Saluut broer has its roots in the history of the South African defence force. The white segment of the population were conscripted to the defence force from the late sixties to the middle nineties. According to records around 600 000 young men served their country for a term of 24 months. Basic training lasted about 3 months, this portion was probably the hardest for most as the focus was on discipline and fitness, the concept of 'breaking them down and then building them up' was employed, this was followed by specialist training or junior leadership training, and after that many young men were sent to the country's northern borders for active duty in what is generally known as 'The bush war'. Most of us did our stint right after highschool, and the transformation from a 'melkbaard' teenager to man with gun was quite abrupt, to some it left severe scars, some simply rolled with the punches and some really got stuck into their roll as soldiers. The vast majority will agree on a few things, it made real men from us boys, it gave us a backbone, and it formed a big part of who we are today. We served with honour and pride, our country called on us and we had to step up to the plate, and in doing this we created one of the best defence forces in the world, sadly not the case anymore.
The salute is a military gesture of mutual respect, normally exchanged when arriving or departing, it demands pride and comaraderie, and unites you with your brothers in arms.Â
The fragrance profile is experimental, rather than having the same fragance profile for the soap and the balm we have opted for highlighting different elements, the soap has much of a grassy start that gives way to sweeter tones during the shave, while the balm starts out with a 'roasted' vibe making way for sweeter smells throughout the morning. We are pretty sure there will be some tweaks on the cards, so please do pass your thoughts on to us. Â
The 'Nickelslip' soap base utilize a natural black clay to give the soap a badass metal-and-ash appearance, it looks like a pile of burnt African hardwood in the tub, we used a bit less of the black clay and added some charcoal, and we may very well have improved on our existing tallow base, you be the judge!
This is a soft soap that likes to be worked with the brush; when you think it is ready, do yourself a favor and take another minute until you get a lather with a very high sheen. It is quite a thirsty soap which means it holds more water than many other soaps, and with that it presents great hydration properties with a beautiful glimmery sheen. a Great test to see if you are on track is to trickle a few drops of water on the side of your head and have it run down to the lather on your face, it should run over the lather rather than make a path through it. Take your time to get to know this soap and you will be well rewarded.
Ingredients: Beef tallow, Eish-two-O, Coconut oil, Castor oil, Sunflower oil, Black clay solids, Charcoal, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic acid, Essential and/or fragrance oils. The fragrances used are Violet, Rosemary, Tarragon, Jasmine, Musk, Coffee and lemonbush.
A 180 grams of soapy goodness in a 250 ml tub means you can load up that brush easily with no waste at all, drip your whip back into the tub when you are done...we love saving you money. We are offering the soft base shaving soap and a balm at this time, and will more than likely expand the range with other goodies in the same fragrance.
Saluut Broer. Hennik Grobler. 1968-2026.
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