The desire to try all the shaving soaps I see is finally starting to fade…so I thought. Then, just like the Mafia, I’m pulled back in!
The latest purchase is from Regiment Gear. I stumbled across their products during my 2022 holiday shopping spree. It’s from a veteran-owned company and it has a full line up of shaving stuff from hardware to software. On the “About us” page, they talked about having to stay clean shaven while serving in uniform. I remember my eight years of hating having to shave, but that may have been my natural inclination to not do what authority is telling me to do.
Background And Motivation
I reached out to Eric, the owner, about his motivation to start his own company. He said that after getting out, he grew a beard but then missed the professional look and feel of a clean shave. That’s when he started looking for improved shaving options over the canned goo and multi-blade face shredder he used while in uniform…his words, not mine.
Eric says he was instantly hooked on traditional wet shaving and soon after decided to try his hand at making his own soap. He says he landed on a formula that hit the mark for ease of lather, cushion, slickness and post-shave feel. He started making the soap in 2015 and created Regiment in 2016. After attending gun shows and veteran events up and down Southern California, Regiment was being sold in local stores and being used by barbers. The business continued to grow. He says it was sold in Whole Foods for awhile and at Pasteur’s Pharmacy in New York City.
The soap is made in Riverside, California and on the website they claim it is “second to none.” (BTW, that’s the motto of the 2nd Infantry Division, headquartered in South Korea. There’s lots of references like that on their webpage. Hooah!)
High Speed
I bought their “High Speed” shaving soap. It’s 3.5 ounces and comes in a metal container with a screw top lid. The ingredients are listed on the top label. It’s a short list: Water, Stearic Acid, Tallow, Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Shea Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance oil, Bentonite Clay.
Anyone who’s served in the Army has heard the term “High Speed.” It means a soldier is highly motivated and squared away.
I chose the “High Speed” because of the scent description of “fresh citrus top notes of lemon and lime, accompanied by lavender blended with woody amber notes and white musk.” That sounded like a good combination to try. It is a decently-strong smelling soap and the scents are definitely like the description. The citrus smells real and the notes are distinct and well blended.
The soap is made with a hot process and then poured into the container. The top of the soap has ridges and I think that helps with the loading process.
This is after 15 seconds of loading my Semogue Owner’s Badger. It loaded very easily.
After about 30 seconds of work, it lathered very nicely. I added a bit of water about every 10 seconds, because it is a bit of a thirsty soap.
The scent continues to come off the soap, but not too strongly. In fact, it makes the entire bathroom smell like citrus and some woodiness.
This is the brush with “meringue”-style lather, nice whips and curls. It creates a pretty thick lather.
I shaved my face using my Fatboy and an Astra Platinum blade that I had used once before.
The lather still had a good deal of scent but was not overpowering. It produced enough lather to do four passes. The lather provided really good cushion, protection and glide. As with many tallow-based soaps, my skin felt moisturized after the shave. I used this soap to shave my head earlier in the week and it left my scalp feeling very soft. There you go for a visual!
While the scent was noticeable throughout the entire period, it did fade after I rinsed. It did not compete with an aftershave I used. I lean more towards aftershaves than balms so that is good because there’s no chance of the soap’s scent clashing with what I decide to put on after.
Summing Up
Overall, I would say this is a great shaving soap from beginning to end. As for price, it’s in the ballpark of other tallow-based soaps. Their shaving soap is priced at $13.99 for a 3.5 ounce can. I cannot guess how long it will last because I have a lot in rotation, but I’m guessing several months if you only shaved with it. What makes it even better, to me, is that it is veteran-owned. If you needed one more reason to try Regiment shaving products, part of their proceeds goes to Rebirth Homes. It combats human trafficking and that’s a noble cause. Having shaved with the soap several times, I do not regret the purchase.
To quote their website: “While you may be rough, and tough, your shave doesn’t have to be. Enlist Regiment in your daily regimen and let us help you maintain your bearing!”
I have heeded the call and will continue to…and because you must know by now, I will be buying more of their product as well.
