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Pasha's Pride
Pasha's Pride shaving soap on WhollyKaw's Bufala base. Leather-tobacco-oud fragrance, 2 builds (Tallow + Vegan), made in small batches in our New Jersey workshop.
lime · grapefruit · tobacco
Pasha's Pride is a leather-tobacco-oud shaving soap on the Bufala base, made in small batches in our New Jersey workshop.
Quick facts
| Detail | What it is |
|---|---|
| Scent family | Leather-tobacco-oud |
| Base | Bufala — see base section below for the full composition. |
| Weight | 4 oz / 114 g |
| Lather | Dense, slick, builds in 30–45 seconds with a wet brush in cool water. |
| Where it’s made | Our New Jersey workshop. Small batches, single-vessel saponification. |
| Builds | Tallow ($26.99) or Vegan ($21.99) — same fragrance compound, different fat structure. |
What Pasha's Pride smells like
Leather, tobacco, oud, spices, sandalwood notes topped with citrusy notes.
The scent is built on lime, grapefruit, tangerine with heart notes of leather, tobacco, spices with oud and sandalwood notes forming the base. The opening is brightest, the heart settles in around the twenty-minute mark, and the dry-down lasts for hours after the rinse.
The Bufala base — why it conditions like cream
Bufala builds on the Tallow base by adding whole water buffalo milk on top of the donkey milk. The result is more casein content, which translates directly to creamier, denser lather and a slightly silkier feel under the razor.
What this changes in practice:
- Creamier lather. Higher casein content from buffalo milk gives the lather more body and a smoother glide. Wet shavers who want luxury feel under the razor pick Bufala.
- Two milks instead of one. Whole donkey milk plus whole water buffalo milk means two complementary protein and fat profiles working together. Donkey milk for skin nourishment, buffalo milk for lather mechanics.
- No whey. Bufala doesn’t use whey — that’s the Siero base’s differentiator. Bufala is whole milks plus tallow plus the supporting butters. Cleaner ingredient deck than Siero, plusher feel than plain Tallow.
If you’ve been a Tallow-base shaver and want one step up in lather density without committing to the full Siero whey complexity, Bufala is the natural progression.
Tallow or Vegan — which to pick
We make Pasha's Pride in two builds. They share the same fragrance compound (so the scent journey is identical) but the fat structure underneath is different.
Tallow ($26.99) is the original Bufala formulation. The conditioning is denser; the lather has more body. If you’ve shaved with WhollyKaw Bufala soaps before, this is the same direction.
Vegan ($21.99) swaps tallow for plant-derived fats (kokum, shea, cocoa, mango). It keeps the same fragrance and the same scent arc. The lather is bright and clean rather than dense.
If you’re new to artisan shaving soap and unsure, the Tallow build is the canonical one. The Vegan version is a careful translation, not a compromise.
Layer the full Pasha's Pride line
Pasha's Pride is built to layer. The lather you build with this soap is the start; the post-shave products carry the same fragrance through the rest of the routine so the scent doesn’t end at the rinse:
- Pasha's Pride splash — alcohol-based, bracing, antiseptic. Use directly after rinsing.
- Pasha's Pride toner — alcohol-free, witch hazel and aloe. Use if your skin doesn’t tolerate the splash.
- Pasha's Pride balm — final conditioning step. Carries the dry-down notes for hours.
For all-day skin support without competing scents, our grass-fed tallow zinc oxide cream is unscented — a daily moisturizer that won’t fight the Pasha's Pride throughline.
Who Pasha's Pride is not for
Honest limitations:
- Fragrance-sensitive skin. Pasha's Pride has a real fragrance load. If our unscented Bare Naked Shaving Soap (Tallow build) or Sans Parfum Vegan Shaving Soap (Vegan build) is what your skin tolerates, this isn’t the soap to switch to — our unscented line is fragrance-free across both Tallow and Vegan, so you don’t have to choose between sensitivity and ethics.
- Strict dairy allergies. The Tallow build contains saponified dairy proteins. Most contact-dermatitis reactions to dairy are with raw milk, not saponified milk soap, but if you have severe sensitivities, test a sample before committing to a puck.
- Looking for a designer-fragrance clone. Pasha's Pride is its own composition, not an interpretation of a popular fragrance. If you want a Tom Ford or Creed dupe in soap form, this won’t satisfy.
- Pucks-as-decor shavers. The puck is meant to be used. The fragrance is most expressive in the lather; sniffing the puck doesn’t do it justice.
Cost per shave
A 4-oz puck of WhollyKaw soap lasts most shavers 5–6 months with daily shaves. The math:
- Tallow ($26.99 / ~150 shaves) ≈ $0.18 per shave
- Vegan ($21.99 / ~150 shaves) ≈ $0.15 per shave
For comparison, a single-use disposable cartridge plus a foam can typically runs $0.40–$0.60 per shave with worse skin feel. Artisan tallow soap is more conditioning, lasts months per puck, and works out cheaper than the drugstore aisle.
What's in the soap
Tallow build:
Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Donkey Milk, Water Buffalo Milk, Glycerin, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Potassium Shea Butterate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Water Buffalo Whey, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Lanolin, Fragrance, Linalool, Limonene, Coumarin.
Vegan build:
Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Glycerin, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Potassium Shea Butterate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyquaternium-10, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Soybean Glycerides, Shea Butter Unsaponifiables, Fragrance, Linalool, Limonene, Coumarin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin.
Contains no parabens, no chemical sulfates, and no synthetic dyes. Fragrance is a custom compound mixed by an American perfumer to our spec.
What customers say
★★★★★
Amazing scent and performance
This is my first tallow soap and I have been very impressed. Just like in any quality product a little goes a long way. Scent profile is awesome and a classic manly scent and makes me feel strong and secure. The lather is rich and consistent, I use a synthetic brush but I can still get a lovely cool whip style lather. The glide on my face is nice. My favorite part is the scent that it leaves on my face afterwards. I highly recommend this product for anyone who is wanting to try a tallow based product and wants to go for a clean fresh non citrusy scent.
★★★★★
Pasha's Pride shave soap
THE best scent in my stash of many! The quality of the shave goes without saying - SUBLIME. This soap and the scent should get 10 stars.
★★★★★
Like Torchwood from APR but better
This scent is similar to torchwood by APR and Eclipse by HSSC but it is much more pleasant and just all around better. Also this probably goes without saying but performance is also much better than APR. Although I find APR soaps to have a pretty solid soap base as well as HSSC, this is Wholly Kaw and it's just plain better than almost everything.
★★★★★
Great for fall and winter❄️
a sweet and creamy cologne vibe, it reminds me of a fragrance i have smelled before, i just cant put my finger on it. maybe obsession, im probably wrong. this would be great for fall and winter, its robust and complex, i cant pick out any single note. exceptional performance, thick with massive amounts of cushion and slickness. great for the straight!
★★★★★
Top Shelf
Absolutely one of my most favorite scents. Delivers a nice, smooth, comfortable shave that's not overpowering afterward. Lasting and subtle fragrance that my wife really loves. Definitely one of my go to's.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a puck of Pasha's Pride last?
Most shavers get 5 to 6 months out of a 4-ounce puck with daily shaving. The Bufala base lathers efficiently — you don't need to load heavily — so a puck stretches further than a typical mass-market soap. Heavy loaders or face-and-head shavers may see 3 to 4 months.
What does Pasha's Pride smell like — fresh or warm?
Citrus on top of warm leather. Opens with lime, grapefruit, and tangerine — bright but short. The heart turns to leather, tobacco, and warm spices. The dry-down anchors on oud and sandalwood — the deep, lingering register that gives the soap its Old World character. Best in fall and winter; the bufala lather adds a creamy plushness under the razor.
Why is it called Pasha's Pride?
Pasha's Pride is built around the imagined olfactory signature of an Ottoman pasha — leather, tobacco, oud, and warm spices, with bright citrus on top. Luxe Old World character on the Bufala base for extra creaminess.
Do I need a brush for Pasha's Pride, or can I lather with my hands?
Pasha's Pride is a hard puck designed for brush use. A synthetic or boar brush builds the best lather and gives you the slickness benefits of the Bufala base. Hand-lathering works in a pinch but won't get the dense, conditioning lather the soap is designed for.
Tallow or Vegan — which to pick?
The Tallow build is on the Bufala base — beef tallow, whole donkey milk, and whole water buffalo milk for extra-creamy lather density. The Vegan build keeps the same fragrance with plant-derived fats (kokum, shea, cocoa, mango). The Vegan version trades the buffalo-milk creaminess for a brighter, cleaner lather.
How does the Bufala base compare to 1776's Siero?
Pasha's Pride is on our Bufala base — beef tallow plus whole donkey milk plus whole water buffalo milk. 1776 sits on the Siero base, which adds water buffalo milk whey on top of the whole milks. Bufala gives a creamier, plusher lather; Siero is denser with a finer texture. Both share the donkey-milk skin-care benefits; the difference is in lather feel.
Can I use Pasha's Pride in cold water?
Yes — Bufala lathers reliably in cold water thanks to the buffalo-milk casein content. A 30 to 45 second brush build gets you to a usable lather. Warm water builds slightly faster but isn't required.
Where is Pasha's Pride made?
In our New Jersey workshop. Saponification, scenting, pressing, and packaging all happen in house. The fragrance compound is mixed by an American perfumer.
Is Pasha's Pride a moisturizing shaving soap?
In the way most shavers use the word — yes. People often search for "moisturizing shaving soap" or "moisturizing shave soap" looking for a soap that leaves skin feeling conditioned, hydrated, and protected through the shave and after. The technical term we use is "conditioning" because the soap is rinsed off (it doesn't moisturize the way a leave-on cream does), but the experience matches what people mean when they search for moisturizing soaps. Pasha's Pride sits on our Bufala base — tallow plus whole donkey milk plus whole water buffalo milk for extra creaminess — built for exactly that deeply conditioned skin feel. For an actual leave-on moisturizer to layer over the shave, pair with our grass-fed tallow zinc oxide cream.