Shaving gels have a few advantages over a brush and soap in that it is quick to apply, generally more compact, and requires less time and skill to use. I love my soap and brush, but many folks feel otherwise. This new product will appeal to a wide audience for various reasons, but let's talk about the substance first. Is it a gel, is it a soap, is it a scrub, an exfoliator, a moisurizer? The answer is, well.... in a sense all of the above! The base recipe is that of Beldi soap that we have adapted a bit to serve as a shaving medium that is quick and easy to use.
Beldi is a traditional cleansing and skin softening treatment that originates from the famed hammams of Morocco, something that has come such a long way has a lot of potential assigned to it default, and this is why we explored this avenue. This is a 100% natural plant product, consisting of four base ingredients, Olives, olive oil, water and lye, it is extremely rich in vitamin E, and is a great emollient and moisturizer. Due to the high content of vitamin E, it helps to revitalize the skin, acting against dryness, dehydration and aging skin. Traditionally it was massaged into the skin for several minutes, and then removed with a cloth or something similar and finally rinsed off. The fun thing about this is the longer you take to get shaved up, the softer your skin!
The one thing that will notice immediately is the post shave feeling after using this product. I am normally quite reserved in my opinions, but I have not used any other shaving medium that work so well for me in terms of skin conditioning. The other property that is off the chart is the residual slickness, after pass number one I only wet my hand and slide it over my face to do a second and third pass, and even a session of buffing after that! It feels kind of weird to shave a 'clean face' but it works! You may think this is sales talk, but you will agree with me the minute you start rinsing your face after the shave, in fact I suggest you get right back into the shower for this, this stuff is as persisitant as an ex wife phoning for alamony! This sets it apart from other gels I have used in that they all rinsed off quickly and also presented a sensation of stickyness after being rinsed off. It is also very slick in the hand, so razor glide is enhanced and friction is minimized.
I have never been wild about gels, but the big factor that kept me away from them was their chemical compositions, I never felt like taking the touble to look up all the listed ingredients to and make a call whether they are good, bad or ok for my skin. This stuff is aces in this department, the full ingredients are Olives, olive oil, Sunflower oil, KOH (lye), Aloe Ferox gel and water, all natural and all good. This makes this a safe product to use for a very wide consumer base, and may be the perfect solution for those of us who have sensitive or trouble skin. If you think our insitutions are protecting your skin against 'bad substances' think again; what about the droves of kids who have recently ended up in hospitals or deceased on account of substances taken orally, now if the government could not care less about what children put in their mouths, do you think they care about ingredients in skin products for adults? Take care of yourself folks, please read the labels and do some research.
This lube-pack is mobile and light, it kicks soap-and-brush butt when we talk shaving medium to travel with, The aluminium container is shaped sensibly and ergonomically and the 100 ml of products weighs only 120 to 130 grams with the container, most other gels are contained much the same, but the coolness factor of this shiny aluminium can with black lettering blows them away. The pump also has a lock function, so the occurance of spillage in your luggage is eliminated, and the bamboo cap adds the finishing touch as blends in with the pure and wholesome all-natural theme.
We will be offering this in a cheaper, plant based container as soon as demand is great enough, so hang onto your container and also your next 'sosatie-stick', as you may need this to enable a swift transfer of product from the PLA to the can.
The shaving medium has a medium brown appearance and earthy smell, both attributed to the Kalamata olives we use in the production of this product. The amount of product on your face will determine the look and feel of it, less product for a clear, soapy appearance and more product for a consistency much like jam. My sweet spot is somewhere in between, when massaged into the skin it would have the look of a light brown, whitish, thinly layered lather.
We considered fragrancing them as we do our range of shaving soaps, but decided against this as our inventory will become too extensive and initial sales volumes will not be high enough to justify 25 plus new products on the shelf....BUT...we have a brilliant alternative; We will be selling our most popular fragrance oils in those little car freshners soon, folks can hang these in their jammies or spaces around their homes so they can smell their favorite scents more often. So, pour a few ml (start with around 2 ml) into your bottle and give it a good stir with your sosatie stick, leave it be for a few days and give it a go, find your perfect mix and you have your very own, hand curated, home-styled shaving gel. Brilliant!
This gel will also be part of a shave set we will be making available shortly, the main purpose being something stylish and cool to attract more new guys and girls to the world of wetshaving.