Welcome to Round 2 of Sharpologist’s head-to-head (or beard-to-beard) scent-free soap competition. This latest event features Wholly Kaw Bare Naked (Tallow) versus Zingari Man Sego Unscented. 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.
Background
We started the competition with 16 unscented or scent-free soaps and this round features the eight first-round winners. The format for this round is simple: I’ll shave four times within a week with one soap while using several brushes and razors in this sequence:
Shave 1: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Peregrino brush with Merkur 34C razor
Shave 2: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Peregrino brush with Parker Variant adjustable razor
Shave 3: Parker Faux Ivory Handle Silver Tip Badger brush with Merkur 34C razor
Shave 4: Parker Faux Ivory Handle Silver Tip Badger brush with Parker Variant adjustable razor
The Merkur 34C and the Parker Variant both make Sharpologist’s top-sellers list regularly and I suspect the two brushes are also popular. I think it’s a decent mix of moderately priced but good-quality hardware to use with the soaps. Each razor gets a fresh Feather blade each week for two shaves per blade.
A few points worth mentioning:
1) I don’t look at my first-round notes and scores before these second-round reviews to avoid biasing the scores.
2) My skin is drier in winter, which could change the post-shave skin feeling scores from the first round.
3) My lather-making technique with my home’s soft water probably has improved because I’ve been working with a different soap each week for months. That might result in higher “Easy lathering” second-round scores for a soap.
4) A soap’s score in each category is the average of all four shaves.
5) For consistency I use the same aftershave balm with each week’s contestants.
6) I try to divide the shaves between post-shower and prepping solely at the sink basin.
The Contestants
[Ed. Note: Amazon and West Coast Shaving links are affiliate.]
Wholly Kaw Bare Naked Tallow Soap
https://whollykaw.com/product/shaving-soap-bare-naked/
From the website: Made with high quality ingredients including Donkey Milk, Water Buffalo Milk, Castor Oil, Kokum Butter, Cocoa Butter, and Shea Butter for added post shave benefits. Vegan does not contain Donkey Milk. Vegan includes Soybean Glycerides and Shea Butter Unsaponifiables with Kokum Butter, Cocoa Butter, and Shea Butter. Hops Extract is incorporated into the formulation as a soothing natural extract for relief of skin inflammation and skin redness.
Ingredients:
Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, 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, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid
Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented
From the website: This Unscented Sego is made for those that like it bare. Perfect for those on the go that don’t like to carry a scent with them or want to pair it up with their own fragrance. This is base scent is fairly neutral so no weird odor. Our tallow base is guaranteed to impress you with its elite level slickness, residual, cushion, glide, and unsurpassed post shave feel. We feel our post shave face feel is where we shine most, as we consider this a part of your skin health and the way your skin feels for the rest of your day.
Ingredients:
Stearic acid, Vegetable Glycerin, Beef tallow, Shea butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Castor oil, Palm oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Jojoba oil, Oat bran oil, Shea butter (and) Glyceral Rosinate (and) Olive oil unsaponifiables, Coconut oil, Daikon Seed extract, Goat milk, Coconut milk, Sodium lactate
Overall Impressions
These are both very good soaps and produced solid results in each category. The Zingari Man Sego was more consistent but I’m comfortable recommending either one.
Points awarded on a scale of 1 to 5 for each factor:
1: Poor
2: Fair
3: Good
4: Very good
5: Excellent
Feature: Lack of Scent
| Soap | Points |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Naked Tallow | 5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 5 |
No scents, as advertised.
Feature: Easy lathering
| Soap | Points |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Naked Tallow | 5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 4.75 |
Both lathered easily and produced ample lather for all three passes. The Peregrino brush and the Wholly Kaw paired exceptionally well. Using them together was like slopping warm yogurt on my face with a silk fiber paintbrush and I was tempted to do a fourth pass just so I could lather up again.
Feature: Lather moisture retention
| Soap | Points |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Naked Tallow | 4.9 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 4.75 |
Both excellent with a slight edge to Wholly Kaw.
Feature: Lubrication
| Soap | Points |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Naked Tallow | 3.4 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 4.6 |
About half my shaves are after a shower. For prepping at the sink, I wash my face and then apply a warm, wet face cloth for around five minutes, refreshing the towel every minute or so. I hadn’t experienced any significant difference between the two prep methods in the shaving results until this one. Shaves with the Wholly Kaw where I prepped solely at the sink were rough on the first pass, with both razors tugging on the whiskers even though the blades were fresh. It was like shaving with a dull blade or one that’s not sufficiently aggressive for your beard. But when I used the Wholly Kaw after a shower, the lubrication improved considerably, and the shaves were much more comfortable. The Zingari Man Sego performed consistently well with both prep methods.
Feature: Protection
| Soap | Points |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Naked Tallow | 3.5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 4.4 |
The Zingari Man Sego protected my skin more effectively, at least partly because the first two shaves with the Wholly Kaw (prepping at the sink) were less comfortable.
Feature: Post-shave Skin Feeling
| Soap | Points |
| Wholly Kaw Bare Naked Tallow | 3.8 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 3.25 |
Slight edge to Wholly Kaw. I suspect that dry winter air will make it more difficult for me to replicate some of the first round’s outstanding results in this category.
Final Scores
These are both high-quality soaps. The overall results were close and if I had shaved only after showers it would have been very close to a tie. Overall, the Zingari Man Sego provided consistent, irritation-free shaves with both brushes and razors, but you won’t go wrong with either one.
Winner: Zingari Man Sego Unscented by a score of 26.75 to 25.6 over Wholly Kaw Bare Naked.
Up Next
- Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Scentsless (Formula CK-6) versus Mike’s Natural Soaps Unscented
To be followed by:
- Wholly Kaw Bare Siero versus Noble Otter Bare
- Talbot Shaving Trust versus Taylor of Old Bond Street Traditional
