Barrister & Mann Melange Shaving Soap Review – The Spice Must Foam
Barrister & Mann Melange Shaving Soap
The Melange shaving soap made by Barrister & Mann is a limited edition soap that’s tallow based. Barrister & Mann are well known for creating great shaving soaps and creams, and Melange is one of those that was well worth testing out.
Pros
Heavy spice element to the scent
Rich and thick lather
Good value for money vs quality
Trusted brand
Cons
Takes effort to build lather
Scent alongside the cost may not be for everyone
No one more than I was waiting for the new Dune movie that came out in 2021. So much so that I was willing to mask up and brave the movie theaters to see it.
I got lucky as the theater was almost completely empty, and I had the IMAX all to myself, and the movie completely blew me away.
What I am trying to say, dear reader, is that yours truly is a massive Dune fan. So when I was looking at upgrading my shave routine, trying this triple milled shaving soap was a serious no brainer.
The Company
Barrister and Mann is a company that makes shaving products in a traditional style with a modern flair. They mostly specialize with artisan scents in shaving soaps, aftershaves, and colognes. They also sell some of their ceramic jars for making your own fragrances, and have a large library of fragrance samples to try from.
Barrister and Mann like to experiment with new scents constantly, so they are a worthy company to keep an eye on to see what the madmen in their labs have come up with next. I’m actually looking forward to trying out more scents from them soon.
What does it Smell Like?
In the Dune Universe, the Spice Melange expands consciousness and has multiple health benefits. So obviously, everyone with money indulges in it. The Spice Melange is said to smell and taste different to everyone. Though cinnamon is always described to be an aspect of the raw spice aroma.
While I haven’t tasted this soap, I have obviously had the pleasure to shave with it.
There is definitely a heavy spice element to the scent, but it’s more complex than just “Sweet Cinnamon Soap.”
It starts with a musky base note, but that doesn’t really stick around long. You can really get a smell of ginger and slightly nutmeg as well as the cinnamon scent. There is a top note that seems to be a bit of a floral aroma. It finished very clean and sweet, not sticking around too long.
There is an interesting temperature property to the scent, as it starts with something warm and heavy. Then it moves to more light and airy aromas. Finally it hits this clean and almost cooling smell, like the desert at night time.
Judge of the Change
The interesting thing about this soap is how the scent will actually change slowly. Above is the base aroma you get when just sniffing the soap itself, but once it is applied to your skin there is a slight but noticeable change.
On skin the soap aroma becomes much more heavy, with the musky sandalwood and cardamom moving to the forefront. The sweeter aromas take a backseat and the warmth of the base notes start to come through.
The cinnamon is less of the lead note and more of a backup aroma to add depth to the scent. This scent warms throughout the day and is very soothing, bringing a very mellow and pleasant feeling as the day wears on.
This smell will also stick around on your shaving brush even if you clean it thoroughly. It’s a comforting smell that makes me want to shave every day.
What about the Texture?
When it arrived, the soap itself looked gritty. There was a slight sparkle to it, like the spice in the new movie. It is even swirled to look like the dunes of a windswept desert. One would assume then that the texture would be gritty and almost sandy.
It doesn’t feel like that at all. In fact, it feels very smooth and creamy. This soap does feel oily with an almost rich texture, feeling like a lotion as you touch and feel the large puck in the jar.
I would wager a guess this is because of the combination of Shea Butter, Cupuacu Butter, and Xanthan Gum.
When lathered up, it feels very rich and thick. It maintains this slightly oily texture and clings to the brush, my soap dish, and my skin. This isn’t a bad thing though. It feels nice and soothing on the skin, with an easy feeling “spread” to the lather as it clings to the skin.
Which leads us into…
How does Melange Shaving Soap Lather Up?
The Lather takes somewhat of an effort to lather up, but no more than any other soap really. The thick and oily soap takes some work to really aerate and whip up. The same oily texture of the puck just means you need to put in a bit more work to get it really lathered up.
It is recommended by Barrister and Mann to use a synthetic brush, which is what I am using. Though the best recommendation I can make is to just use a few more drops of water than you think you need in your shaving dish.
All that being said, you really do not need that much to make a decent lather for your face, especially if you are using a pre-shave along with this. The thick and oily soap is really protective of your skin, and you don’t need that much to take care of business.
What’s In This Shaving Soap?
When looking at the full ingredient list, it looks VERY daunting.
There are a great deal of very weird/scientific words on that list, but from my experience and research, that is mostly from all the extracts to highlight the complex aromas of the soap.
Most of the ingredients, outside of the extracts for the scent, are the heavy soap elements. Things like Coconut Milk, Shea Butter, and Avocado Oil. This makes the soap very heavy and oily, which makes it really great as a clean and nourishing soap.
It is worth noting though, the heavy aromas and extracts are not the best for the purposes of sensitive skin. If you are sensitive to heavy aromas or plant extracts, this soap might be something to skip.
How Much Does it Cost?
As I highlight in almost every one of my articles, price is a big thing when it comes to shaving. The market is absolutely flooded with products that promise you the moon and the stars, and will make you pay out of the nose for it. So you need to know which products to drop your hard earned solaris on.
Barrister and Mann sell their Melange soap for about $20 USD. With shipping, you are probably going to be spending between $25 and $30 USD.
If it comes down to value to dollars, I think this one really lines up well. I think this soap is very much worth the price, but I wouldn’t hold it against you if you didn’t want to try it. The scent as I have described it can be somewhat strange. If you aren’t as big of a Dune fan as I am, you might not want to drop money on this one.
Any Common Consumer Issues, Complaints or Positive Reports?
While I love this product, it isn’t without a few issues.
The heavy scent can turn some guys off. As the shave dries, the sweeter smell will give way to the more musky sandalwood base notes. That being said, the first whiff is very sweet. I have run into more than one shaving friend who completely eschews more sweeter or floral scents. Something about how it isn’t very manly. They would probably prefer a more woody scent, and you aren’t really going to get that from this soap.
To go along with that, as I mentioned above, the heavy amount of extracts in the soap can irritate those with very sensitive skin.
The soap itself is heavily Shea butter, so it’s going to be very oily and might feel somewhat greasy as you lather it on, and I could also see how that might not turn some on. Some guys prefer something much lighter.
This soap is a limited run item right now, so finding it is going to be a bit rough. The only place I can currently find it is on the Grown Man Shave site, which isn’t the best site I’ve ever used. Hopefully, they will bring this one back for a wider release soon. Otherwise, this is the only place you are going to be able to get it.
There is a Melange aftershave version that seems to be much more available, and that one you can get from West Coast Shaving, Amazon, and several other places. The scent of the aftershave is slightly different, and has more of the ginger and sandalwood scent with much less of the cinnamon scent.
One other thing that I would like to highlight is the art on the tin. While this may seem like the weirdest thing to talk about, I would like to mention how awesome it looks. It makes me think of the oil paintings from the original David Lynch Dune film, which is just a great touch for the product.
Final Thoughts and Who Is The Barrister & Mann Melange Shaving Soap Best Suited For?
Overall this soap is a great shaving soap with a very complex aroma that slowly changes as it dries. It’s not too expensive, and has some great inspiration to draw on. If you are a fan of wet shaving and of Dune, find this soap and give it a try.
If you aren’t a Dune fan, you would still like this soap, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it. If you can find a good sample, I would go for that. Though if you want to wait, the aftershave might be a better place to start.
The Spice must Flow.
