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ETHOS Grooming Essentials First Official Release

I just received the Lavender and Pineapple Noir!

The packaging was really nice, and the logoed label on the outside of the box was a nice touch.

I cannot wait to use them, so the “alphabet theme” is going to have to take at least a two day hiatus.

SWMBO ‘advised’ me not to get the matching EdP for the Pineapple Noir. Frank was kind enough to send a sample of it, and when she smelled it, I don’t have to tell you what she said: “why didn’t you get this one too?“

The scents are simple, pure, and robust. I almost want to have my second Shave of the day, but I’m going to wait until the morning, difficult as that may be.557C56B6-9077-49E4-9CFF-74C989A0503A.jpeg4BE64F5A-6491-4F7C-8CD1-CC7036B847FE.jpegFF84B8E2-4046-418C-A6BA-1B5B3D0C55D6.jpeg
 
I just received the Lavender and Pineapple Noir!

The packaging was really nice, and the logoed label on the outside of the box was a nice touch.

I cannot wait to use them, so the “alphabet theme” is going to have to take at least a two day hiatus.

SWMBO ‘advised’ me not to get the matching EdP for the Pineapple Noir. Frank was kind enough to send a sample of it, and when she smelled it, I don’t have to tell you what she said: “why didn’t you get this one too?“

The scents are simple, pure, and robust. I almost want to have my second Shave of the day, but I’m going to wait until the morning, difficult as that may be.View attachment 21562View attachment 21563View attachment 21564
Score!
 
I just received the Lavender and Pineapple Noir!

The packaging was really nice, and the logoed label on the outside of the box was a nice touch.

I cannot wait to use them, so the “alphabet theme” is going to have to take at least a two day hiatus.

SWMBO ‘advised’ me not to get the matching EdP for the Pineapple Noir. Frank was kind enough to send a sample of it, and when she smelled it, I don’t have to tell you what she said: “why didn’t you get this one too?“

The scents are simple, pure, and robust. I almost want to have my second Shave of the day, but I’m going to wait until the morning, difficult as that may be.View attachment 21562View attachment 21563View attachment 21564

Thank you Michael

I’m glad you like the scents. I always include a sample of a Skin Food splash or the Pineapple Noir EDP in every box and I’m happy it was wife approved!! That’s very important. Lol

Hope you like the Shave soaps. Remember they are thirsty. Also it’s more of a soft soap so I find about 25 seconds provides enough lather for at least 3 passes.

😊👍🏼
 
So, I had my first shave this morning with the Pineapple Noir. Obviously I want to have some more shaves with it under different conditions, waters, brushes, face lather vs. bowl, etc. to be able to give an informed opinion, but one thing I can say that it lathers very, very quickly and easily.

I put a couple of little cosmetic scoopfuls in the bottom of a bowl, started out with a soaked, wrung-out just damp brush, and with a couple of dips and shakes, the stuff exploded. Had enough lather for 3 passes, touch up, and with what was left in the bowl and brush could have easily done 2 or 3 more passes.

The soap can take a lot of water. Once it was on the face before the second pass, I dipped the tips of the brush and added it to the lather on the face, and did that about three times. I could have added more, but I was happy with the hydration for the second pass (ATG with a straight).

IMG_9519.jpeg
IMG_9520.jpeg
 
Dragonsbeard introduced us to his ETHOS soap with an Oud scented limited release with Oleo Soapworks back in August 2019 and it was an immediate success based on its rave reviews and rapid sell out. So how do you improve on Dragonsbeard’s initial soap release? Well that may be easy (if you are Frank) or difficult (if you are a competitor soap maker) but, in my opinion, Frank AKA Dragonsbeard managed to outdo himself with his recent release of his ETHOS Grooming Essentials of soaps, skin foods (ie splashes) and EDPs.

Impressions: This line has his proprietary line of high end ETHOS ingredients that if you ask he will happily go into detail with you in a more comprehensive manner than I ever could summarize. He has used his chemist knowledge and decades of experience to create an exceptional product. The ETHOS Grooming Essentials includes a Lavender (Lisse), Pineapple (Succes) and Clean/Unscented (Pure) selection with accompanying skin foods/splashes and EDPs. The packaging is high end including his shipping and cloth bags for the supersized 7 oz soap, 2 oz splash and 2 oz EDP. He also included a soap “spoon” and a splash sample of either the lavender or pineapple scent depending on which one you did not order. I opted for the Pineapple Noir tripak after discussing my preferences with Frank – he is very customer focused and loves talking all issues “wet shaving” related.

Lathering: With (less than an almond sized amount of) the minimally soft soap I was able to bloom and (bowl) lather a previously soaked silver tip brush. Frank claims the soap needs plenty of water but I only needed slightly more dribbles (we have a water softener) during my lathering – it was not as thirsty as he suggested. In no time I generated a slick lather somewhere between a meringue and yogurt consistency. My brush held enough for a 1.5 - 2 pass shave (I usually do not perform a 3 pass shave).

Shaving: The shave was slick and cushioned my face with ease. The initial mild scent of pineapple on the dry soap was definitely more noticeable once the lather was applied – it was neither overly strong nor artificial as other soaps tend to be. There was no facial skin irritation, itch or burning which I have had in the past with some well recognized brands so this was a plus.

Post Shave: My post shave routine was easy as there were no cuts or nicks - a cool water rinse was followed with the accompanying skin food. The post shave feel was amazing ! There was no dryness or irritation as my face felt well hydrated after the lather/shave. I felt hydrated enough post shave that aftershave/moisturizer was unnecessary. That’s how good this ETHOS Grooming Essentials shave soap is. But since I had the skin food, which I recommend, I splashed it on for the full post shave treatment. Here is another attention to detail which I commend Frank on as the skin food reducer is small such that the amount of splash extruded is minimal giving one the ability to adjust easily the amount used rather than those companies that give larger opening to allow all the product to spill out. The smaller reducer was much appreciated and will ensure the skin food is never wasted. I found the post shave “pineapple” scent was soothing and noticeable but not overpowering. And since I had the EDP a couple of fine misting sprays sealed the deal for the next several hours.

Summary: The ETHOS Grooming Essentials collection of shave soap, skin food and EDP was a fantastic experience and in particular the Pineapple Noir tripak worked beautifully. It works as well as any soap out there but excels in the post shave experience. As “skin food” the face is well hydrated after use which sets it apart from most shave soaps putting it into a category with few competitors. As a crucial barometer, my spouse, who rarely if ever comments on my shaves was impressed with the smoothness and scent of the ETHOS Pineapple Noir collection. That, for me, seals the deal with recommending this as a high-end soap worth top tier status. In fact I have heard from a friend who has used all manner of “high-end”, exclusive and expensive soaps that he is now getting rid of all those “other” soaps because of this ETHOS Grooming collection. That alone could save me plenty of storage space and I will probably not add any further soaps given my experience so far. For me I cannot think of a better soap with matching splash/EDP that I have used (and yes I have tried many of those other high end releases) that can match this ETHOS collection. Since I am happy with this release I cannot wait for his future product releases and wish him luck in expanding his offerings.

Great job Frank
 
Dragonsbeard introduced us to his ETHOS soap with an Oud scented limited release with Oleo Soapworks back in August 2019 and it was an immediate success based on its rave reviews and rapid sell out. So how do you improve on Dragonsbeard’s initial soap release? Well that may be easy (if you are Frank) or difficult (if you are a competitor soap maker) but, in my opinion, Frank AKA Dragonsbeard managed to outdo himself with his recent release of his ETHOS Grooming Essentials of soaps, skin foods (ie splashes) and EDPs.

Impressions: This line has his proprietary line of high end ETHOS ingredients that if you ask he will happily go into detail with you in a more comprehensive manner than I ever could summarize. He has used his chemist knowledge and decades of experience to create an exceptional product. The ETHOS Grooming Essentials includes a Lavender (Lisse), Pineapple (Succes) and Clean/Unscented (Pure) selection with accompanying skin foods/splashes and EDPs. The packaging is high end including his shipping and cloth bags for the supersized 7 oz soap, 2 oz splash and 2 oz EDP. He also included a soap “spoon” and a splash sample of either the lavender or pineapple scent depending on which one you did not order. I opted for the Pineapple Noir tripak after discussing my preferences with Frank – he is very customer focused and loves talking all issues “wet shaving” related.

Lathering: With (less than an almond sized amount of) the minimally soft soap I was able to bloom and (bowl) lather a previously soaked silver tip brush. Frank claims the soap needs plenty of water but I only needed slightly more dribbles (we have a water softener) during my lathering – it was not as thirsty as he suggested. In no time I generated a slick lather somewhere between a meringue and yogurt consistency. My brush held enough for a 1.5 - 2 pass shave (I usually do not perform a 3 pass shave).

Shaving: The shave was slick and cushioned my face with ease. The initial mild scent of pineapple on the dry soap was definitely more noticeable once the lather was applied – it was neither overly strong nor artificial as other soaps tend to be. There was no facial skin irritation, itch or burning which I have had in the past with some well recognized brands so this was a plus.

Post Shave: My post shave routine was easy as there were no cuts or nicks - a cool water rinse was followed with the accompanying skin food. The post shave feel was amazing ! There was no dryness or irritation as my face felt well hydrated after the lather/shave. I felt hydrated enough post shave that aftershave/moisturizer was unnecessary. That’s how good this ETHOS Grooming Essentials shave soap is. But since I had the skin food, which I recommend, I splashed it on for the full post shave treatment. Here is another attention to detail which I commend Frank on as the skin food reducer is small such that the amount of splash extruded is minimal giving one the ability to adjust easily the amount used rather than those companies that give larger opening to allow all the product to spill out. The smaller reducer was much appreciated and will ensure the skin food is never wasted. I found the post shave “pineapple” scent was soothing and noticeable but not overpowering. And since I had the EDP a couple of fine misting sprays sealed the deal for the next several hours.

Summary: The ETHOS Grooming Essentials collection of shave soap, skin food and EDP was a fantastic experience and in particular the Pineapple Noir tripak worked beautifully. It works as well as any soap out there but excels in the post shave experience. As “skin food” the face is well hydrated after use which sets it apart from most shave soaps putting it into a category with few competitors. As a crucial barometer, my spouse, who rarely if ever comments on my shaves was impressed with the smoothness and scent of the ETHOS Pineapple Noir collection. That, for me, seals the deal with recommending this as a high-end soap worth top tier status. In fact I have heard from a friend who has used all manner of “high-end”, exclusive and expensive soaps that he is now getting rid of all those “other” soaps because of this ETHOS Grooming collection. That alone could save me plenty of storage space and I will probably not add any further soaps given my experience so far. For me I cannot think of a better soap with matching splash/EDP that I have used (and yes I have tried many of those other high end releases) that can match this ETHOS collection. Since I am happy with this release I cannot wait for his future product releases and wish him luck in expanding his offerings.

Great job Frank
VERY NICE REVIEW!!!
 
Dragonsbeard introduced us to his ETHOS soap with an Oud scented limited release with Oleo Soapworks back in August 2019 and it was an immediate success based on its rave reviews and rapid sell out. So how do you improve on Dragonsbeard’s initial soap release? Well that may be easy (if you are Frank) or difficult (if you are a competitor soap maker) but, in my opinion, Frank AKA Dragonsbeard managed to outdo himself with his recent release of his ETHOS Grooming Essentials of soaps, skin foods (ie splashes) and EDPs.

Impressions: This line has his proprietary line of high end ETHOS ingredients that if you ask he will happily go into detail with you in a more comprehensive manner than I ever could summarize. He has used his chemist knowledge and decades of experience to create an exceptional product. The ETHOS Grooming Essentials includes a Lavender (Lisse), Pineapple (Succes) and Clean/Unscented (Pure) selection with accompanying skin foods/splashes and EDPs. The packaging is high end including his shipping and cloth bags for the supersized 7 oz soap, 2 oz splash and 2 oz EDP. He also included a soap “spoon” and a splash sample of either the lavender or pineapple scent depending on which one you did not order. I opted for the Pineapple Noir tripak after discussing my preferences with Frank – he is very customer focused and loves talking all issues “wet shaving” related.

Lathering: With (less than an almond sized amount of) the minimally soft soap I was able to bloom and (bowl) lather a previously soaked silver tip brush. Frank claims the soap needs plenty of water but I only needed slightly more dribbles (we have a water softener) during my lathering – it was not as thirsty as he suggested. In no time I generated a slick lather somewhere between a meringue and yogurt consistency. My brush held enough for a 1.5 - 2 pass shave (I usually do not perform a 3 pass shave).

Shaving: The shave was slick and cushioned my face with ease. The initial mild scent of pineapple on the dry soap was definitely more noticeable once the lather was applied – it was neither overly strong nor artificial as other soaps tend to be. There was no facial skin irritation, itch or burning which I have had in the past with some well recognized brands so this was a plus.

Post Shave: My post shave routine was easy as there were no cuts or nicks - a cool water rinse was followed with the accompanying skin food. The post shave feel was amazing ! There was no dryness or irritation as my face felt well hydrated after the lather/shave. I felt hydrated enough post shave that aftershave/moisturizer was unnecessary. That’s how good this ETHOS Grooming Essentials shave soap is. But since I had the skin food, which I recommend, I splashed it on for the full post shave treatment. Here is another attention to detail which I commend Frank on as the skin food reducer is small such that the amount of splash extruded is minimal giving one the ability to adjust easily the amount used rather than those companies that give larger opening to allow all the product to spill out. The smaller reducer was much appreciated and will ensure the skin food is never wasted. I found the post shave “pineapple” scent was soothing and noticeable but not overpowering. And since I had the EDP a couple of fine misting sprays sealed the deal for the next several hours.

Summary: The ETHOS Grooming Essentials collection of shave soap, skin food and EDP was a fantastic experience and in particular the Pineapple Noir tripak worked beautifully. It works as well as any soap out there but excels in the post shave experience. As “skin food” the face is well hydrated after use which sets it apart from most shave soaps putting it into a category with few competitors. As a crucial barometer, my spouse, who rarely if ever comments on my shaves was impressed with the smoothness and scent of the ETHOS Pineapple Noir collection. That, for me, seals the deal with recommending this as a high-end soap worth top tier status. In fact I have heard from a friend who has used all manner of “high-end”, exclusive and expensive soaps that he is now getting rid of all those “other” soaps because of this ETHOS Grooming collection. That alone could save me plenty of storage space and I will probably not add any further soaps given my experience so far. For me I cannot think of a better soap with matching splash/EDP that I have used (and yes I have tried many of those other high end releases) that can match this ETHOS collection. Since I am happy with this release I cannot wait for his future product releases and wish him luck in expanding his offerings.

Great job Frank
Very thorough and well thought out! Another great review!
 
So, I had my first shave this morning with the Pineapple Noir. Obviously I want to have some more shaves with it under different conditions, waters, brushes, face lather vs. bowl, etc. to be able to give an informed opinion, but one thing I can say that it lathers very, very quickly and easily.

I put a couple of little cosmetic scoopfuls in the bottom of a bowl, started out with a soaked, wrung-out just damp brush, and with a couple of dips and shakes, the stuff exploded. Had enough lather for 3 passes, touch up, and with what was left in the bowl and brush could have easily done 2 or 3 more passes.

The soap can take a lot of water. Once it was on the face before the second pass, I dipped the tips of the brush and added it to the lather on the face, and did that about three times. I could have added more, but I was happy with the hydration for the second pass (ATG with a straight).

View attachment 21638
View attachment 21639

Another excellent photo... you guys make my photos look pathetic. So jealous! LOL
 
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