Review: The Copper Hat Shaved Ice Shave Soap Puck
(2021) Winter is in full swing here at the office of creakybottombracket.com, evidenced by the prodigious snow drifts buttressing fence panels and trash cans. One round of snow dumped more than two feet followed by a sneaky little storm that dumped about six inches. Outdoor cycling content has been quite hard to come by, but we love a good pile of snow. It is winter after all. In between hernia-popping shovel sessions we got to lather up and try out Canadian-based The Copper Hat’s shave puck - Shaved Ice. It was appropriate for a winter’s effort.
We had all the trimmings for a necessary shave of the day. There was the dry winter air screaming for treatment. Considering we had been hunkered down in the office for quite some time - and no one has needed to see us face-to-face - we had reached the do-or-die moment of beard maintenance. It has been argued if one can get past the two-week mark, the beard becomes more functional than itchy. Today it would come off. There was eagerness, too, on account of The Copper Hat’s shave puck having neatly been wrapped in a crinkly paper packaging, it’s minty aroma begging to be released with some hot water and shave brush. It was time to hack.
We have always used the same approach when lathering a shave cream. Using a pour soap, a hunk is dug from the tub, smeared around a preheated shave scuttle and vigorously whipped into a puffy cloud. Using a standalone shave puck is a new experience. The disk was dropped into the scuttle, heated with hot water, drained, and then whipped with our new The Copper Hat Journey shave brush. That minty aroma previously begging for attention now wafted the room, perfect for a relaxing scent after a hard day’s shoveling. Having fun with the Journey brush the soap puck whipped thicker and thicker lather with each spin. Easily it reached the consistency of yogurt. Applying to the winter growth, Shaved Ice clinged to each follicle. Its thick cloud of comfort made for easy swiping of stubble. This was not worrisome bush whacking; this was easy razing.
Shave pucks come with a variety of maintenance, and the following reasons are why we have always opted for pour containers. The main reason is being stuck to one scent. We rotate shave soap scents nearly every shave. Having a shave puck forming to the scuttle means we will have to keep using only that scent until gone. That could easily take two seasons. The cleanup was a bit of a challenge due to water collecting under the shave puck, making it sort of float until the next shave. Perhaps its residence in the scuttle is what made the lather so thick and creamy, sensible considering one would have to accurately guess the amount to use with a pour container.
This is our first shave soap from The Copper Hat, and we couldn’t have picked a more appropriate day to try their Shaved Ice. With typically Canadian weather crackling off the windows outside, the indoor shave was steamy and aromatic. All we need is a fireplace and a warm drink to complete the experience. While we go looking for those things, we can’t help but feel just how smooth the shave was. Tomorrow we will return to shoveling ice and snow for round three of winter storms.
