A truly excellent shave. The springs of La Toja apparently have a high content of mineral salts proclaimed to have restorative effects, and certainly the soap produced a really wonderful lather. I was wondering if a coarse brush like this Vie-Long horsehair would have the same effect as the fine synthetics I’ve been using lately, but absolutely no problem and a very nice change of pace. There was plenty of lather the whole shave through.
This Yaqi razor has a nice balance and feel in the hand, and the head is an Edwin Jagger clone, so it did a very nice job, producing a smooth result with total comfort.
A good splash Manantiales de la Toja “Hombre” aftershave finished the job. The aftershave has a wonderful fragrance of notes with which I’m not familiar. The aftershave has been discontinued but the EDT is still available and IMO worth seeking out. At the link the fragrance is described as “spicy-creamy” (which conveys nothing to me), but it is a unique fragrance and very pleasant indeed.
Their web site notes (thanks to Google Translate):
La Toja is a brand that has its origin in the Spring of the Island of La Toja.
The discovery of the springs of this island goes back, according to legend, to the middle of the 19th century, when the benefits of these waters rich in sodium, calcium, iron and magnesium were discovered.From the waters of the Spring of the Island the Mineral Salts that are incorporated into the La Toja brand products are still being extracted so that, more than a hundred years later, you can continue enjoying the benefits of hot springs at home.
And, in an example that shows Google Translate still requires some work:
Come, good people, the words of this pilgrim to hear!
If God saves your hearts, for years you can enjoy them.I come from Roncesvalles, on the Xacobeo road on foot,
And incredible stories I want your Mercedes to tell.
Deeds and legends through villages and towns I sing.
Unknown wonders that nobody can explain.In the year of the Lord of 1837 an extraordinary event occurred
that has passed from parents to children,
Until I reach my ears.Listen carefully to the story of a borrico,
well to know where we are going
You have to know where we came from.Galicia!, land of twilight,
saw birth in his bosom
A priest of many lights.
He was a cultured and resounded man,
by the hand of God touched.But Fortune Wanted
put it in a hurry.There was the poor priest
in the Arosa estuary lost.
On a desert island,
Where death lurks
Poor and arid land
where there were only a few pines.
The chaplain was in a burrito,
for such a great little man,
Although wise and full of sanity.The poor animal, of ringworm and killings,
His hard skin was covered.
Such was his unfortunate state
that the priest decided to leave him.
But, being a church man, he didn’t want to kill him.This is how the priest with teary eyes
He left the donkey among stubble.After a few months the chaplain returned to the island
to give the burro Christian donkey.
What was his surprise to see that he was running
and that all his wounds had a cure!Kneeling gave thanks to God
For the miraculous healing.
But when I was for the sixth prayer
He saw the donkey in a walled puddle.
At first he thought it was sin.
Approached to exorcise the animal
and saw that it was not Belcebú,
neither fake nor taboo
but a healthy swamp
the one that healed the creature.The ways of the Lord are inscrutable!
That sad and desolate land
it became inexplicable facts
in cheerful and fruitful.Here ends the narration of this sheet,
that of an island that made history
being touched by glory
known to all by the spring of La Toja.
This was a wonderful start for the weekend—and it’s a long weekend!