Mike’s Natural Soaps: Orange, Cedarwood, and Black Pepper Review

 I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I find myself getting into a rhythm when it comes to shaving soaps. After using Mike’s Natural Soaps in their Barbershop scent, I had an itch to continue using a soap from the company, so I reached for their Orange, Cedarwood, and Black Pepper soap.

Unlike other soap makers that charge a flat rate for all of its soaps, Mike’s Natural Soaps differ in price. I’m not sure what causes the increase in prices, it could come down to ingredients, difficulty of mixing the scents, or the fact that it’s made using essential oils and not fragrance oils, but Orange, Cedarwood, and Black Pepper is in the midrange in terms of pricing. A 5 oz. tin of soap costs $14.50, bringing the soap to $2.90 an ounce. That’s not as cheap as the Barbershop scent, but it’s still a reasonable price for an incredible product.

Out of the tin, Orange, Cedarwood, and Black Pepper is well above average – if you can get the lid off. This poor tin has been damaged to the point where the lid will only come off and go on if the dents are lined up and with a fair amount of effort. The rest of the tin hasn’t faired well either, as there are numerous dents, scratches, and imperfections. The soap, though, which is the most important thing, remains unharmed.

After wrestling with the tin for a few minutes, the whole bathroom is immediately filled with a spicy orange. I’ve recently become a fan of citrus scents that go against the industry standard of lime and have found orange to be one of my favorites. And Mike’s Natural Soaps’ is a fantastic scent. I mostly get orange with the spiciness of the pepper coming at the end. My nose doesn’t get anything more than a subtle hint of the cedarwood, which is fine with me as I’m not a fan of woodsy scents.

Lathering the soap brings out the citrus of the orange more with the black pepper being toned down a bit. It’s by no means an orange only scent, but the orange is the star of the show and gets stronger as the soap is lathered. I really like the scent and, since the cedarwood isn’t really noticeable, is one that I think can be used all year.

The lather, as I’ve covered before, is extraordinary. It has the cushion, slickness, and face feel to rival any soap and the post shave is amazing, as well. My only gripe with Mike’s Natural Soaps is that the soap can be a little hard to lather. But I found an easy way around this. I used my synthetic brush from L&L Grooming, which has an Amack Game Changer knot that has a fair amount of backbone to it. By using a wetter brush and something with a little more backbone, I managed to whip up a great lather in no time.

Scent Pleasantness: 9/10

Scent Strength: 7/10

Lather Quality: 10/10

Price: 9/10

This is another grand slam from Mike’s Natural Soaps. If you’re tired of sniffing lime-based citrus scents, I recommend giving orange a whirl. And Mike’s Orange, Cedarwood, and Black Pepper is an outstanding citrus-based soap. The lather is amazing, the scent is incredible, and the price is affordable. The only thing that may hold you back from getting a tin is that it’s constantly sold out.

Overall: 9