This graceful fragrance is subtle, strong, non invasive and gentle, much like the last Elly in the Knysna forest this fragrance is dedicated to. The mysterious Knysna elephant herd is a story in itself that runs like a thread through centuries of history of our country, and sadly looks as if it has come to its end. I am hopeful that these legendary creatures will be re-introduced to this habitat as we come to our senses and realize humans and animals have to share habitats and live in harmony as we are all interconnected. These herds have been notoriously hard to track for decades, their clandestine movements and silent nature has effectively had very little impact on the human populations and habitats around them, yet we chose to eradicate these animals for their ivory and our 'glory'. Let's hope current and future generations will wake up to the plight of these gentle creatures.
The top notes are Bergamot, Apple and Cinnamon, while the medium notes are Tageta, Geranium and Clove. The base notes swing in with a woody charge and features Olivewood, Sandalwood, Cedarwood and Vetiver. It is a light fragrance that is gentle and a bit mysterious, all the notes work well together to keep you guessing!
Our aftershave splashes slot in right between our balm and solid cologne offerings; the balm focuses on nourishment rather than fragrance, the solid cologne on fragrance rather than skincare, while the splash is balanced somewhere in the middle of them. This tri-alliance of products gives you all the options you need to keep your skin in tip-top condition while projecting your chosen fragrance as much (or little) as you choose. Skin needs a bit of TLC ? Use the balm by itself or supplement the splash, maybe apply some at night before going to bed. Is your skin fresh and hydrated after a good shave? Go with the splash, it invigorates and the Aloe Ferox feeds the skin at the deeper levels. Need to leave a lasting impression? Slip the solid cologne in your pocket and apply discretely as and when required.
Fancy Shmancy....we love glass, but for practical reasons we have opted for a super cool looking aluminium container, it looks modern and fresh, saves you and I money on shipping, and is a very sensible travel option; the bottle and cap weighs just over 20 grams, add that to your contents of a 100 grams and you would sit just over a third of your 'average 100 ml aftershave' offering, that normally comes in a pretty, but thick glass bottle, some with quite obnoxiously large 'headgear' reminding me of the ladies of yesteryear wearing similar monstrosities to morning service. The bottle has a restrictor sized to prevent spilling, but at the same time allow for enough product to be dispensed quick enough. As we always like to be a little innovative we will also offer a spray head that can be purchased separately, this will allow for an extended range of uses and also for the guy who does not like the conventional method of using his hands to pour and apply a splash by slapping and rubbing the cheeks.
This product is proudly South African made using only natural main ingredients sourced from small scale farmers and businesses. We have done away with an alcohol base as a carrier as we think most of us have experienced what happened to our hands during Covid, we certainly did, our hands were dry as the desert when we visited multiple shops and many people sustained long term damage from this practice!
We have substituted the alcohol with a water base and added a surfactant to allow the blending of oils and water based ingredients, Witch hazel and alum powder in the natural water solution adds properties most shavers are well aware of, but the star of the show is most definitely Aloe Ferox gel. Aloe Ferox grows naturally and is also cultivated by some farmers in open areas without the need of pesticides. It has so many cool attributes and advantages for your skin that we could set up a new web page for this range, but we will rather add some credibility by supplying you with a link to well established brands that use Aloe Ferox as their core ingredient in their products and marketing strategy, read up some more here on what this ingredient brings to the post-shave-party-on-your-face!
The skin feel is quite interesting, upon application there are traces of what you would expect from Alum and Witch Hazel, the water evaporates quite quickly to deliver a fresh feeling of well hydrated skin, the lotion feels a bit tacky just before the last water evaporates at around 15 seconds, but about 10 seconds later the skin on your face and hands will feel is dry and smooth. You will then experience a bit of tightness of your skin, this is Aloe Ferox increasing your skin’s natural elasticity, decreasing the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and maximizing the hydration levels of your skin while locking moisture in.
Aloe Ferox is commonly used in skincare to treat inflammation, which makes it excellent for sunburn, irritated skin conditions and blemished skin. Adding to its anti-inflammatory properties, it also contains antioxidants, acts as an analgesic and a detoxicant, and has antiviral and antimicrobial properties, it works on all skin types (even sensitive skins) and helps improve skin texture by balancing sebum and contributing to the exfoliation of the top layer of skin. It is also high in humid acid, which also helps to treat irritated skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and acne.
Interesting titbit; In 1967, well known local surgeon Prof. Christiaan Barnard’s first heart transplant team noted that applying Aloe Ferox gel to wounds accelerated the production of cells responsible for collagen production. This was confirmed by later studies showing the healing properties of aloe sap, which is high in polysaccharides, amino acids and minerals (which all work to aid collagen production and fight the signs of aging).
The product has no colorants in it, texture and color (milky white to light red, green and yellow tints) are from the oils and the Aloe Ferox in its natural state.