Smells great. Easy to lather and stays nice and thick in a hot scuttle without dissipating. But it does not protect. I love tallow and I really wanted to like this. I shaved with it 4 times. Each time it gave me razor burn and an uncomfortable shave. And I even use coconut oil as pre-shave. Had to set it aside to sniff once in a while and went back to Cella. Cella fizzles out in the hot bowl by the time you're finished with your first pass, but you just add more soap and you're good to go. The tallow lather on this isn't as good as Cella's either. It's thick but in a different way. Definitely not the sublimely creamy, clay-like feeling you get from a Cella lather. When I finish shaving with Cella all I need is witch hazel, and really don't need that. Face feels perfect and hydrated with no burn. Not so here.

Disclaimer: I have no connection with Lather and Wood or Amazon I paid full price for this and the other of their products that I have reviewed. This review, and the other two are honest and complete.

I have been using this shaving soap for a week. Just to be very honest, it took me a couple of days to learn how to get a proper lather from it. It is a hard soap and took some "breaking in" to get it to do its thing. Now that is has, I can tell you with no reservations, that it is the best shaving soap I have ever used. I am going by results as much as the product itself. It makes a good cushion on my skin, and also using the Lather and Wood preshave oil, makes the blade literally float over my skin. I am getting consistently smooth, nick free shaves with virtually no irritation. I have been using a Parker Variant razor (I have no connection to the company), and Astra Platinum blades (no connection to the company here either) with it. For me, an amazingly good combination. It smells VERY nice too.

I am now a total Lather and Wood believer and user. I started with their aftershave, which is wonderful. Then a few weeks later, their preshave oil. Also wonderful. Both products far better than any I have used before. With that kind of experience I figured the next step had to the be the shaving soap. Another good decision. These three products in combination have changed my whole outlook on the daily "job". I really am enjoying it for the first time in 60 years of daily shaving. I'm getting perfect BBS shaves, no irritation, and no more dry, raw feeling skin during the day. What could be better???

Just finished trying Lather & Wood Shaving Soap for the first time and I have to say it is GREAT! First appearance of the tin just looks like it smells good. The soap has that hand packed look when first opened, giving a nice feel of authenticity. The soap lathered up to a thick foam and maintained its consistency through the whole shave. When done, it washed cleanly away, leaving a nice masculine scent with no greasy residue. I will say that the name "barbershop" made me expect a talc or clubman type of smell. It is neither of those, having a very nice, masculine scent, with a subtle citrus note. As with taste, ones interpretation may be different from mine. I would suggest pairing it with a Lather & Wood Pre-Shave Oil. The combination of oil and soap left my skin perfectly balanced and made for a smoother shave. One thing that must be pointed out is the high level of customer service from this company. If all companies would learn from them the shopping world would be a better place!

When buying this product, I had just begun learning methods of high-quality shaving, so I thought I'd give this product a try. After the first 2 weeks of using the product, I realized, through corresponding with the excellent customer service team, that I was not using the soap in the prescribed way to give optimal results. I am a shower shaver, and my method of using the soap was to rub it in my hands for several seconds in the hot shower and simply apply the soap to my face. The amazing part of this experience is that, even though I was using it in this way, I still have been obtaining a closer shave as well as moister skin for several hours afterwards compared to lower quality shaving creams. But, a short explanation of the method for best results is: use a natural-hair shaving brush and soak it warm water for about 10 seconds, load it with soap by swirling it over the soap for about a minute, then swirl and pump the brush in a bowl of hot water for another minute, then apply the lather to your face in circular motions with the brush. As you can see, my method was far different--and probably far less effective-- than the company's prescribed one. Though I haven't yet used their method due to the extra time and prep involved, I am still enjoying the closer shave and more comfortable skin from using this great soap. But, I have full confidence that using the company's optimal method will produce much greater results. As an added bonus, the company is sending me a complimentary bottle of after-shave. Thanks to Lather & Wood Shaving Co. for a great product!

For a while now I've been looking to change up my morning routine to be a bit different (and hopefully more enjoyable) from cartridge razor and foaming can shaving cream. That search lead me into the world of traditional wet shaving with all manner of handmade soaps, badger hair brushes, and exotic razors that I've never really looked at before in a serious manner. This product is my first experience with a handmade high quality soap for shaving in the traditional methods.
Since I haven't used any other handmade soaps like this all I can say is I like it and it gets the job done. The scent I purchased is the barber shop version not the sandalwood wood though. If you are looking to change up your morning prep for the day I highly recommend this shaving soap to get started.