DR Harris Windsor Shaving Soap

[EL Alamein]

Got this one for Christmas this year. It's been a long time since I've smelled the Windsor fragrance from DR Harris. I recall not caring for it too much at the time I got my sample.

Well, smelling this cake out of the box it struck me as smelling very similar to the Royall Rugby scent (eldest son has a bottle). I've tried that and at times I like it, but it's a few and far between desire.

Gave this soap a try today and, as expected for a DR Harris soap, it delivered an excellent shave. Cushioning yet slick, the edge just glided through my whiskers effortlessly. The scent was a good experience as well (I guess today I was in the mood for it).

Followed up post shower with a splash of the Royall Rugby. It's a nice combination and they fit well together.

Looking forward to many shaves from this one.

Chris

[drmoss_ca]

I've never tried that one. I'll have to dig out the soaps that used to live on the Shelves of Shame.

[nodaktim]

I always wanted to try D.R. Harris soaps. They were among many items on my 'eventual to try' list. A lot of the other items on that list are no longer available, so I ordered a Lavender and Sandalwood DRH soap to try. Just waiting for them to arrive. Also on the list was a Moss scuttle, but Sara is not shipping to the USA due to the tariffs, at least according to her site.

[nodaktim]

Got this one for Christmas this year. It's been a long time since I've smelled the Windsor fragrance from DR Harris. I recall not caring for it too much at the time I got my sample.

Well, smelling this cake out of the box it struck me as smelling very similar to the Royall Rugby scent (eldest son has a bottle). I've tried that and at times I like it, but it's a few and far between desire.

Gave this soap a try today and, as expected for a DR Harris soap, it delivered an excellent shave. Cushioning yet slick, the edge just glided through my whiskers effortlessly. The scent was a good experience as well (I guess today I was in the mood for it).

Followed up post shower with a splash of the Royall Rugby. It's a nice combination and they fit well together.

Looking forward to many shaves from this one.

Chris

Chris, what other DRH soaps have you tried? How would you rank the 7 offerings? I have only tried the Lavender and have a Sandalwood standing by. I have come to appreciate the DRH soaps for the lather and qas curious about the other scents. I am nit familiar with Royall Rugby, so how else could you describe the Windosor scent?

[EL Alamein]

Hi Tim,

The only other DR Harris shaving soap I've used was Lavender. It's an older formula but seemingly similar in ingredients to what they sell today. It's an excellent performer and I don't know why I don't use it that often but I don't. I may use it twice a year. It may be because of the scent being somewhat neutral. From what I recall from conversations in the past here DR Harris' shaving soaps don't necessarily smell like their name implies.

This was explained as meaning the soap contained the essential oils of it's name but didn't necessarily smell of them. Their scent was a generic shaving soap scent. People remarked that the DR Harris lavender and almond shaving soaps smelled identical as a result. This was back in the day when I think DR Harris only made those two soaps. That's how old my cake is.

I prefer a stronger lavender scent so I use my Taylor's lavender hard shaving soap most of the time.

I have used DR Harris' excellent lavender shaving cream. Some folks have characterized the scent as synthetic or fake but I like it. I have a stash of those pots from about the same time I bought that cake of soap from them.

As for Windsor, looking at basenotes the scent pyramid is somewhat different from Royall Rugby. But to my nose the Windsor shaving soap smells very similar to Royall Rugby. To me the Royall Rugby smells very fresh and herbal. It's described as having geranium leaf in it and I do get a nice green leafy scent to it but it's freshened by something. It's a very strong scent and I'd recommend getting a sample or somehow getting the opportunity to smell it first before buying. Windsor doesn't list geranium as a note but I seem to smell something like it. I am very much enjoying the Windsor soap and have been using it at least twice a week since Christmas. The scent is strong but not overly so. The performance is excellent.

I hope that helps.

Chris

[nodaktim]

Chris,

Thank you for the reply. I agree the Lavender is quite neutral in scent. It is nothing bad, just not very noticeable at all. It has what I call a mild clean scent. I have been impressed with this D. R. Harris soap and regret not trying them sooner. I look forward to trying the other ones as I assume they will perform the same, but with different scents. Windsor will probably be my next purchase. I have this Lavender that I plan to stick with until it is gone. I want to figure out how long this puck will last before I explore other offerings. I have a Sandalwood refill I bought at the same time amd have not used yet. It is standing by awaiting for action. But, I might get the Windsor too and rotate between the two instead of sticking with one at a time. Arlington is also on my radar to try. If Almond is a mild as this Lavender, like you mentioned, I might skip it.

My impressions are that creams have more scent than soaps and my T&H Rose was very strong in scent. But, I am enjoying the quality of the lather from this DRH soap.