Viking Shaving Soap: Old Norse Review

All Photos By: Joel Patel

I’ve been wet shaving for over a year now and in that time, I’ve spent somewhere close to $500. Joining forums like Shave Bazzar on Reddit, The Shave Nook, and Damn Fine Shave have helped me find great products at an amazing price, while connecting with other wet-shaving enthusiasts. I’ve recently been on a Stirling kick and managed to track down a few soaps at a great price on The Shave Nook.

I hopped on the listing immediately and bough the items. The seller kindly reached out to me to let me know when the item would be shipped and updated me with a tracking number. The items arrived exactly on time, but, to my surprise, there was an extra soap in the package. The soap was by Viking Shaving Soap and it was the “Old Norse” scent.

I’ve never heard of Viking Shaving Soap before, and thought there was some kind of confusion. So I immediately got back onto the forum and messaged the buyer. Andrew (the buyer) kindly told me that there was no mistake. He is in charge of the company put the soap in my package on purpose. I kindly stated that I would feel bad excepting a free soap and offered to pay him full price for the item. He refused, stating that getting the word out on his soaps means more than the purchase and requested for me to give him my honest opinions on the soap.

You can’t find that kind of hospitality anywhere else. So I obliged. Andrew, you’ve got some great freaking stuff here.

Right off the bat, Viking Shaving Soaps are extremely well priced. Weighing in at 5.5 oz. for $12, Old Norse comes in at $2.18 per oz. Not only is the soap affordable, it’s also incredibly priced for the great qualities of the soap. The jar itself is sturdy and bears a striking design as the label.

Old Norse is Viking Soap’s interpretation of a barbershop scent that is “scented to suit the most discriminating nose, even that of Ragnar Lothbrok, the great Viking King…” I’m not a Viking, but I can see how the scent fits into the Viking theme.  Out of the jar, the scent isn’t necessarily barbershop, but is heavy on the oats. It’s a little off putting out of the jar, but is much nicer when lathering.

The soap is considered an extremely soft soap and I think it clearly earns the “croap” term that has been severely overused. Since the soap straddles the line between being a cream and soap, getting a good load off of it is a difficult task. The soap is so soft that loading only takes 15 seconds. Any longer than that and you’re just wasting soap as it your brush begins to clump with a large amount of product.  

Going into a face lather reveals a complex barbershop scent that reminds me of Mike’s Natural scent – one of my favorites. Just like the scent, the lather is top notch as well. Swirling a brush full of soap results in a thick, fluffy, wonderful lather that reminds me of something that comes from creams instead of soaps. The soap isn’t as slick as top tier soaps, but has more cushion and is thicker than ones I’ve tried. It also allowed my razor to slide through the hairs with ease.

After the shave, the soap left my face feeling moisturized and hydrated. As far as post shave, I didn’t need any, which is rare for my sensitive face. This is one of the best soaps I have ever tried when it comes to the way my face feels after the shave and I strongly urge anyone with sensitive skin to give it a try.

Scent Pleasantness: 8/10

Scent Strength: 6/10

Lather Quality: 9/10

Price: 10/10

Old Norse by Viking Shaving Soap is an amazing product that is priced well below the competition. I would happily pay much more for this soap. The scent, though, is a little weak. Out of the tub, soap strength is at a medium and stays there throughout the entire shave. But it quickly dissipates once the shave is over. If there’s one thing I wish there was more of it was the scent.

At this price point, Viking Shaving Soaps is a must-try for any wet shaver.

Overall: 8.5/10