The third of my first Rooney collection: Style 2 Finest. (Style 2 comes only in size 1.) It easily made a really fine lather from Van Yulay’s Puros la Habana shaving soap:
Stearic Acid, Aloe Vera, Coconut Fatty Acid, Castor, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Babassu-Manteca-Argan-Abyssinian-Coconut Oils, Kokum & Cocoa Butters, Calendula, Extracts, Poly Quats, Sodium Lactate, Allantoin, Silica, Liquid Silk, Bentonite Clay,Tobacco Absolute, and Fragrance.
Manteca is lard, so not a vegan soap. The lather is really excellent, though, and the aroma of a fine cigar is unmistakable. You know, I could go a long way just using Van Yulay shaving soaps. So far as I can tell, they are all good (though the formulation varies from soap to soap—e.g., some are vegan, some are not) and the range of fragrances is impressive. I also like the ingredients she uses; at the link above, she describes the purposes of some of the ingredients, to wit:
· Abyssinian Oil – Provides layers of moisture and is well known as quality oil. Its unique properties help to form an effective barrier against your skin drying out, adding luster to dull and lifeless skin.
· Bentonite Clay – Gives an extra creaminess and silkiness to the shave soap. Generally, white clay’s natural absorbing, detoxifying and exfoliating properties makes it an indispensable ingredient in shaving products.
· Coconut Fatty Acid – excellent lathering and conditioning when used in shave soap.
I’ve not used my Edwin Jagger for a while. This one has the fluted black-rubber handle, which is nicely grippy. The EJ head is still excellent, and I got a very smooth result without problems.
I got a sample of Van Yulay’s aftershave balm in the Puros la Habana fragrance, and it did the job. Its ingredients are:
Water, Aloe Vera, Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax, BTMS, Stearic Acid, Emu Oil, Glycerin, Abyssinian Seed Oil, Argan Oil, Allantoin, Par d Arco, Ylang-Ylang, Tea Tree, Hydrolyzed Oat, Holy Basil, Liquid Silk, Germaben II, and Fragrance.
Her comment on the ingredients:
· Tea Tree – To prevent bacteria to grow & help with ingrown hairs.
· Argan- Provides a high content of vitamins & provide moisture.
· Hydrolyzed Oats – Protective, moisture binding and coating on the skin.
· Holy Basil – Excellent to close pores and make an even tone.
Note that the balm, too, is not vegan: it contains emu oil.
Filed under: Shaving
