[QUOTE=Bensmom;7035480]
What GREAT pics!! Thank you so much! I will work up the price on the 2 oz jars and send you an email. :)[/QUOTE]
Libby, if you would like to use any pics I’ve taken, please let me know and I will email you the original file.
-Taryn
Just ordered the balm to test out here in Ontario. We’ve been unseasonably cool and wet so far - usually we’re hot and humid by now. I’m sure we’ll get muggy and nasty soon, then followed by a frigid/damp winter, so I’ll be able to see how it peforms in different extremes.
I’ve gotten into the habit of wiping down my tack with the soap after almost every ride, but I am used to conditioning my tack once a week, so I’m glad to see the balm. The soap doesn’t leave my tack really dry or anything, but I think the leather needs a deeper moisturizing on occasion.
Additional comments on the conditioner: DH felt the saddle today and couldn’t believe how “rich” the leather felt. Not tacky, not slippery, not oily, no residue - just very supple.
Also, I used it on my new leather lead shank - the leather softened nicely, but not too much (it’s not floppy like over-conditioned leather can get). It feels like I’ve had it for awhile and it’s nicely broken in. On the new leather, the balm melted into the leather nicely and I just wiped the lead shank down with a cloth after to get rid of any excess.
I have used beeswax-based leather balms before - the Higher Standards balm was not as thick and was much easier to spread over the leather using my hands - where previous beeswax balms have been harder, more difficult to spread & most importantly, difficult to get a consistent thin coat on the leather. I found I needed to use less of HS conditioner to achieve the same results as other similar balms.
I wanted to note that the conditioner did not darken either the old saddle or the new shank at all - like you would expect with neatsfoot oil or such. Love it!
The only thing I don’t like about it is the jar - the opening of the square jar is slightly smaller than the opening of the round soap jars - which was not a problem for my fingers, but if DH were to use it, he would be able to fit 2 fingers in the opening to scoop the conditioner out. Again, not an issue for my size-7-glove hands, but for those with larger fingers, it might prove difficult to get to the bottom of the jar.
I’m going back to talking about the soap for a second. The rosemary mint scent is TO DIE FOR. And my saddle looks so lovely after doing a quick clean with it! I am a happy, happy customer. 
Order placed for conditioner! Bensmom, please tell me you’ll be going to the post office first thing Monday morning!!
I have never cleaned my tack as often as I do now that I have the Higher Standards soap. All of my tack gets cleaned on the weekly basis now, not just before a show or hunt. My tack has become significantly softer and has a lovely sheen to it once it is cleaned! I am more and more impressed with it after each use. I am almost through my 1st jar of the soap (Rosemary Mint), so today when I saw that the conditioner was up for sale, I jumped right on and ordered some as well as a jar of the citrus ginger soap. So excited for it to arrive in the mail.
Bensmom- you have made me love cleaning my tack again! People are constantly complimenting me on how beautiful my tack is and always ask what I use. I recommend them to you, and I’ve had 2 people send me their stuff to clean. The northern Maryland area is soon going to be taken over with your soap!
Edit: I am thrilled that the conditioner is in an 8oz jar! I have 8 bridles, 7 martingales, 2 girths, 2 saddles, and lots of misc. tack that I now take care of on the weekly basis. The more the merrier!!!
Aw, gee, guys!! What wonderful reviews!! My DH is thinking that perhaps we should rename it “Tack Crack” since it seems to have addictive properties that make people WANT to clean tack :lol:
Taryn – I’m glad (in an odd way) that your thoughts on the square jars matched what we thought about the square jars. I think the regular jars with a black lid will be the choice.
Whee! You guys make this fun – and amastrike, I’m gonna try, but after a full day of Father’s Day travel to AL, I’m not sure I can get 20 packages ready for the post office, but I will give it my best shot! 
Just placed an order for the conditioner and the vanilla lavender soap! Was waiting for the conditioner to be available before trying the soap because I’m too cheap to pay for shipping twice. :winkgrin:
All of my tack is pretty grungy at the moment, so I can’t wait to try it out!
According to the Etsy shop, only 3 more jars of conditioner are available! Hurry up and snag yourself some! If it is anything like the soap, you won’t be disappointed 
Ok, here’s my honest review. The saddle soap is verrrrry similar to the competion, except that it doesn"t foam up as much (a plus) but doesn’t condition quite as well (a minus). I love the scent, but wish it was a lot stronger. One of the reasons why I buy the scented stuff is that I truly love the smell, so I wish it was much more noticeable. Any chance of that happening? Again, I am an obsessive tack cleaner, so take my opinion with that in mind.
Now, I think the conditioner is TO DIE FOR. I have not come across a conditioner as nice as this! The smell is quite nice, and it left my figure 8 so soft and supple with just one application. Bravo, Libby! This one you hit out of the park. I’ll definitely be ordering morw of this once it becones available. Thank you!
When I received my package, the scent of mint was so strong coming from the bag I thought the soap might have melted and spilled all over the inside. I am okay with my tack not smelling strongly of the scent…Mr. Friesian wanted to try and eat the soap out of the jar, I don’t need him wanting to eat my saddle, too!
I got my conditioner coming as soon as I saw the Facebook post
I just ordered the conditioner and promise to post my review. I don’t find the scent of the cleanser strong at all, it is pleasant and subtle IMO. I bought the Rosemary Mint and Citrus Ginger.
Phew! Managed to snag a jar of the conditioner before it sold out. Can’t wait to try it on a new bridle that needs to be conditioned and other leather goods in various stages of use and/or neglect.
You guys are so impressive! It has sold out! I will be ordering the actual conditioner jars later tonight, so that I will have them by Thursday, so I can put it back up on the shop for sale for real!
So interesting about the scent and how it seems to different folks. BigBayHanoMare – I hope the mint will dissipate some – perhaps leave it out with the top off? That batch was no different than I’ve made in the past, but Mr. Bensmom claimed he could smell the mint in the next room when I made it up. That is so, so strange. Used same amount of Peppermint Essential Oil I always use.
He is very sensitive to Mint scent, though, and I put it down to that. He doesn’t care for things flavored strongly of mint, or of the smell, but if you do like it (which I would imagine you do, since you ordered it) I’d be interested to see if it will fade.
If the scent remains too strong, let me know and I’ll replace it.
Kim, I probably won’t make it a whole lot stronger, because I found the one you mention too scented to suit me and I like subtle. But, in the future, if I knew you had an order in, I could probably make yours a little stronger.
There’s gotta be some perk of having known the soapmaker for a long time, right? Of course, there is no guarantee I’d remember such a thing, but reminders are always good!
Thank you all for the support! It never occurred to me it would sell out completely in one day!
Libby (who has been very grateful for how much fun y’all have made it to start a little business. My Day Job has been quite tough over the last two months, and even though this is a lot of work, it has been a saving grace and a happy place for me. You guys ROCK. )
[QUOTE=BigBayHanoMare;7036332]
When I received my package, the scent of mint was so strong coming from the bag I thought the soap might have melted and spilled all over the inside. I am okay with my tack not smelling strongly of the scent…Mr. Friesian wanted to try and eat the soap out of the jar, I don’t need him wanting to eat my saddle, too![/QUOTE]
You know, it’s funny, I ordered the rosemary mint and it smells very strongly of mint. Like a bag of peppermint candy! I like it, and the scent is very subtle once on the tack, but I had a similar concern when I first picked up my bag, and it’s made my grooming box smell like peppermint 24/7…not complaining about that one! Not sure what happened, but I love the stuff anyway.
It’s taken me forever to post on here, but I must say that I LOVE my soap. My tack wasn’t in bad shape to begin with, so no spectacular before/after pics, but it looks and feels beautiful after daily use for about a week. My schooling bridle in particular feels awesome, and I don’t think my hunter bridle has ever looked so darn good! I’ll have to get pics tomorrow. I’ve been cleaning everything (bridle, saddle, girth) daily, and have not even made a dent in the soap. I’m not exactly judicious with it, either!
My only problem is that I now have a bottle of Leather New, a bottle of Lexol, a whole bar of castile soap, and 2 mini bottles of Leather Therapy…and I don’t want to use any of it! :lol: You’ve definitely made a convert of me!
I had hoped to snap up a jar of the conditioner, but hesitated after reading that the jar opening is small. My size 10 (9 if the glove is big…) hands don’t do well with small! I’ll wait until you get the newer jars. Very excited!
One week later and I’m still waiting for my TackRoomba prototype.
:mad:
By the way, I’m wondering if some of the essential oils are of different strength aromatically speaking. My Rosemary-Mint (a much earlier batch) barely has a fragrance, which is fine by me. But I’m just curious about why some have soap that has a stronger fragrance.
Thankfully, fragrance doesn’t impact the wonderful qualities of the soap.
PS: I am more than willing to beta test the Tackroomba.
I like strong scents, so if you ever accidentally dump too much in, let me know!
I ordered the conditioner, and I am in New England. Will be able to give you feedback on performance in a variety of conditions, because you know what Mark Twain said, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.”
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