Skip to main content

Primitive Outpost Shaving Oil and Soap Review: Close, Smooth, Manly

I’m not a man who uses a lot of fancy personal hygiene products.

Oh sure, I wash my hair, put on deodorant, and apply a soothing green tea mask every night, but a paraffin foot spa? Forget it. Never going to happen. (Also, for the record, I have never applied green tea to my flesh if not through the tragicomic spilling of a mug of tea upended as I absentmindedly checked my wristwatch. Ha, what a humorous tableau!)

Related:

Seriously, though, I’m not big on using lots of products. I bathe often (twice daily, which some say is too often…) and clean myself thoroughly when so doing. And I use sunblock when it’s sunny. That’s about it. When it comes to shaving, I’ll use whatever cream or shave gel comes first to hand, so usually it’s some pleasantly-scented whatnot surreptitiously pulled from my wife’s side of the drawers.

And for years, that served me fine. Hopefully the fact that I am not a man who has used a lot of beard balms and shaving powders and face tonics will help you believe that I mean it when I say holy shit, the shaving oil and shaving soap offered by Primitive Outpost are damned fine products.

And for the record, I’m a man with a relatively hirsute face. Proof of mustache and beard thickness submitted for your approval:
Moustache and beard

A few months back, I switched from a three-bladed razor produced by a corporate juggernaut (that will go unnamed, but which sort of rhymes with “fillet” assuming you don’t know how to pronounce that word from the French) to a razor from Vikings Blade called The Chieftain.

Vikings blade
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This throwback-style razor gives a closer, longer-lasting shave the that three-blader ever did, and ironically its single blade does so in fewer passes. The Chieftain leaves my face feeling smoother for longer than my other razor ever did, too. But it also cut the hell out of me. Yes, this is still technically a “safety razor,” but it nonetheless nicked my (prominent) Adam’s Apple, sliced my jawbone, and generally left lots of little red spots needing toilet paper applications.

Then I was put in touch with Paul Koutras from Primitive Outpost, and we got to talking about a couple of their products. First, in their own words, here’s what their company “does,” if you will:

“We produce handmade, natural products that we truly believe in and stand by. We don’t use any synthetic ingredients or toxic chemicals. Instead, we opt for natural waxes, oils, clays, and butters. We firmly believe that people should be able to take care of their bodies without using things like parabens, artificial scents, and petroleum.”

Paul recommended I try two of their products, the shaving oil you see above, and their shaving soap. I said something along the lines of “Sure, sounds great,” and committed to trying out new — gasp — products. And I’m glad I did, initial skepticism now far aside.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Primitive Outpost’s Vitality Shaving Oil is lightly citrus-scented, highly-moisturizing, and protects your skin against cuts. I know all this because I have now used it many times. A nickel-sized amount in the palm of the hands rubbed about a moist, warm face is all it takes.

Vitality primative oil
Image used with permission by copyright holder

After I let that fine manly-smelling oil sit on my whiskered face for a time, I follow it up with a lather of their shaving soap, also called Vitality and also citrus-scented. It is made using more than a half-dozen oils, Rhassoul clay, orange peel extract, and other whatnot. The soap does not seem to lather much in your hands, but once applied to facial hair, it froths up and provides great coverage.

And when you start shaving, if your experience is anything like mine, you will find your razor cutting longer, cleaner swaths and leaving much less irritation and few if any nicks and cuts. The oil/soap combination leave a thin sheen on the face that allows for follow up shaving with no new lather applied, and that rinses off easily after the shave, leaving behind just the subtlest lovely –er, manly — scent and skin that is soft and hydrated. But still manly.

So, should you ditch your old blade and your old shaving cream? Yes, yes you should.

Editors' Recommendations

Steven John
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of…
How fast does facial hair grow, and can you speed up beard growth?
Smiling man with a trim beard.

It's time that you decided to do it; you finally decided to join the ranks of actors, musicians, and style icons who rock the flawless beard look. But, you have hesitancy. There is something slightly holding you back from fully committing. You fear that it will take too long, let alone having to endure some of the awkward stages of growing one out.

So how long will you have to wait for your facial hair to grow out? Many factors affect beard growth, such as age, ethnicity, genes, and even lifestyle — so there’s no one answer to that tricky question. But a few lifestyle changes can help influence facial hair growth and get you to obtain the beard you've always wanted, as quickly as possible.

Read more
The 11 best hair styling creams for men to get the perfect do
Tame and style you hair with the right cream to keep your look fresh all day
Applying hair cream

There are simple things each man can do in order to maintain his best self-image. One of the easiest is making sure your grooming routine is in check, and the best place to start is your haircare routine. Finding one of the best hair creams for men can add a ton of quality and value to your grooming routine and overall appearance.

Every guy can make use of an effective hair styling cream, even if they think their hair is too frizzy or unruly to be properly tamed. Unlike pomades or gels, hair styling creams often have a more matte finish and provide flexible control rather than an ultra sleek, slicked-back look (although there's a time and place for that hairstyle, too); in which pomades or gels are best.

Read more
How to sharpen a straight razor, according to a master barber
A barber sharpening a straight razor.

As daily tasks go, you might not think much about shaving. A tedious necessity, maybe, but not something that many people devote much time or interest to. But shaving doesn't have to be a dull affair of an electric shaver mindlessly passed over your face. There's something special about a shave with a straight razor, which most people only experience occasionally at the barber shop, if at all.

But it needn't be that way. You can learn the art of shaving with a straight razor and experience both the pleasant feeling of freshly shaved skin and the satisfaction of learning a new skill.

Read more