I was admiring my bronze-coated Fendrihan Mk II stainless-steel razor, which happened to be net to my tub of Achilles shaving soap, and it occurred to me that Achilles, a great Bronze Age warrior, would undoubtedly admire a razor whose look was bronze, particularly if that razor were as comfortable and efficient as the Mk II. So this morning, in honor of Achilles and the Bronze Age battalions that fought on the plains of Troy, I went with this combination.
Van Yulay shaving soaps are, IMO, quite good, and I enjoy feel and fragrance. They also have interesting ingredients. Achilles, for example, is made of:
Stearic Acid, Coconut Fatty Acid, Palm Stearic, Castor oil, 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.
Ingredients vary from soap to soap This formula is not vegan (since it includes emu oil and tallow), but many of her shaving soaps are vegan.
My Edwin Jagger synthetic worked up an excellent and fragrant (“Tobacco with the perfect amount of Kentucky bourbon, hints of cherry, notes of vanilla, of rosewood, cedar, smoke, and sweet birch.”) lather, and the Mk II did a fine job. As I noted earlier, you can also get this razor in a plain stainless finish (no coating) and in black.
A splash of Achilles and the day develops.