, are well worth the money.
Me too! I have a self diagnosis of FOMO . It starts simple: “Hmmmmm. I better learn about this shaving stick thing. Is this going to be expensive? I don’t really need it. I already have what I consider the perfect shaving cream (Taylor of Old Bond Street, Peppermint Shaving Creame) for me. I better check for sales on the website. Better yet, I better get on the *STICK* and order some sticks before I miss out. ”
Are these the signs of an addicted wet shaver?
Dartan
Thanks for the great review Mark. I think Italian Barber was the first dedicated shave site I purchased from about 9 years ago when I started wet shaving and I’ve been a fan of RazorRock since. I only have the green stick but I’ve several other RazorRock products. I think it’s good value for my money without being cheapy.
I bought these about a year and a half ago; they were on sale for about half price so I decided to give them a try.
I’m very impressed by these! One of them goes with me whenever I travel – they are perfect for that. They build a decent, slick lather (like you I apply directly to the face, then lather up) that protects as well as most.
The Black Label is my favourite – and it shows, as the stick is shorter than the others. Then Gold, Green, and Blue. All give the same great performance, so this ranking is simply a reflection of my personal preference re the scents.
These same soaps are available in puck form for those who aren’t fond of sticks. In either format, they punch above their weight on a value for money scale. A great buy even at the regular price – but are often on sale.
I have all four, in the puck form. I like all of them on performance. I like the green scent the best. They all smell good. I agree on post shave feel, good. I do find it a little funny that the gold is black colored, and the black is white.
I think these soaps will be on my re-order list. Some of my current soaps. I will use up and re-order.