Blizzard Battles 2026 Round 6: PAA Frost in Space vs Wild Fox Arctic Fox

Howdy. Welcome back to Blizzard Battles 2026 Artisan Challenge, Round 6.

Before we get into it, let me close out Round 5. The label art vote wasn’t even close. Y’all loved Hearth & Altar’s Barren Earth. They earned that point. So heading into Round 6: Happy Chaps Absolute Zero sits at five points and Hearth & Altar Barren Earth is at eight. Congratulations, Hearth & Altar. You’re already moving ahead.

Round 6 Matchup

Happy Chaps is off the wheel. I spun it, and Round 6 is Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements going up against Wild Fox Rituals.

PAA draws Frost in Space. Wild Fox brings Arctic Fox.

Frost in Space (PAA)

PAA sent me two versions. The first had Ice Cube 2.0s with their new mentholated formula. Then Douglas had an idea, went back to the lab, and sent a second version. That first jar gets set aside.

We’re using the new one.

Same great label. The formula is different. This version has Cube in the center surrounded by Ice Cube. Scent notes: menthol. That’s it. Douglas took the full cryogen route, no room for anything else but the cooling. Equal parts formula and Ice Cube 2.0, a one-two punch, is what Douglas told me. Douglas, Fran, Hux, and Cube are madmen. And women. And dogs. And cubes.

I’m really curious what this is going to do to my face.

PAA came in second in the original Blizzard Battles with Frost Byte. They know the dome.

Arctic Fox (Wild Fox Rituals)

You know it, you love it. Arctic Fox is back. That label has won votes before and it’s in the running again. Wild Fox is trying to hold position and keep moving through the bracket.

Hardware and Loading

Grizzly Bay brushes, same ones from last round. Black ferrule on the PAA side, red on Arctic Fox. The razor is my polished Henson Titanium ++. Been a while since I used it, and I was glad to bring it back out.

Frost in Space surprised me on the load. PAA soaps usually have some firmness to them. This version was much softer, and I over-loaded the brush badly. It wouldn’t take on any water at all. Had to pull out more than half the soap before it could even build a lather. Lesson: load softer and quicker on this one. Bowl lathering both would honestly have been the smarter call. Figured that out a little late.

Arctic Fox loaded up fine, and the smell coming off that brush was something.

PAA didn’t include a splash for this round, so we’re going soap to soap only. No Arctic Fox aftershave in the mix.

The Shave

Both soaps hit on the first pass. PAA got me instantly while I was still working the lather. Arctic Fox came up a little slower, but it was there. Both put up beautiful lather structure. Both earn the lather point.

Then the cold came in.

PAA had me crying through the first pass. Left eye watering, nose running, that whole side frozen. PAA gets a five on menthol intensity. Arctic Fox gets a four. PAA is in cryogen territory, right up there with Adopted Acres.

Second pass, PAA again. No debate. The PAA side was lighting me up. I almost felt like Arctic Fox was colder this round than last time, they were that close, but the membranes taking the real hit were on the PAA side. Runny nose, watering eye, getting close to burning over there.

Third pass, no question: PAA. Both sides frozen, face going numb everywhere, but the PAA side was a volcano. I was in full sensory overload over there. If there had been a splash, I’d have been on my knees.

The one place Arctic Fox wins outright is fragrance. How it comes through with all that menthol on top is something else. I couldn’t get over it on the third pass. Fragrance goes to Arctic Fox, 100%, hands down.

Longevity

The timer ran 29 minutes and 22 seconds. After I waited a few minutes before coming back on camera, both were gone. Longevity point goes to PAA, Frost in Space.

Results and Label Art Vote

Points breakdown: lather tied, first pass PAA, second pass PAA, third pass PAA, longevity PAA, fragrance Wild Fox. That puts it at PAA 9, Wild Fox 7 heading into the label art vote.

Even if y’all vote Arctic Fox for the label, the math doesn’t work out for Wild Fox. Round 6 goes to Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements, Frost in Space. Congratulations to PAA.

But drop your label art vote in the comments anyway. I’ll show both labels again in the video so you get a good look. Frost in Space or Arctic Fox, let me know.

Man, this competition has been such a great ride. I’m trying to knock out a few more rounds before I travel, so watch for them coming soon.

Find your peace in what and where you can. See you next time on A Texan Shaves.