As I noted yesterday, loading this particular brush, an Omega 21762, from the Van Yulay sample puck was not easy: it’s a large knot and requires a fair amount of loading, particularly with a shaving soap that contains clay, and the small puck of the sample didn’t adhere sufficiently (on its first use) to allow me to brush the soap vigorously. The full tub of Achilles was a totally different story. I was able to brush briskly and firmly, adding a little water from time to time as needed.
The Omega 21762 has a large knot, and I could watch the soap gradually advance up the knot as I loaded. I ended up adding water four times to fully load the brush, about 1/2 teaspoon each time: I would wet the tip of the brush under the hot-water tap, then brush briskly, working the soap and water into the knot. When I finished, the brush was ready to go, and I got a terrific lather—fragrant, thick, creamy-smooth—in abundance.
Achilles has a very nice fragrance:
Tobacco with the perfect amount of Kentucky bourbon, hints of cherry, notes of vanilla, of rosewood, cedar, smoke, and sweet birch.
The ingredients:
Stearic Acid, Coconut Fatty Acid, Palm Stearic, Castor, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Tobacco Tea, Aloe Vera, Coconut-Emu-Tallow-Meadow Foam-Borage-Argan- Oils, Kentucky Bourbon, Sodium Lactate, Herbal Ground Tea, Calendula, Extracts, Poly Quats, Allantoin, Silica, Bentonite Clay, Glycerin Soap, Tobacco Absolute, Mica and Fragrance.
As usual, Van Yulay comments on the benefits of some of the ingredients:
Calendula – is used to disinfect minor wounds and to treat infections of the skin. The antibacterial and immunostimulant properties of the plant make it extremely useful in treating slow-healing cuts and cuts in people who have compromised immune systems. The herb stimulates the production of collagen at wound sites and minimizes scarring. Natural moisturizer with powerful emollients and protective properties.
Tallow Oil – is considered to be a superior emollient that is beneficial for either dry or oily complexions. It gently moisturizes the skin without leaving an oily sheen.
After lathering well, I picked up my iKon H2O, a two-piece razor that, like the Pils, attaches the handle to the baseplate with a roller bearing, so it tightens very much with the feel of a three-piece razor. The H2O was made in both stainless steel and aluminum, and this is the aluminum version, which I believe led to the iKon Shavecraft line, with the cast aluminum heads.
The shave went quite well: no nicks, BBS result. A good splash of Geo. F. Trumper West Indian Extract of Limes aftershave finished the job.
Filed under: Shaving
