Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Soap in a Wooden Bowl, 3.5 oz.

Very hesitant to spend so much on shaving soap, however I am very satisfied with it. Zero comparison to any other soap I have ever had, and it smells terrific. Would recommend highly.

This is a perfectly good shave soap, the case is nice, soap smells good, and I get a good shave

I am beyond impressed with this shave soap! It's truly fantastic stuff, better than the TOBS cream and way better than other competitors. I've been shaving with a DE razor for about a year now. I've learned a lot along the way and changed a lot of the products I use numerous times, trying to find the stuff that work best. I've finally placed the last piece of the puzzle in discovering this TOBS shave soap.The reason for my frequent changes in gear and method have to do with my difficult beard situation. I have a pretty thick beard (can grow it full in about 3 weeks), and the hairs grow in all different directions, not in any uniform way like most guys with thicker beards. I'm also very lean and have paper-thin skin, especially on my neck, meaning it's a real bear to shave over my bumpy adam's apple, sharp jaw line, and bony chin without getting a nick. (You fleshy faced guys out there don't know how easy you have it to be shaving over a smooth and forgiving surface!)My quest for the perfect shaving soap/cream took a while to lead me here. First I tried several different kinds of Proraso shave soap (pretty good stuff: the green tub is better than the red sandalwood), one kind of Proraso shave cream (not as good as their soap), and finally the TOBS shave *cream*. The TOBS shave cream was my favorite of these early finds. I gather that many people on this page have tried it at one point and written at length about its virtues. It works well, smells great, and excels especially at keeping the skin from drying out. I used a whole tub and never thought I'd switch.But, the day came when my tub of TOBS cream was running out. I like to shave in the shower occasionally (with the excellent Deluxe LED Fogless Shower Mirror with Squeegee by ToiletTree Products. Guaranteed Not to Fog, Designed Not to Fall. 20% Larger Than Our #1 Selling Original Mirror.). Shave cream is not so good for shower shaving because it's more finicky about water mixture, and excess moisture in the shower always throws things off. But shave soap is great in the shower, so I thought I would try TOBS shave soap of the same scent.I'm TOTALLY impressed with TOBS shave soap. It lathers easily. It smells great. It's much easier to use this product straight out of the bowl than to lather up cream in a mug (which also takes up more space on the counter). Best of all, TOBS shave soap is SUPER smooth on the face -- much smoother than any other option I've tried, including TOBS's cream. I can shave fast and carelessly without getting the slightest nick. I can also shave through several days of thick stubble without any pulling at all. The actual product sold on this page comes in a wooden bowl, with the soap fitted perfectly inside (replacements available, of course). The soap is flat on top and comes nearly to the top rim of the wooden bowl. Some of the lather will definitely spill over the edges of the bowl when you shave, but I don't count this as a problem. When I'm in the shower, I just put the lid on and wipe away the excess soap from the sides of the bowl with my fingers. Outside the shower, I put the lid on and wipe the sides with a towel. This small bit of spillover residue actually has the effect of making a nice smell on my towel and the edges of the bowl to fill the bathroom for the rest of the day. I like it.Again, this is really great stuff and I cannot recommend it more highly. It will give you the smoothest, easiest lather you have ever experienced!

I purchased this after a bad experience with Lather & Wood Sandalwood tallow shave soap (I did a separate review of that soap). I was hoping to get a rich Sandalwood scented soap and hoped that TOBS would deliver. The wooden bowl is gorgeous with a rich brown color. I immediately removed the lid to smell the soap and I was very disappointed. It had a very strong Lavender and Rose smell, with no hint of Sandalwood. Old lady scent was the first thing that came to my mind. To say my wife hated the smell of it is an understatement, she was repulsed by it and turned her nose away from the bowl immediately.Nevertheless, I intended to give it a chance and I'm glad I did! I filled the bowl to the rim with hot water while I showered in order to let the soap bloom. While the soap bloomed, I soaked my Parker Silvertip Badger Travel brush in hot water as well (I love that brush!). After my shower, I started with my Lather & Wood Sandalwood pre-shave oil - which has a very woody scent that I love. After letting that sit on my face for 30 seconds, I poured the soap's bloom water into my hands and rubbed it into my face. The smell was wonderful! It was nowhere near as strong as the raw soap. The lavender and rose scents were still there, but hints of other scents came to the foreground as well. I never got much of a woody note from it, but the smell was still great and It was a great match for the scent of the pre-shave oil. I squeezed out the water from my brush and I was able to quickly load it with soap. The smell was fantastic and within 30 seconds the brush was fully loaded. Rubbing the brush into my face released aroma that was just fantastic and very manly. It took about a minute of brushing to build up a thick, luxurious lather on my face. Honestly, the lather came much quicker than that, but I just kept brushing while I enjoyed my aroma therapy session. The soap seemed to be thirsty, and I dribbled water into my brush several times with my wet fingertips to keep it hydrated. I took my time shaving and just enjoyed the aroma. I got 4 passes worth of lather out of the brush, and I'm sure I could've gotten more if I needed it. I had a fabulous BBS shave. There was plenty of lubricity and I even pulled lather off the razor and reapplied it to my face. Like I said, the soap is thirsty and if you let your razor go too long without rinsing it, the lather will start to get a little sticky. However, rinsing off the razor immediately restores the lubricity.I've only tried 3 soaps: The el-cheapo shave soap that came with blade assortment, the Lather & Wood Sandalwood tallow shave soap, and this soap. As previously stated, the L&W soap was a disappointment. The El-cheapo soap smells great, but doesn't really lather very well. This TOBS Sandalwood just hits all the right notes for me and while I didn't expect it to smell the way that it does, I love it!I followed up my shave with Lather & Wood Sandalwood after shave balm and it just goes perfectly with the TOBS Sandalwood scent. Then I patted my face and neck off with Clubman Pinaud Talc, and finished with 4 light spritzes of Hollister Jake. After all that, you'd think I'd be projecting smell, but it's all very subtle and you really have to be up close to me to smell the fragrances. It's about 4 hours after my shave as I type this, and I'm still catching little whiffs of the TOBS scent and it's really nice. I just found my new shave soap.

This is Taylor of Old Bond Street’s sandalwood shaving soap in a wooden bowl.Think I liked the idea of a wooden bowl- the warmth, texture, and natural beauty of wood- but it’s a bit… underwhelming. Would have been more practical if it was a bit larger. As it is, the soap comes up nearly to the brim and there isn’t a lot of space, so softer brushes are awkward to load until it’s used a few times. It’s better than a plastic tub you just throw out, but it comes off as more “fabricated” than I was expecting, and the lid is almost “dainty”.The shaving soap is fantastic, however. I’ve also got Taylor of Old Bond Street’s sandalwood shaving crème (that comes in the plastic tub), and I think this shaving soap is even better. I find the soap has a less-perfumed, milder scent that is subtler and more pleasant. With a decent brush and a little patience you can whip up a dense foam that gives a great lathering experience.Pass on this soap plus bowl set and just get the soap.

This shave soap smells amazing! It moisturizes as it lubricates & is a great product. 10 out of 10, would recommend. A classic scent for the discerning gentleman.