Review: Blackbird Farm & Apothecary Bay Rum Shave Soap

(2023) Bay rum shave soap scent is the quintessential barbershop aroma. Inhaling its trademark scent will bring back memories of trips to the corner barber shop where old men cut hair in creaky shops with comfortable barber chairs. Think back to the bay window, the flickering tube television, and the stacks of outdated magazines on the end tables. All of that comes racing back when catching the scent of bay rum shave soap.

Years ago, a personal favorite bay rum shave soap producer closed up shop, leaving us without a solid traditional scent. Recently Blackbird Farm & Apothecary’s offering arrived at the office. After three days of continuous rain, it was decidedly time to open the Bay Rum tub and actually use the shave soap instead of constantly inhaling its memorable aroma. 

Actually we will start there: Blackbird Farm & Apothecary, an Alberta-based custom business venture, has produced a wonderful-smelling shave soap. Immediately after opening the tub, memories came flooding back of the green vinyl floors and piles of chopped hair at the local tonsorialists. The bay rum scent was just the right amount of flavor, creating an eager experience for shaving.

We have shaved with softer and softer soaps over the past few tubs. But Blackbird Farm & Apothecary’s Bay Rum shave soap is hardly soft. In fact, a blade had to be produced to slough off enough soap for the scuttle. All the while, there appeared a layer of fat atop the soap with a light gray soap just below. Either way, the soap curls were mashed and spread around the scuttle, slowly dissolving from the hot water below. With only a small amount removed from the tub, it’s obvious this soap will last a while. For a soap that does not feature tallow in its list of ingredients, it sure is dense.

Loading up the brush and putting it to use, the bay rum soap went on a week’s worth of scrub easily. This is no thirsty soap. Only a few drops of hot water were needed to whip up a smooth lather. Today a badger brush was used from the same company that produced the old bay rum. It was only proper to compare it to the new stuff. Quickly putting down the brush and picking up the blade, each pass carried memories: sitting with my dad who would get his hair cut too, going solo to the barbers, and even the first swipes after transitioning to straight razor. To go from an itchy scruff to a smooth face is one of life’s greatest experiences. No wonder bay rum is associated with memories.

After a second pass and cleanup, the whiskers felt quite removed. The skin was hydrated and rejuvenated. This was exactly the wet shave experience I was looking for when ordering Blackbird Farm & Apothecary’s Bay Rum shave soap. Several hours later the skin remained fresh, not a shadow in sight. It’s a delight to know the hard soap will be around for quite some time to revisit memories. 

While the scent is perfectly light, there does not appear to be a Blackbird Farm & Apothecary Bay Rum after shave lotion to accompany the experience. It felt slightly odd to finish the shave and not apply a splash of bay rum scent to carry through the rest of the day. It should be noted the soap was slick enough to prevent any cuts necessitating an after shave lotion, but it is still nice to shave that way.

Who knew the straight razor the barber used to cut a line on the back of the neck would become my shave system? I was terrified of the barber’s loud stropping, the hot lather, and the shiny sharp blade, equally as hot as the shave cream. Yet that was one more memory that came back before moving on with the rest of the day after the relaxing shave. I have to be careful with this shave soap- I may hope for three day storms more often, just to get another long wet shave in. Or maybe it’s just another trip down memory lane with a tub of quality bay rum.