The Gentleman's Groom Room Essence of Scotland Scottish Heather Shaving Soap

The Gentleman’s Groom Room is a local retailer in Dundee, Scotland, that offers men’s skin care and shaving accessories.  They specialize in grooming products specifically for their male clientele, and they boast a grooming and lifestyle suite below their store, where men can enjoy a traditional wet shave, massage, manicure, or skin care treatment. When owner Ian Thomson wanted to offer an exclusive shaving soap, he carefully selected ingredients and commissioned The Shetland Soap Company, a UK-based manufacturer of natural soaps, to create the Essence of Scotland range of glycerin shaving soaps for the brand.

The Scottish Heather Shaving Soap is one of two fragrances currently offered in the Essence of Scotland range. It is packaged in a plastic screw-top container that is well constructed. Unlike other glycerin soaps that are small and force many wetshavers to melt and pour the puck into a better container for regular use, The Gentleman’s Groom Room soap bowl is large enough to work the shaving brush on the soap to create a suitable lather right in its original container. In addition, the lid provides a nice tight seal to preserve the fragrance of the soap inside. 

My first impression opening the container, aside from the noticeably larger size volume of soap than most brands provide, was the unique fragrance.  The Scottish Heather soap has a very prominent and complex aroma that is a blend of citrus and with some sweetness and strong herbal notes.  The patchouli component is quite strong but not overpowering.  While I generally like more subtly scented soaps and this one pushes the upper limit of my personal preference, it is very pleasant and enjoyable and will certainly appeal to men who like a soap that really fills the air with its fragrance.

The soap itself is a dark brown color with visible bits of the various ingredients that make up the formulation.  Glycerin soaps are usually smooth and clear, which makes them look synthetic and machine processed, but the TGGREOSSHSS has a much more natural and artisan crafted look to it.  It is a nice consistency and is not oily or greasy at all.  

I tested the lathering capability of the soap with several different shaving brushes ranging from firm to very soft, and none had any issues whipping up a rich and thick lather within a short time.  The soap loads easily and volumizes into a smooth creamy texture with ease.  During the lathering process, the potent aroma of the soap opens up and fills the room.  The lather never appears muddy or greasy like lower quality soaps that are overformulated with clays or oils.

During the shave, Scottish Heather performs respectably.  The lather has a nice slick texture that coats the skin well and provides a good level of protection. It has rinsed easily from both my double edge and straight razors and has washed out of the shaving brushes cleanly and without leaving behind any residue.  During the initial reduction passes, the soap cut very smoothly; however, towards the end of the shave when cutting against the grain or touching up those tricky spots to get that last remaining stubble, the soap did not provide quite the level of protection that was hoping for.

In conclusion, TGGREOSSHSS receives the following awards:

• Longest name of a shaving product
• Superior glycerin shaving soap
• Great price for several months of shaves

TGGREOSSHSS is a reliable workhorse shaving soap that is cost effective. It is only packaged in one container size and is available from the Razor Emporium for $18.95.  For half the cost of a luxury brand hard-milled soap, the 120 gram / 4.2 ounce container is an outstanding value that will provide several months of use. It would be unfair to compare it to my favorite triple-milled hard soaps or Italian soft soaps that have a more luxury performance, but this product is definitely a winner among glycerin soaps. If you enjoy strongly scented products that are different from common lime, sandalwood, rose, etc., The Gentleman’s Groom Room Essence of Scotland Scottish Heather Shaving Soap would be a welcomed addition to your rotation.   

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