D.R. Harris Arlington Shaving Soap

D.R. Harris & Co. is known throughout the world for its high-quality shaving products. The London-based company has been producing some of the finest luxury personal care items for over 200 years.  The Arlington fragrance is distinctly British, a blend of citrus and fern with lemon and neroli, which is similar to bergamot.  When you first open the package, the scent is noticeable, but is very pleasant and balanced.

Like the D.R. Harris Marlborough, the Arlington shaving soap performs amazingly well. When you generate lather by swirling your shaving brush around on the puck of soap, the fragrance of Arlington fills the bathroom. The lather starts out bubbly in texture, and as the brush infuses the water and soap it immediately takes on a dense and creamy texture.  When applied to the face the soap coats the skin well and maintains its body throughout the shave without breaking down and becoming runny or drying out on the skin too quickly.  The rich and cushioning lather allows the razor blade to track smoothly along the skin.

As you can see from the pictures, the triple-milled Arlington shaving soap produces an outstanding lather and I have used the soap many times with both straight and double-edge razors. I have found that firm and densely packed brushes, such as Simpsons and Rooney, are the most ideal for creating lather with this soap due to its harder surface texture.

Throughout the shave the citrus fragrance remains strong, but it never irritates my skin or becomes overbearing like other scents. After the shave, the soap rinses cleanly from the skin leaving it feeling well nourished and moisturized. The scent lingers on the skin, but I follow up with the Arlington aftershave to enjoy the fragrance longer into the day.

The shaving soap can be purchased in a traditional hand-turned wooden bowl in either beech or mahogany stain. The bowl is convenient to use for creating lather, and also for storing the soap after the shave. Allow the soap and bowl to dry, replace the lid, and the bowl can be nicely displayed on any shelf. It is priced in line with most other hard-milled soaps offered in wooden bowls at $35 USD, but you have the option to omit the bowl and purchase the refill puck alone for only $18 USD at Lee's Safety Razors.  The puck is thicker than other soaps so it is one of the longest lasting shaving products available on the market today; a puck of D.R. Harris Arlington will easily last four or more months of regular use, making it one of the best bargains for a superior quality shaving soap. With both value and performance, it is easy to see why the Arlington Shaving Soap is so popular among wetshavers.

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