Queen Charlotte Hard Soap

What is your opinion on fine shaving creams and hard soaps? Do you like Trumpers, Coates, Taylors, Truefitt & Hill? Post your reviews and opinions here!
LouisIII
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Post by LouisIII »

TRBeck wrote:Don't know what the advantage would be of combining Cella and Tabac, but this soap is the equal of either, yes.

You could always look at the website and see the packaging before commenting on it.

Regards,
I find this brand twee and a bit laughable with all super-duper natural olde-timey multiple 'natural oils' in everything stuff, and the name makes me wince. But I didn't anticipate such choleric defensiveness.. Perhaps as a Tabac 'fan', scent and all, I'm inured to unfavourable review of my favourites :wink:
CMur12
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Post by CMur12 »

I find this new brand very interesting, as I can't use products that contain any sort of fragrance/perfumery. Scenting with essential oils does work for me, however.

In the past, artisanal shaving soaps have typically been of the melt-and-pour glycerin-based variety, and these are probably the best for conveying scents from essential oils. More recently, some true soapmakers have come forward, offering products made with high-quality oils saponified into outstanding products. A tallow-based traditional hard soap scented with essential oils is a Godsend for me.

I've established AoS/Valobra and Cella as my favorites and have stockpiled them, but I'm weakening to this new soap and anticipate that I'll be ordering some, especially with such a positive recommendation from Tim.

- Murray
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TRBeck
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Post by TRBeck »

LouisIII wrote:
TRBeck wrote:Don't know what the advantage would be of combining Cella and Tabac, but this soap is the equal of either, yes.

You could always look at the website and see the packaging before commenting on it.

Regards,
I find this brand twee and a bit laughable with all super-duper natural olde-timey multiple 'natural oils' in everything stuff, and the name makes me wince. But I didn't anticipate such choleric defensiveness.. Perhaps as a Tabac 'fan', scent and all, I'm inured to unfavourable review of my favourites :wink:
I think calling your comments a "review" is quite charitable. A review would imply that you had tried the product. Instead, you've issued some sort of straw man remarks about teddy bears and suds that has nothing whatsoever to do with this product.

Certainly a critique of the branding and labeling is fine in and of itself, and I would like to see some of the "independent" and "artisan" brands do a better job on that end of things; it might help them get taken more seriously. In fact I think QCS could stand a major website upgrade and better labeling. The names of their individual products are not, as pointed out previously, anymore laughable than most of the non-traditional scents offered by the English lines (nor Maurer and Wirtz's excellent and horribly named "Sir Irisch Moos").
On the other hand, I think this whole conversation misses the point, which is that the product works and works well. I don't argue with performance nor with the idea of a product that uses essential oils instead of synthetic perfumes. Indeed, I think the overreaction on the part of those who find all-natural formulations 'twee' is odd, and anyway I think it's quite likely that QCS quite accurately sees a market niche for a tallowate soap with essential oil fragrances. There were numerous fragrance oil scents available previously, nothing all natural about them, and customer requests led to the current product lineup.

I have had bad experiences with many artisan products prior to QCS, and I expect I'll have others in the future. But this stuff is good.

I'm a Tabac fan, too, synthetic perfumes and all. And I like Cella, speaking of all-natural formulations.

Regards,
Regards,
Tim

Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
LouisIII
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Post by LouisIII »

TRBeck wrote:
I think calling your comments a "review" is quite charitable. A review would imply that you had tried the product. Instead, you've issued some sort of straw man remarks about teddy bears and suds that has nothing whatsoever to do with this product.

Certainly a critique of the branding and labeling is fine in and of itself, and I would like to see some of the "independent" and "artisan" brands do a better job on that end of things; it might help them get taken more seriously. In fact I think QCS could stand a major website upgrade and better labeling. The names of their individual products are not, as pointed out previously, anymore laughable than most of the non-traditional scents offered by the English lines (nor Maurer and Wirtz's excellent and horribly named "Sir Irisch Moos").
On the other hand, I think this whole conversation misses the point, which is that the product works and works well. I don't argue with performance nor with the idea of a product that uses essential oils instead of synthetic perfumes. Indeed, I think the overreaction on the part of those who find all-natural formulations 'twee' is odd, and anyway I think it's quite likely that QCS quite accurately sees a market niche for a tallowate soap with essential oil fragrances. There were numerous fragrance oil scents available previously, nothing all natural about them, and customer requests led to the current product lineup.

I have had bad experiences with many artisan products prior to QCS, and I expect I'll have others in the future. But this stuff is good.

I'm a Tabac fan, too, synthetic perfumes and all. And I like Cella, speaking of all-natural formulations.

Regards,
It seems the sort of branding that appeals to chaps who use 'critique' as a verb :lol: .. But seriously Tim, take it easy, I think a brand is a bit lame, its not the end of the world. Enjoy it, I'm sure it's fine and dandy.
~ Infusing the irreducibly quotidian with sensual pleasure ~
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TRBeck
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Post by TRBeck »

CMur12 wrote:I find this new brand very interesting, as I can't use products that contain any sort of fragrance/perfumery. Scenting with essential oils does work for me, however.

In the past, artisanal shaving soaps have typically been of the melt-and-pour glycerin-based variety, and these are probably the best for conveying scents from essential oils. More recently, some true soapmakers have come forward, offering products made with high-quality oils saponified into outstanding products. A tallow-based traditional hard soap scented with essential oils is a Godsend for me.

I've established AoS/Valobra and Cella as my favorites and have stockpiled them, but I'm weakening to this new soap and anticipate that I'll be ordering some, especially with such a positive recommendation from Tim.

- Murray
Thanks for the kind word, Murray. The lavender is very nice indeed. I think you would enjoy these soaps, and they are much less expensive to try than, say, Martin de Candre... :)

Regards,
Regards,
Tim

Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
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TRBeck
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Post by TRBeck »

LouisIII wrote: It seems the sort of branding that appeals to chaps who use 'critique' as a verb :lol:
Huh? "A critique..."? I feel quite sure that I've made my share of grammatical errors in this thread, but, uh, you might need to go back and reread that one. Specifically look into the purpose of an indefinite article and see if you can identify the subject of the sentence I wrote. Even if you were right, pointing out errors in usage seems again, a bit fruitless, but then, so does replying to you. Yet here I am. :roll:

Taking it quite easy, though. One of us is going out of his way to poke and prod here, for sure, commenting on a product he has never used apparently just to get a rise out of others.

Regards,
Regards,
Tim

Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
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gil3591
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Post by gil3591 »

just took advantage of qcs shipping discount. ordered 2 soaps. rose and celestial woods. i love qcs ingredients and believe their scents top notch. i can't find a better rose, for sure! i did have a problem with the cream getting thin on following passes and hope the soap is better.

ps. i was flattered to be referred to as "experienced" in this thread. but please,,,,,i am a babe in the woods around here :oops:
Gil
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TRBeck
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Post by TRBeck »

Gil, I look forward to hearing about your results with the soaps. I hope they match expectations.

Regards,
Regards,
Tim

Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
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franz
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Post by franz »

LouisIII wrote: It seems the sort of branding that appeals to chaps who use 'critique' as a verb :lol: .. But seriously Tim, take it easy, I think a brand is a bit lame, its not the end of the world. Enjoy it, I'm sure it's fine and dandy.
Sheesh, could you be more condescending? You made your point. Time to move on.
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gil3591
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Post by gil3591 »

i tried my qcs today. i still believe they have the best scents. the rose otto lathered very well and shaved closer with a little less cushion than the cream. that nasty little habit of the cream thinning for the second pass still is there in the soap but a quick swirl on the puck takes care of that. the puck fit in the tobs wooden bowl too! well, kinda :lol:

a thumbs up for qcs soap
Gil
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CMur12
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Post by CMur12 »

I just got 2 cakes of QCS shaving soap in Key Lime and Tangerine, as I'm very partial to citrus scents. I also got a bar of Ginger-Lime bath soap.

I'll be giving the Key Lime a trial run with my shave on Sunday. Assuming I don't have a bad experience, I'll probably stick with it for awhile.

- Murray
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Post by brothers »

TRBeck wrote:Francesco, of the two I prefer Provence. Both are intensely earthy, but Celestial Woods is a bit more raw. The combination of woods in it comes on a bit musty to me, and though I liked it initially, it annoyed me by the third use. Provence, on the other hand, is addictive for me. I like earthy, woodsy scents, and this is that for sure. Some dark lavender, a bit of patchouli, tons of cedar, and some other woods for sure in there. Really nice, rich scent. At first I thought it would be a bit much, but I find myself stopping in the bathroom just to grab a sniff, which I haven't done since the early days of wetshaving. I know you like Speick; this is Speick done entirely with EOs in a dark, shadowy Forest just after sundown.

Regards,
Tim, I've followed this thread for a while, and want to stop here and say thanks for this very enlightening review! Now I've got at least one of the QCS soaps on my list, and am focusing more closely on maybe one more. Provence it is, and it goes on my Christmas list as we speak.
Gary

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Post by CMur12 »

Well, Tim and the rest of you, I had my first shave with Queen Charlotte Soaps' new hard soap, in Key Lime, tonight.

I grated up a puck of Key Lime soap into a one-cup Pyrex dish, and I found it to have a very agreeable "bright" lime scent, though it isn't overpowering. I haven't used the Tangerine yet, but from sniffing the cake alone it seems more subtle. I lathered in a bowl, as I always do, and I made a wet lather for maximal glide and minimal cushion.

The lather felt very nice on the skin and between the fingers, and it provided good beard softening and excellent lubricity/glide. I had no problem with the lather breaking down and had no need to reload the brush during the shave, though I think I put more effort into the initial loading of the brush than I do with some other soaps.

Sunday night is always my best shave, and I had the benefit of a brand new blade to make the cut smoother and easier. My next shave, on Tuesday night, is typically my most difficult, so we'll see how Tuesday and Thursday go, for comparison.

If my impressions hold, I'll definitely order more of this soap for my stockpile. I'm indebted to Tim for bringing what is looking like an excellent soap to my attention. Thanks, Tim.

- Murray
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m3m0ryleak
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Post by m3m0ryleak »

You guys are such enablers, just when I was settling down into one or two (maybe three) soaps... I ordered a soap sampler from QCS yesterday. :roll:
Tony

"They say that dreams are growing wild just this side of Burma Shave" - Tom Waits
CMur12
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Post by CMur12 »

I was the same as you, Tony. I had settled on a couple of favorites and I had stocked up on them. I had everything I needed and I was done buying.

Now, I may end up adding a few of these to the stockpile, ... but then I'll be done!

In truth, it sounds like there are a number of good new soaps out there. At this point, I'm not interested in trying them all, and I'm limited to soaps scented with EO, anyway.

- Murray
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TRBeck
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Post by TRBeck »

Always glad to be of service as an enabler, gents. I am currently practicing some fidelity with my VB Sandalwood soap until I use it up, but after that, I imagine QCS may get some more devoted attention. I find it to be really good soap, and I'm glad Gil and Murray do, too. Tony, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Regards,
Tim

Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
CMur12
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Post by CMur12 »

Second shave tonight with QCS soap and I used a different brush (Semogue 730 silvertip), which holds more water than the brush I used last time.

I thought I shook it out fairly well, but there was too much water, the soap sudsed up when loading the brush, and I got a very airy lather. (Amazingly, I still got an unusually good shave.)

It wasn't the creamy lather I got last time, however, so next time I'll shake the brush out more and start with less water. This soap does seem touchier in this regard than my usual AoS/Valobra and Cella.

- Murray
CMur12
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Post by CMur12 »

Third shave tonight with QCS Key Lime hard soap. I shook more water out of the Semogue 730 this time and it worked much better.

I'm all about glide, and this soap has it.

- Murray
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Post by Short Round »

I ordered some too.

Key Lime Soap
and I grabbed some Briar before it was gone for good. (cherry tobacco scent) Just as a sentimental reminder of my old step father smoking his pipe around the holidays. Been years since I smelled that old smell.
Tom
CMur12
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Post by CMur12 »

I've used this soap for the last 3 weeks, and I frankly can't get the lather the way I want it. I have always gotten a good shave, but the lather is either foamy and airy or very wet and thin. I normally like my lather wet, but I can't get much substance to this lather. It does have good glide, however, which is undoubtedly why my shaves have still been good. I have used both badger and boar, and I got my best results from an old NOS Ever-Ready badger brush with a very sparse knot.

As I said, I have always gotten a good shave, so the soap has done its job pretty well. I would have to conclude that there are other soaps that behave more as I expect them to and that are my established favorites. I may revisit this one at a later time.

- Murray

PS. As I recall, Prairie Creations shaving soap behaved similarly to this when I tried it, though I didn't put much effort into getting to know that soap. It would be interesting to know how these two soaps compare in the case of those who know and like the Prairie Creations product.
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