Southern Witchcrafts has been on Sharpologist’s “Best Shave Soap” list for a while but I realized I don’t have any reviews on them here.
Background
“Southern Witchcrafts was started in 2017 by Courtney Brooks and Stephen Joiner. Our goal has always been to create quality affordable vegan shave products with unique and interesting scents.”
Southern Witchcrafts has been on the best shave soap list for several years based on my experience with their Tres Matres shave soap and comments researched on the discussion boards.
But I decided to take a second look at Southern Witchcrafts to see if their vegan shave soap formulation is still up to snuff. So I bought samples of the latest run of Tres Matres, Carmilla, and Fougere Nemeta to try.
From the Southern Witchcrafts website:
Tres Matres
A tribute to the classic horror franchise “Suspiria”. A floral accord on a petrichor base with citrus top notes.
Scent notes: Amber, Oakmoss, Damp Earth, Rosewood, Lavender, Almond, Calla lily, Cotton, Aldehydes, Grapefruit, Ginger, Ambergris, Ozone, Peach
Carmilla
Carmilla is tribute to one of the first ever vampire stories: the scent of a cloying and seductive temptress centered around Nag Champa, Amber, Sandalwood, and Frankincense.
Notes: Nag champa, amber, sandalwood, frankincense, bitter citrus, vanilla, honeysuckle, oakmoss
Fougere Nemeta
Fougere Nemeta is a Spring fragrance created for Southern Witchcrafts by award-winning perfumer Shawn Maher. The fragrance gets its name from Celtic ritual sites called nemeta, often located in sacred groves. This scent is a bright and clean fougère featuring luscious greens accompanied by blossoming florals and crisp fruit accords.
Notes: Petitgrain, strawberry, cassis, lavender, geranium, galbanum, fig leaf, vetiver and oakmoss
Ingredient Base
All the above share the same ingredient base listing:
Ingredients: Water, stearic acid, shea butter, castor oil, potassium hydroxide, glycerine, coconut oil, sodium lactate, sodium hydroxide, jojoba oil, aloe powder, liquid aloe, isopropyl myristate, kaolin clay, fragrance
What Others Think Of Southern Witchcrafts Shave Soap
As you might expect, there aren’t a lot of other reviews of Southern Witchcrafts but the data that is there is positive, with comments like “stellar,” “love it,” “It’s not your everyday soap scent for sure, but the more I spend time with it the better I like it.”
A few other comments mention the unusual scent profiles of Southern Witchcrafts shave soaps, which can be a positive or a negative depending on your preferences (“your mileage may vary”).
My Experience With Southern Witchcrafts Shave Soap
My initial experience with Southern Witchcrafts shave soap a couple years ago was very positive–unsurprising since you see it on Sharpologist’s Best Shave Soap list. My latest experience with them confirm my original opinions, and more. Like most artisan shave soap makers, they’ve tweaked scents and formulations over time.
Scents
Tres Matres: I get fruits and florals in my notoriously insensitive nose. I’d classify it as more “unusual” than “a tribute to Suspiria” (which I would associate with words like “dark” or “moody”). But I like it.
Carmilla: I definitely get the Nag Champa here, followed by the vanilla and honeysuckle. I can understand the “seductive temptress” reference: it’s a scent I could associate with a woman, though it certainly has masculine elements as well.
Fougere Nemeta: I get mostly strawberry in my insensitive nose. Pleasant enough, but not my favorite. I’m not a big fan of fougere scents generally, though.
The scents are moderately strong off the jar and lathered on the face. They are relatively persistent throughout the shave as well.
Some users report the scent will “open up” and change slightly when lathered on the face. I did notice this effect with the Fougere Nemeta: the strawberry note softened considerably and the green, grassy scents came forward.
Soap Consistency
The soap base is rather soft–I could see some shavers classifying this as a “croap.” I can mold a chunk of the soap into the bottom of a lathering bowl without any trouble.
Lather
Lather explodes on the brush/bowl, quickly and easily, even in my “hard” water. I find it is quite tolerant of hydration as well, working well with different amounts of water. A beginner to traditional shaving should have no trouble getting this to lather.
Shave
My shaves with Southern Witchcrafts shave soaps have been outstanding! I think both lubrication/glide and cushion/protection are within the “elite” level of shave performance. Post-shave skin moisturization is excellent as well, though perhaps not quite at the same level as some other high-end soaps I’ve tried. That’s a nit-pick through.
Summing Up
In conclusion, Southern Witchcrafts Shave Soap is a great artisan shave soap line. It provides a close and comfortable shave, while also moisturizing the skin. I think Southern Witchcraft continues to earn a place in Sharpologist’s Best Shave Soap list: I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an effective shave soap with some unusual scent properties.
Southern Witchcrafts shave soap are available on their website and some other locations.
