Stirling Soap Company Review: Why I Love This Underrated Brand

Looking for quality, made-in-America grooming products? Check out my favorite personal grooming brand, Stirling Soap Company!

For most of my adult life, I’ve been by dress codes required to shave daily. The problem is that I get awful razor burns without a quality razor, shaving cream or soap, and proper shaving technique. 

I’ve tried several shaving creams over the years, but I was never satisfied until I discovered Stirling. 

After many months as a happy customer, I tried some of this Arkansas-based grooming company’s other products.

I have to say, I was blown away that I reached out to Stirling co-founder Rod Lovan and offered to write a review. Rod kindly sent me samples spanning his wide range of products to include in my honest, unbiased review. 

Stirling Shave Soap Review

The shave soap was the first Stirling product that I tried, and it’s probably my favorite. Between the soaps I’ve ordered and complementary samples I’ve received with my paid orders, I’ve probably tried a dozen different scents.

My favorite scents so far are Bay Rum, Barbershop, and Glacial Citron. 

In this video, Rod creates his lather straight in a jar. Personally, I prefer to face lather. (By the way, I love the round plastic jars this soap comes in).

To use Stirling’s shaving soap, I take a fingertip-sized amount of soap and place it directly on my shaving brush. I squeeze the brush to get rid of excess water. 

Then, I put the brush under hot water to slightly melt the soap. 

After that, I simply start swirling the brush on my face, and the lather builds within seconds. 

Then, if I want to do a second pass with the razor, I’ll use the lather remaining in the brush or repeat the process.

Stirling’s “glacial” versions of their soaps include methol. I’ve tried both their glacial shaving and bath soap.

I like glacial shaving soap for summer morning shaves — sometimes, I’ll even shave with cold water for an even more bracing shaving experience. I’m not as much of a fan of bath soap with menthol, though I’m not completely opposed. 

As I mentioned in the introduction, Stirling’s shaving soap is the best I’ve ever tried. I truly think it might be the world’s best shaving soap. At $15, it’s a steal. I had one jar last me for a year of daily (or almost daily) shaves. 

Once a jar is polished off, you can buy a refill puck or a new jar in a novel scent.

The last thing about the shave soap is that it can pull double duty as a bath soap in a pinch. 

There have been times when I’ve been traveling that an Airbnb bathroom doesn’t have bath soap. I’ve simply taken a small dollop of shaving soap for my shower in those instances. 

It’s worked like a charm.

Stirling Post-Shave Balm Review

Rod recently sent me a sample of his post-shave balm in the Pharaoh’s Dreamsicle (an orange-cream scent).

While this balm does an excellent job of soothing the skin after shaving, it’s not my go-to.

It’s a tad bit greasy, and I find that my moisturizer from Oars + Alps does a great doubling as a post-shave balm. 

Stirling Bath Soap Review

Like their shaving soap, Stirling’s bath soap is also fantastic.

While cheap bath soaps, such as Dial bars you can find in the grocery store, leave my skin dry and irritated, Stirlings bath soap has me feeling invigorated and refreshed.

I don’t have too much to say about the bath soap because it simply does its job and does it well. 

Here’s a trick. Cut the bath soap in half to use as bar soap.

If you don’t want to deal with knives in the bathroom, you could use a full bar, but I find half easier to handle and seemingly longer-lasting.

Here’s half a bar of bath soap after several weeks of use as hand soap. 

Stirling Shampoo Bar Review

The next thing I tested was Stirling’s shampoo bar. I tried the unscented version.

This product looks like a bar of bath soap but for hair. To use it, I rub it a couple of times on my head and then use my hands to work up a lather.

It cleans hair well and doesn’t really have a scent. Nothing more to say here! 

Stirling Eau de Toilette Cologne Review

If I had to choose a least favorite Stirling product, it would probably be the liquid cologne.

This eau de toilette of their “Executive Man” has lovely top notes but quickly fades. It seems very citrusy to me — heavy on the grapefruit.

Partially because it’s so short-lasting, I don’t find myself reaching for this fragrance all that often. 

I should note, however, that I’m no expert when it comes to fragrances. I’m just nasely speaking through my untrained nose.

Also, it’s vital to remember how a person experiences a fragrance heavily depends on one’s individual body chemistry and sense of smell. 

Stirling Solid Cologne Review

While the liquid cologne isn’t a favorite, I really like Stirling’s solid cologne.

To use their solid cologne, simply swipe your index finger across the smooth, hard surface of the cologne one or more times and then rub it onto your body.

Their Deep Blue cologne is fresh and slightly marine-smelling. I don’t find that it lasts long, though. 
Their Haverford scent, however, lasts a long time.

Haverford is supposed to be inspired by Tom Ford‘s Tobacco Vanille clone. I have a sample of Tobacco Vanille, and while I could faintly discern some resemblance, I don’t think they’re all that close.

That said, I really like the Haverford scent. This cologne is much longer lasting than the Deep Blue solid cologne or the “Executive Man” eau de toilette cologne.

To me, it’s a warm vanilla scent perfect for the fall or winter. As a solid cologne, the scent seems to stay closer to the body than liquid fragrances. I often prefer that — I like to be discreet. 

Each tin is only one ounce, but they’ll last practically forever. (Remember, you only need a few finger swipes across to apply). Also, they’re the perfect size to stash in a pocket or bag. 

I’d highly recommend you check out Stirling’s solid cologne. 

Stirling Candle Review

Moving away from grooming products, Stirling offers candles. 
I received a candle in their “Island Man” scent, which is a complex summer blend.

While I didn’t think I’d be much of a candle guy, I sometimes find myself, lighter in hand, firing it up.

I like to see my candle flickering in the corner of my office while I write.

This candle has a thick wick, which makes it easy to light. However, it also seems to make it burn fast. Not that the candle is running out of wax very quickly, but the throw of the scent travels further than other candles I’ve experienced in the past. 

Word on the street is that another advantage of wide wicks is that they “crackle,” adding ambiance. Come to think of it, I have noticed this feature but didn’t think much about it. (I’m obviously not much of a candle connoisseur). 

This projection is great for larger spaces but can be a bit overwhelming in smaller rooms.

The candle has a classy wooden lid for easy storage. 

Sterling: Everything You Could Ask For

I hope you can see why I’m such a fan of Stirling Soap Company. They offer simple, no-nonsense products with great scents. 

Above all else, I’d recommend their shaving soap to anyone who shaves. It makes for an elevating shaving experience and is a game-changer when it comes to avoiding irritation. 

Stirling’s other products are all worth trying out.

For more info, explore Stirling Soap Company’s YouTube channel. 

Check out Stirling Soap Company, and tell me what you think in the comments!