This seventh first-round head-to-head (or beard-to-beard) evaluation in Sharpologist’s scent-free soap competition features Shannons Soaps NIL Shaving Soap versus Wholly Kaw(R) Bare Siero. In this series I’m focusing on overall shaving performance so neither a soap’s scent nor its cost is a factor in the review.
The Contestants
Shannons Soaps NIL Shaving Soap
https://www.shannonssoaps.com/handmade-shaving-soap.html
From the website: Sensitive skin, welcome to shaving nirvana. Free of added fragrance, but still packed with ingredients that give you a great, comfortable shave.
Ingredients:
Tallow, kokum butter, avocado oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, stearic acid, glycerin, lanolin, coconut oil, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide.
Wholly Kaw Bare Serio
https://whollykaw.com/product/shaving-soap-bare-siero/
From the website: Unscented tallow soap in Siero base. Hops Extract is added to provide biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic providing relief for inflammation and prevention of spider veins. Omega-6 Linoleic Acid and Omega-3 Linolenic Acid, the only long chain fatty acid which the body needs but cannot synthesize have long been recognized as essentials for healthy looking skin. Contains no parabens, no chemical sulfates, and no dye.
Ingredients:
Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Water, Donkey Milk, Water Buffalo Milk, Donkey Milk Whey, Water Buffalo Milk Whey, Glycerin, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Potassium Shea Butterate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Hydrolyzed Linseed, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Lanolin.
Overall Impressions
Both of these soaps gave very good shaves and I would recommend them both. In the end, though, one scored slightly higher on several factors and that tipped the scale.
Points awarded for each factor:
1: Poor
2: Fair
3: Good
4: Very good
5: Excellent
Feature: Lack of Scent
| Soap | Points |
| Shannons Soaps NIL | 5 |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Siero | 5 |
Nada, nichts, rien–I couldn’t detect a scent from either soap,
Feature: Easy lathering
| Soap | Points |
| Shannons Soaps NIL | 4 |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Siero | 4.5 |
Both lathered well in my soft water, but the Siero took it up a notch with fast, voluminous lather using either a badger or synthetic brush.
Feature: Moisture retention
| Soap | Points |
| Shannons Soaps NIL | 4.25 |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Siero | 4.25 |
The lather from both soaps retained its moisture for the entire duration of my (slightly) slow shaves.
Feature: Lubrication
| Soap | Points |
| Shannons Soaps NIL | 4.25 |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Siero | 4.5 |
Excellent lubrication. All my test shaves, most of which were on two-day stubble, were smooth.
Feature: Protection
| Soap | Points |
| Shannons Soaps NIL | 4.25 |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Siero | 4.25 |
I’m starting to sound repetitive but both soaps gave me irritation-free shaves.
Feature: Post-shave Skin Feeling
| Soap | Points |
| Shannons Soaps NIL | 3.5 |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Siero | 4.25 |
The Shannons NIL left my skin feeling neutral: not unusually dry or taut but I didn’t sense any unusual degree of post-shave moisture, either. The Siero did a better job of moisturizing during and after the shave and left my face feeling nicely smooth.
Final Scores
Some soaps I’ve reviewed in this series were rough on my skin, but I liked both of these soaps and they produced some of the best scores among the products I’ve rated so far. The main difference I experienced between them was that the Siero performed slightly better for me in a few categories, but otherwise you wouldn’t go wrong using either one.
Winner: Wholly Kaw Bare Siero by a score of 26.75 to 25.25 over Shannons Soaps NIL.
Competition Recap
Previous weeks’ winners are highlighted in bold:
Round 1:
Mike’s Natural Soaps Unscented by a score of 20.0 to 19.75 over Oleo Soapworks Unscented Duck Fat Canard Shaving Soap.
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Scentsless (Formula CK-6) by a score of 27.5 to 27.0 over Declaration Grooming Unscented.
Talbot Shaving Trust by a score of 24.0 to 22.5 over Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements
Taylor of Old Bond Street Traditional by a score of 23.75 to 22.5 over Martin De Candre Nature.
Wholly Kaw(R) Bare Naked (Tallow) by a score of 21.0 to 20.5 over Wet Shaving Products (WSP) Rustic Shaving Soap Au Naturel.
Zingari Man Unscented Sego by a score of 26.5 to 23.25 over Chiseled Face Groomatorium Natural Fragrance Free.
Up Next
Captain’s Choice Unscented versus Noble Otter Bare
