RazoRock XXX Shaving Soap Review – Serviceable Back Up Soap
RazoRock XXX Shaving Soap
RazoRock XXX, an easy to lather shaving soap using natural ingredients. The floral scent leaves something to be desired
Pros
Lathers relatively easily
Slick Packaging
Rinses easily without any residue
Made from Natural Ingredients
Tallow-based
Cons
Scent is very generic
Texture is very thin
Leaves skin somewhat dry
Another week and another opportunity to review a good shaving soap.
Today we are going to look at a soap from Italian Barber aka RazoRock, while on a campaign to find the best shaving soaps. In this case, they bring us a soft and creamy soap that lathers quickly and gives a good finish to a close shave. Though it isn’t the best soap I have used, it is decent and does the job that it advertises.
About the Brand: Italian Barber is a family owned business centered in Italy believe it or not. According to the founders, it all started out with the family going out to get their hands on an alum block. After finding out what the Alum Block was for, it led them down the path to discovering the benefits of wet shaving, and then the foundation for their company.
RazoRock XXX Shaving Soap Product Description
When first getting my hands on this soap, I was kind of struck with the way it was packaged. This may sound like a silly thing to bring up, but the bottom of the plastic tub this came in is rounded off more like a bowl.
Why is this something to write home about?
Well, the container fits perfectly into its own lid. This makes sure you can easily set it aside and it remains stable without you having to find a place for the lid. As someone who lives with a small bathroom, counter space is at a premium.
Also the plastic canister is easy to ship and has little chance to break if you drop it.
About the Scent
From the Italian Barber Website:
“Scent Olfactory Pyramid:
Top Notes: Bergamot, Orange, Lemon, Orange Blossom
Heart Notes: Lilac, Lavender, Rose, Basil
Base Notes: Hay, Tonka Bean, Patchouli, Musk, Sandalwood, Oakmoss”
The Scent is the real stumbling block for this soap in my opinion. It is very floral with a major citrus aroma in it. I won’t lie though, to my personal experience this scent is very much like the smell of the generic soap you get in a public bathroom or the smell from a bottle of sunscreen.
To me it wasn’t special, and more so was not a smell I wanted to carry around with me all day. There are better scented soaps out there.
Ingredients
The XXX soap has a Tallow-Based formula (meaning it is not vegan), with several natural lotions and oils (Coconut Oil, Aloe, and Lanolin). It is all natural from top to bottom, making it very easy on the skin and with very few allergens.
Stearic Acid, Water(Eau), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Potassium, Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Tallow Acid, Hydrogenated Lanolin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea)Butter Fragrance(Parfum), Argania Spinosa (Argan)Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Extract(Aloe), Amylcinnamic Aldehyde , Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hydrocitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Isoeugenol, A-Isomethylionone, Oakmoss(Evernia Prunasti).
The Lather and Shaving Experience
For this review I made sure to let the soap soak in a small amount of hot water for about 10 minutes before lathering up with my synthetic bristle shaving brush.
For the shave itself, I made three passes with my safety razor: once with the grain, once across the grain, and once against the grain.
To judge the texture better, I didn’t use any pre-shave for this shave session.
How Does it Lather?
The soap actually lathers rather quickly. Part of that may be my Fine Accoutrements bowl or my Synthetic Brush, but also this soap has just the right kind of texture to lather up fast.
At first the lather was just a sudsy soapy mess, but after 30 seconds to a minute worth of brushing it got nice and marshmallow thick.
While not as fast lathering as some soaps I have tried, this lather was thick and fluffy.
How is the Texture?
The texture of the soap is very light.
While advertised as using a tallow-based formula with plenty of natural oils, it does feel quite light and fluffy. There is very little feeling of oils in the soap when it is on my face.
This makes the soap very easy to rinse off, without any filmy residue afterward.
This does leave the skin feeling a little dry afterward though. Perhaps the use of a pre-shave oil or cream would make sure to keep your skin nice and soft afterward.
How is the Overall Shave?
Overall, the shave was nice and easy. Nothing out of the ordinary, really.
The light quality of the soap meant that the razor was easy to rinse off after each pass, leaving nothing to gum up the razor blade as I shaved.
It was a pleasurable shave that left my skin feeling clean and smooth, if somewhat dry afterward.
Value For Money
If the scent left something to be desired, this price is the exact opposite. Frankly, any special shaving soap under the price of $15 USD is a great deal.
In this case, Italian Barber has this soap priced at $10 USD. That is a real steal. The price for shipping is low as well. 5 ounces of soap used every other day is very much going to last you for a good time, making this a great deal.
Common Consumer Complaints, Review, and Positive Reports
For the most part, people seem to really rave over this soap. Many customers who leave reviews on this product are people who are leaving 5 stars. They bring up the lather and texture as major benefits, and many people are big fans of the scent. In fact, most say they would love to reorder when they run out.
There are a few complaints, though.
For as many people who say they love the scent, there are also people who agree with me that the scent is pretty generic. One person even wrote they thought it smelled like something you would find in what would euphemistically be referred to as an adult products store.
Another reviewer said they would enjoy this soap more if there were more variety of scents, and for my own part I would agree with them.
Ironically, there are also people who wish the scent was stronger! I suppose there is no accounting for taste.
Others have also noted they feel the plastic container to be way too flimsy, and some arrived broken when they were ordered. I didn’t have this problem, obviously, but I could see the problem.
Final Thoughts – Who is RazoRock XXX Shaving Soap really for?
Overall, the RazoRock XXX Shaving Soap is probably best for those just starting out with wet shaving. It’s inexpensive, so you don’t need to invest heavily, and the lather builds rather quickly so it is good for shaving on the go.
This soap could also work very well for those who are on the go often and need to shave. If you are hitting the convention circuit, or if you are going to professional conferences and need to look nice, packing this soap away for your travel is a great option. The plastic container is easy to transport, and the mild scent is in no way going to stand out.
Overall, this soap is a good backup soap when you want to try something new.
