TRIGODON – WILD SEAS
First Look - I’m late with my review and I have a valid reason... I was sailing the Wild Seas before being attacked by a Kraken who dragged me into the depths of the deep blue ocean where I fought a losing battle, my two average arms against its mighty tentacles . How did I live to tell the tale ? It wasn’t Poseidon or Aquaman who came to my rescue but Trigodon, a Sea King with three times the power of Poseidon. Honestly, that’s what happens when you sip too much Kraken Rum. Back to the review and a mate of mine from Bangalore ( a Southern State in India) passed me a tub of one of his favorite soaps to try out, Wild Seas by Trigodon, I’m still trying to source the roots of that brand name. Look it up on the Internet and an ancient creature that resembles a Rhinoceros pops up, that isn’t what I see on the puck or it’s cover though. I tried using different light angles and even magnifying the image but the cover of the container still has me puzzled. Drop me a note, if you figure it out. The image on the soap definitely resembles Poseidon and that might have been a better image to use on the metal cover. No brownie points for this one.
Side note – Trigodon is an Indian Brand that receives high praise on its home soil. The company released their first soap in 2015 after a year of multiple formulas tried tested and poured over and over before they hit the right one. The company is based in Bangalore and that was my attraction to the soap. Bangalore is known as the rock city of India where old school pubs that play solely Blues and Seventies rock still exist and are crowded on most nights. A visit to that vibrant Indian state many moons ago resulted in me acquiring the Steve Winwood CD Boxed Set and The Cream Boxed Set, two prized gems in my music collection.
First Whiff - Before opening the tin, I had high expectations as this soap came recommended by a friend and it’s fragrance profile was described as a classic aquatic cologne with notes of lemon, marjoram, orange and mimosa. What I got from my first whiff was a delicate Cool Water like fragrance with a strong mineral note underneath it. The Lemon and Mimosa come through but the Majoram is the surprise element that actually overpowers it’s colleagues. The overall scent was pleasant but not enough to extract a second whiff from me.
First Lather – Trigodon’s main claim to fame is their usage of virgin oils in their soaps and the ingredients are primarily Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Glycerin. Not much to go by but I do know that Virgin Coconut Oil in the South of India is one of the finest you can find anywhere. I proceeded to lather with my newly acquired Rubab Men Hornet Synthetic Brush and a simple steel bowl. During the first thirty seconds, the bubbles and foamy lather reminded me of Coconut Oil being the main player but a few drops of water added and another minute of swirling the brush earned me a thick creamy lather. It was like, flip a coin and the desired consistency appears. I was impressed with how fast this soap could produce a luxurious lather. I was quite fascinated with the resin pour of the brush handle and how it changed under sunlight which got me to add two different lather shots.
First Performance – Over to the shave and a first pass with the Pearl Hammer and a Wilkinson Sword (Germany) blade saw most of my stubble cleared and my face left fairly moisturized. A second pass was enough for a BBS. I rubbed my cheeks all over and I could feel the residual slickness of the soap, it wasn’t much but it was there. What turned this shave around for me was the tingling sensation that had started after the first pass. I turned to the trusty old Nivea AS Balm to soothe the skin post shave and it did, but I could see the redness on my face start to grow gradually. An hour later and I resembled a coy Indian bride blushing on her wedding day. I couldn’t understand how a soap that performed so well could leave my skin irritated. I can handle soaps with a high Coconut oil or Shea butter content fairly well and I thrive on glycerin soaps as a pre-shave, then it hit me, this was fragrance burn. I have experienced this with a few soaps in the past where the artificial fragrance content is too high, TOBS Sandalwood is literally my Bogey soap and some of the Ariana & Evans soaps are a no go for me as well.
First Opinion – Trigodon Wild Seas is a pleasant smelling soap that delivers when it comes to a rich lather followed by average cushion and protection. The slickness factor is a little above average and this a soap I could reach for once in a while if it didn’t leave me RED. If you have sensitive skin that suffers from fragrance burn though, stay a few nautical miles away, if not I think it’s worth dipping your toes into the Wild Seas at least once to weather the storm.
Cover Art Work – 1 / 10
Lather Quality – 6 / 10
Fragrance – 4 / 10
Cushion & Protection – 5 / 10
Slickness – 6 / 10
Post Shave Feel – 2 / 10 (That’s my personal experience)
Value – 5 / 10
Total Point Score – 29 / 70
