Blizzard Battles 2026 Round 1: Mama Bear Bedford Falls vs Triple Dog Dare
Howdy, and welcome back to A Texan Shaves. Blizzard Battles 2026 is finally here.
First, a big thank you to Larry Sablatny for that intro. If you haven’t checked out his channel, look up @LarryShaves and subscribe. He delivered. And yes, I’m wearing the Menthol Man shirt. I had this custom made by my friend David at Overholt Supply Company down in Castroville, Texas. I’ll have a link in the description if you want one made. He’s the one making all the money on it, not me. The shirts come in different colors, so reach out to him directly.
The Setup
I’ve got an official scorecard this year. No more scribbling on random paper that I can’t read afterward. The card has a blue side and a red side to track both competitors.
The brushes that go with it came from my friend Alex Botello. He handed me a bag of gifts at the Texas Wetshavers Meetup, and two of them were a matched pair of synthetic knot brushes with different color tips, blue and red. Same knot, same size, just different colors. He also threw in a coin with A Texan Shaves on it, which is going on the shelf. Alex, I appreciate you, brother. If you’re looking for those color-tip synthetic knots yourself, I got mine from Van Yulay. I thought they’d be more novelty than anything, but they perform well.
Blue brush works the right-hand soap, red brush works the left. Blue side of the scorecard, red side of the scorecard. I think I made that more confusing than it needed to be.
For the razor this episode, I’m running the Tier One Echelon. It’s a USA-made razor, CNC machined in-house from aerospace grade aluminum. What I love about it is the dual-angle head. Both sides take the same blade, but the guard side is set at a lower angle for comfortable bulk reduction, and the smooth side is set at a steeper angle for a closer finish. You flip it between the two. Similar concept to two-head systems where you swap between mild and aggressive options, except instead of changing the blade exposure, the Echelon does it through the head angle. It’s become a regular on my rotation.
I also prepped my sinuses before recording: washed my face well and ran a neti pot. I want the full menthol effect, nothing muffled. If my nose runs, that’s why.
The Draw
I loaded all 12 artisans onto a randomizer wheel. One thing before we spin: Sterling gets a bye this round. Their soap was supposed to arrive the day I recorded, but it wasn’t going to show up until evening and I had plans. If Sterling lands on the wheel this episode, they’re safe and we move on. Everything else is fair game.
First spin: Mama Bear Soaps. Second spin: Adopted Acres with Triple Dog Dare.
Round 1 is set.
Mama Bear Soaps: Bedford Falls
This one is a one-off. She made it specifically for Blizzard Battles and it’s not a regular lineup item. Off the tub, it’s a glycerin soap. She told me it’s a blend of two of her soaps: Bear Ice, which took the Blizzard Battles title last year, and Hot Buttered Rum, which is one of my personal favorites from her. Off the tub I can absolutely get the Hot Buttered Rum, and there’s peppermint and eucalyptus in there too. The combination works better than I thought it would. She was also the first artisan to get me a soap in, so I’ve had this one sitting on the bench for a while.
The label has my face on it. Not complaining.
Adopted Acres: Triple Dog Dare
Tallow soap. The name is a play on A Christmas Story, the scene where they dare the kid to stick his tongue to the flagpole. The scent notes on the label are Frozen Flagpole, warm winter clothes, and bad decisions. Off the tub, it smells like menthol: clear sinuses, cold air, exactly what you’d reach for when you’re fighting a cold. It’s loaded.
Adopted Acres also sent a splash with this one. Since Mama Bear’s doesn’t have a splash, I won’t be using it. The rule is simple: if both soaps in the matchup come with a splash or aftershave bomb, both get used. If only one does, neither does. Soap against soap is the main event anyway.
The Triple Dog Dare label also has my face on it. So in Round 1, both of my opponents are staring back at me from the jar. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
How the Scoring Works
Lather structure is 1 point, and both soaps can earn it. First pass coldness is rated 1 to 5: Proraso Green is a 1, Cryogen is a 5. Both can score on that one too. Second pass coldness is 1 point, winner take all. Third pass coldness is another 1 point, winner take all.
Longevity gets 1 point. I set a stopwatch, pause the video, go about my business, and wait until the menthol effect stops on one side. Whoever I’m still feeling wins it.
Fragrance is 2 points this year, winner take all. That’s new. This is an artisan challenge, and scent is part of what they’re competing on. It needed more weight on the card.
The last point is label art, and that one’s yours to decide. Comment below which label you prefer, Bedford Falls or Triple Dog Dare. I’ll factor it in when I post the results.
One more thing going in: I avoided every video and shave-of-the-day from anyone who already picked up these soaps. No preconceived ratings. Going in clean.
Cold water in the bowl. Let’s go.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in Round 2.