Review: Long Rifle Soap Black Label Shave Tonic

(2020) I have never been more excited about receiving a package of wet shave tools like I was last week when the Long Rifle Soap Co. box arrived at the office. In it were two bottles of shave tonic, referred to as the Black Label collection that would complete the shave experience with two shave soaps: Saranac and Hivernant. To shave with great soap is an experience. To finish with superb shave tonic is taking it to the next level.

“Adventure is worthwhile in itself” is a quote by Amelia Earhart, who attended boarding school not far from our office.

Anyone that has followed creakybottombracket.com has recognized the wet shave brand Long Rifle Soap Co. The company creates pillowy tallow shave soap, fragrant bath bars, and remarkable shave tonics. The tonics themselves are the last step in the wet shave process. Though tonics are the last step, they are still just as important. Sometimes the fragrance or the alcohol - or both - can provide a boost of confidence over the next couple of hours.

We have added Long Rifle’s Saranac and Hivernant to our shave soap collection and found both to be invigorating: Saranac’s for its Adirondack memory lane and Hivernant for its tingling peppermint perfect for cold and hot conditions. The common problem with the shave soaps was the missing shave tonic to finish out the shave of the day. This anticipation is what led to the excitement over the Long Rifle shipment.

Saranac shave soap and shave tonic feature juniper, snow, and citrus scents that harken back to our years spent in the Adirondacks, specifically near the town of Saranac. To prolong the shave soap’s scent by applying tonic adds appeal. It gives us the mental boost to relive days spent in a town that is in no particular hurry. The alcohol’s heat sanitizes the skin after the particularly traumatic experience that is shaving. This is exactly the way a shave of the day should be spent. Unless we had something with a bit of tingle to it.

“The bold adventurer succeeds the best” is a quote from Ovid, a philosopher who inspired Shakespeare.

Which is exactly what the Hivernant shave soap and tonic provide. Add peppermint to the wet shave process and its cooling characteristics prolong the joys of wet shaving. The tingle is exactly what we were looking for to give Hivernant a unique shaving experience. We wrote about the joys of using the shave soap after a winter ride, but in the summer it works just as well. Sun kissed cheeks from a long weekend ride bask in the cooling properties of Long Rifle Soap Hivernant’s shave tonic. The cooling attributes feel like short winter days when the embrocation still burns after a cold ride. This is the stuff of relaxation and freshly shaved lines. 

Our wet shave cabinet has been in a bit of updating lately, and Long Rifle Black Label shave tonic has been part of the process. The enjoyment of shaving using bygone technology has been aided by, not just fantastic shave soap, but complementary shave tonic. Just because we finished swiping with the straight razor does not mean we don’t have anything to look forward to. Long Rifle Black Label is that push into the enjoyable part that sees us spend the rest of the day trying to catch the lingering scents from the shave tonic. This is where we want to reside. We were excited to get the new Long Rifle Black Label and it delivered. Wet shaving can resonate for hours after the last swipe. Quality like that is why we support Long Rifle.