A commenter highly recommended Antica Barbiera Colla shaving soap and pointed out that the easiest way was to order it directly from the company (in Italy). It arrived—a paper-wrapped puck and a bottle of their Green Tobacco aftershave milk—and so I thought to give them a try.
I didn’t have a tub on hand, so I cut the puck to fit the Edwin Jagger apothecary mug, pressing the trimmings on top. They press together fairly well, and the water from loading the brush welds them together.
The soap is another example of a very good soap with quite simple ingredients (as are Martin de Candre, Tcheon Fung Sing, Nuávia, et al.).
Stearic acid, water, coconut oil, potassium hydroxide, sweet almond oil, fragrance, sodium hydroxide, potassium carbonate
The sweet almond oil seems to be their claim to fame. The fragrance is pleasant and unobtrusive, and the lather is good—indeed, when I rinsed following a pass, it seemed exceptionally slick.
With the wonderful RazoRock Old Type, a fantastic bargain at $15, I easily achieved a trouble-free BBS result.
A tiny bit of ABC’s aftershave milk with green tobacco fragrance, and the day is now underway.
Filed under: Shaving
