Arko Shaving Soap Bowl Review – A Creamy Classic
Arko Shaving Soap Bowl
Arko shaving soap in a bowl/tub. A very popular traditional shaving lubricant sold worldwide.
Pros
Creates a lather quickly
Creamy and rich lather
Easy to purchase at many places
Good price
Cons
Distinct strong scent that some may not like
There are not many gents that have been wet shaving in the traditional fashion for any length of time that have not seen or even lathered up some Arko Shaving Soap. It’s a classic that has been helping guys get a more comfortable and lubricated shave since 1959.
While it is a popular soap, like myself, you may have spent some time testing and using other various soaps and shaving creams and left this one out because it is so popular (or for any other reason).
If I am honest, I had imagined it not being a very good shaving soap for some reason which might relate to it being non-expensive, and expecting the quality to lack because it is fairly cheap.
Anyway, I got myself an Arko Shaving Soap Bowl to test out, even if it was just to offer you guys a test and review. It was also to satisfy my curiosity.
The Brand: Arko is a Turkish brand that started trading with the Arko shaving soap stick back in 1957. The standard Arko soap is popular worldwide. The company has since produced other shaving supplies, including creams, foams, and other products.
Arko Shaving Soap Bowl Description
The shaving soap sold in the bowl and the stick are similar, although the soap in a puck seems like it is harder, containing more of the ingredient within that makes it solid, I guess. It’s a tallow based soap, so a user can expect a rich lather and other skin benefits that come with tallowate.
Having the soap in a bowl or tub (rather than the stick) makes it a lot easier to get it onto a brush and make a lather, whether you choose to lather up with a loaded brush in a separate shaving bowl or get it going straight on the face (there are benefits of both ways).
There is nothing that states Arko Soap is organic, cruelty-free or anything else free, like parabens. This is worth noting for those that are more conscious of these aspects when purchasing cosmetics.
The Lather and Shaving Experience
Overall I was very pleasantly surprised with most aspects of Arko having soap, and it was mainly the scent that threw me off a bit.
Latherability – 9/10
Arko lathers up pretty quick for a tallow soap. I usually load the brush from the puck in the Arko bowl and then make a lather in a separate shaving bowl which really prepares a good thick lather before it gets on the face. I did test out going straight to the face but I found it too thick and I needed to get it watered down more (or add more soap) while it was it applied on my face.
I used a Muhle synthetic brush with the Arko shaving soap bowl. Synthetics in my experience, work best when lathering from a bowl. This is because the water drips during face lathering if the lather is not yet made with the synthetic shaving brush and bowl (synthetics don’t usually hold water well).
Within 40 seconds, I can have a bowl of rich, creamy and slightly foamy lather. Looks perfect.
How Was The Texture of This Soap? – 8/10
The texture once the lather was made was almost perfect when judging the creamy, foamy, and slick requirements –a good shaving soap should have. Not a complaint there.
I was provided with a slick covering of lather on my face, providing plenty of lubrication to get a decent shave on.
What Is Arko Soap’s Scent Like? – 4/10
The Scent of Arko is quite a distinct normal unnatural soap (perfumed or even a kind of antiseptic ) smell that is crisp. It’s strong and comes across as something very traditional.
I’m not a fan of the scent and prefer something more fragrant, musky, or just less soapy potent. However, we are all different, and I can see why some guys would favor this type of scent though.
If like me, you use Arko after using a much milder scented shaving cream or soap then it might take a few rounds to get familiar and used to the Arko scent. The scent then may become a non-issue.
Overall Experience – 8/10
From loading up the brush to shaving off the last bit of soap with the Parker Travel Safety Razor I was testing out was very good, and I have no complaints. It’s just that scent isn’t for me.
While shaving, the lather did not dry up too quickly and post-shave, my face was left feeling nice and soft. There was only a mild memory of the scent left on my skin.
Value for Money 9/10
The Arko Shaving Soap in a bowl is priced up at around $6.99 in the US. This puts the price above the cheap range and not within the most expensive range for shaving soaps.
If you wanted to test the soap out, you could save a little when buying the single shaving stick first and then pick up a puck in a tub if you like it.
Any Common Consumer Issues, Complaints, or Positive Reports?
Of course, there are many more happy customers and repeat customers that continue to purchase Arko. Otherwise, the company could not have had this on the shelves since 1957.
Many consumers are happy to find Arko soap in a bowl (tub) as it makes their shave routine much easier than when they use a stick. Plenty of guys love the lather and the price and have no complaints at all.
There are a number of complaints about the scent and users finding the soap much like an artificial (lacking natural ingredients) type of soap compared to others they have used.
Final Thoughts and Who Is The Arko Shaving Bowl Best Suited For?
Much like many other products I have had low expectations before using, worked out to be better than expected. Arko is one of them, and I would use it again, but I do have a lot of others I prefer when it comes down to scent preference.
The Arko shaving bowl soap is well worth trying out if you already use the stick.
Anyone who wet shaves could give Arko a try unless they have any issues with using tallow-based products or non organic soaps or if anything on the ingredient list doesn’t disagree with them.
See you on the next shave down!
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