SOUTHERN WITCHCRAFTS – BOONANA
First Look - Halloween just passed and while I’m not a fan of the celebration what better time than to review a soap connected to everything 'spooktacular' or at least in theme and appearance, Southern Witchcrafts ‘Boonana.’ The soap container’s cover features an aged look with a skull on it, bats seem to fly out from behind the skull while the SW logo sits beneath it. The only colored element is a banana skin which is worn by the skull like a pixie cap, it reminds me of Andy Warhol’s artwork for The Velvet Underground & Nico Album. I’m a fan of Andy Warhol, The Velvet Underground, black n white Sketches mingled with a colored objects and most of all Bananas, this cover was an absolute winner for me. You can be sure that once I’m done with the soap, this soap container will be retained in my collection.
Side note – Courtney Brooks and Stephen Joiner set up Southern Witchcrafts in 2017 with one aim - to create shaving soaps infused with fragrances true to real life, think Ashes, morning dew, wet wood and leaves post the rain, unusual floral blends to describe a few of their originals. Even with the vegan tag and the original scent creation stance, SW have garnered a huge fan following not only among vegan wet shavers but tallow base soap fans as well.
First Whiff – SW describe Boonana as no ordinary banana scent but a complex and rich blend of dark and spicy accords tailor made for Autumn. The fragrance notes listed are banana, bourbon, tobacco, lily, neroli, patchouli, vanilla, musk, pumpkin and cashmeran. What I get from my first whiff of the soap is caramelized banana with a subtle bourbon projection. The lily, neroli, vanilla, cashmeran and musk are present but more like a blend of sorts in the background. I tried to catch a hint of tobacco and pumpkin but failed to pick those up even after a second and third attempt. This is a unique fragrance, it isn’t fruity or sweet like a banana based product should be, on the contrary there’s something masculine about it but in a fresh and gentle way. The Boonana scent profile was an instant like and then it hit me as to why. I’m a Jack Daniel’s disciple and every avatar of it appeals to me whether the Old No.7, Single Barrel, Heritage Select, Barrel Strength or even the Gold No.27. Every time I open a JD product, that banana note mingled with the oak and the charcoal filtered bourbon puts a smile on my face and Boonana did just that.
First Lather – The Ingredient profile of Boonana includes water, stearic acid, shea butter, castor oil, potassium hydroxide, glycerine, coconut oil, sodium lactate, sodium hydroxide, jojoba oil, aloe powder, liquid aloe, isopropyl myristate, kaolin clay and fragrance oils. The list of butters and oils seemed good enough to produce a good lather and after scoping a teaspoon into my stainless steel bowl, I proceeded to work at it with my damp FS Pur-Tec Pro Synthetic Brush. Four cycles of thirty second brush rotations and a few drops of water added each time earned me a nice creamy lather, it wasn’t thick or pasty but creamy with a nice sheen to it. This is a thirsty soap and you need to put in the work to reap the rewards.
First Performance – Over to the shave and I proceeded to lather up, with every brush stroke on the face, that amazing fresh banana note kept coming through in spades like it was building up towards a crescendo. The best tool to test a soap’s cushion and protection for me is often the respected Ikon Tek and after loading a new Gillette Blue Swede into it, a trouble free first pass followed with the soap providing a decent glide. I ran my fingers over my cheeks soon after and figured that the slickness residue was minimal. On to the second pass and I finished with a BBS, no nicks, cuts or irritation. My cheeks felt a bit dry but not in a bad way. Somehow that post shave slickness contributed by a few top tier soaps wasn’t there. Having said that, the cushion and protection were good enough to ensure that the Ikon Tek performed in a disciplined manner. My only crib with this soap is that no matter how creamy or dense the lather is, it does tend to break down after a while. I have experienced this with a few vegan soaps and have often wondered if the Potassium content was spiked just a little bit, would it help with the lather consistency. I’m no soap maker and will leave that to the experts.
First Opinion – Southern Witchcrafts Boonana is a soap that performs and smells divine. I skipped the after shave this time and even after a few hours I could smell the soap on me. The cushion and protection while above average failed to impress me much but this is a soap that I would replenish if I ran out of it for sure, reserving it for occasions when I’m using a milder razor or for daily shaves. Highly recommended purely for its fresh fragrance and uniqueness.
Cover Art Work – 9 / 10
Lather Quality – 5 / 10 (Due to the lather breaking down)
Fragrance – 10 / 10
Cushion & Protection – 6 / 10
Slickness – 5 / 10
Post Shave Feel – 6 / 10
Value – 9 / 10
Total Point Score – 50 / 70
