The History;
South Africa, similar to many other countries consists of a wide range of cultures, races and communities that have all developed, not only individually but also as a nation. We have all played a part in contibuting to what we are as a country today, our diversty and origin is something to be celebrated, cherished and preserved, and we need to be proud of who we are and where we are going. The history of the Afrikaner starts in 1652, when the VOC started a Dutch colony in the Cape, these are times of adventure and wild discoveries, bold actions and daring feats. Three ships namely De Goede Hoop, Drommedaris and Reijger landed on the southern most tip of Africa to spark the birth of a people, and this is their story; Their sweet notes are sung into your nostrils, their soapy adventures are mapped into the lathery tracks on your cheeks, the best part of this journey is definately in the journey, it is almost dissapointing when you arrive at chisel-smooth-face-port-of-call....but rest assured, at least you can repeat this journey again and again and again.
Much like our country this soap has the ability to change without losing its identity, it will grow and develop to become a product of its experiences and interactions, all who shares this journey has the opportunity to shape its destiny, if there is one thing Saffers have learnt, it is that it is up to us to shape the future, no one person has the ability or skill to steer the ship to greater destinations.
'Drommedaris' has a spicy base, but leans more towards the heavier, manly side of the spectrum with some added hints of leather, tobacco and bergamot. This fragrance was made for the traditionalists amongst us, but your vote and/or review may very well influence its course, tell us what you think, should we keep it as is, a more intense fragrance profile or a lighter one, more spicy, more leathery, or head into a fresher direction? We will compile all correspondence and make some adjustments from time to time, this is if they are needed at all as we like this one lots and think it will get similar responses across the globe!
'De Goede hoop' is the standard 'Old Spice' fragrance from years gone by, so we suspect we will keep this one the same, but there are also no rules here. do you want it stronger, lighter, add some talc, maybe some musk? You may even suggest something a bit whacky, a menthol component, a floral attribute or adding in some earthy notes, if your quest is to take a classic and make it better, this is your chance!
Like the other ships, Reijger also had some traditional spice aboard, but it was also the main carrier vessel of the fruit and sweet stuff, and this is why a sweeter smell will waft into the air when you open the tub. Once again your input has the power to steer this ship, grab the oars, set the sails and man the whipstaff by letting us know your thoughts; More sweet, less sweet, add melons or oranges, maybe some rum or a shot of brandy...
As set out in the summary of this collection page, sheep/lamb tallow has qualities different to that of beef tallow, it is a new avenue we have strolled into and we will continue to explore and experiment with it. For now we do not anticipate any changes to the base formulation, but there may be some cosmetic changes in terms of colour and appearance. Please do try this new product and leave detailed reviews, the more we get the better know which way to steer the ship, to us it is a great shaving soap base, but chances are it may very well be improved upon, recipes can be adjusted in millions of ways, and it is unlikely we have found the best possible base in the first few tries, with your help this one may venture into the hallowed halls of tallow titans.
Ingredients: Mutton tallow, H20, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Castor oil, Kalahari Melon oil, Virgin cold pressed Coconut oil, right off the tree, fragrance oils and essential oils.
Expect the following; Great slickness both during the shave and residual, a medium to heavy fragranced soap deeper, spicy notes with a raw manly presence. It lathers up in reasonable time, so don't rush this one, allow yourself some time to enjoy the sensation and see the lather build from flat soap to hyperlather in anything from 1 to 3 minutes.
This soap is definitely a must for the more traditional man, so grab that vintage safety razor or cutthroat when you reach for this one, and reach often you will!
It can be quite a thirsty soap when properly loaded, so you may consider dripping some water on your brush after a minute or so of lathering and then transfer to your face for a beautiful shiny, sheeny lather.
*We don't like using the word 'homage' as our interpretation of the word is that such actions should have no compensation for the party who pays the homege, and we are hoping this series to develop into a homegrown treasure that feeds the cash cow!
We do however have no reservation is saying that the Old Spice fragrance of yesteryear deserves most of the credit, it stands out like a lightower on the coasline of shaving legends, trying to 'improve' this legendary frag is no easy feat.