Today's Product Review

Soaps. There are so many varieties of soaps on the market today. One only has to go to the supermarket to see the wealth of choices of soaps for you. Body bar or hand soap? Facial soap or deodorant bar? It can be very confusing to say the least. 

For the longest time my favorite all-around soap was a terrific bar sold by Tiffany & Co. called Tiffany for Men. It was scented with the fragrance I use in the cold weather month also called Tiffany for Men. Described by Fragrantica.com as "oriental spicy" it has

Top notes of lavender, green notes, mandarin orange, bergamot, cardamom and lemon; middle notes are nutmeg, carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, orris root, jasmine, cedar, rose and anise; base notes are tonka bean, amber, oakmoss, vanilla and incense. 

Unfortunately Tiffany & Co are no longer making this soap so I had to scour the Internet for a supply. I have finally gotten down to my last two bars that I found at eBay. I have tucked them away in my  "personal linen" drawer for safe keeping. Consequently I have had to find a new soap to use. 

When I was just a little one, my sainted mother gave me a little boy's shaving kit (like Daddy's) that had a fake safety razor, a little brush and a small cake of soap that was scented with sandalwood. From that day whenever I smell sandalwood I think of that little kit. So I decided to look for a soap that was scented with sandalwood for everyday use. While traveling in Provence I did find some lovely bars of sandalwood soap, but barring a lottery win I doubt that I will be heading to France when I run out of sandalwood soap. I also found some sandalwood soaps made by a Chinese company that did smell of sandalwood but only just. They were also very inexpensive but again, not very fragrant. 

Then I made a discovery. The Contressa di Pomodori and I were in Hingham at the Derby Street Shopping Center recently and dropped into a place called Company C which is a decor shop and they had some soaps made by a manufacturer called Claus Porto (since 1887). I picked up a bar of soap scented with lime and basil. It was a lovely fragrance but not one that I would want to use on a daily basis. I decided to check online for the company and sure enough they make a sandalwood and pear scented soap. I got a bar from them and boy am I pleased. It is a good hard-milled soap that lasts a long time and the fragrance is definitive but not overpowering. It comes in a 12 ounce bar so it is a little cumbersome to use initially but after a bit it gets easier to handle.

Looking for a great soap? Try the products from Claus Porto.