NEW Facial Toner / Aftershave! September 25, 2023 09:32

TL;DR: This new aftershave is aloe and witch hazel base, is alcohol-free, and features a lovely blend of botanical extracts. Apply as normal, and after dry down, your skin will have an exceedingly soft and smooth feel!

If you were at the Maggard Meet Up on June 3, you got a little taste of the new aftershave/toner (as well as the new, inbound packaging).

This toner will eventually be replacing the alcohol splash in the Eleven line up.

Wait, what?!!

Let me explain...

I quite simply believe alcohol isn’t beneficial to your skin. It does provide antiseptic properties for post shaving, but that’s an antiquated need. That came from a time when you went to your barber for a shave. They’d use the same straight razor for everyone. So it was absolutely necessary to kill off any yuckies with a potent antiseptic. Alcohol did the job nicely.

But other than that, alcohol provides no other benefit that I can think of.

I get that some folks like the “burn”. You guys are masochists!

I get that it’s also a decent barometer of a good shave; if it doesn’t burn, you shaved well. ...meh, not good enough to keep it around.

So what DOES the new toner do?

I don’t need to tell you the benefits of aloe. Look up any of the 12 billion articles on its wonders.

Witch hazel provides enough of the antiseptic properties the alcohol did. ...I’m assuming no one is sharing razors or anything ridiculously stupid and dangerous. It’s good for acne. It’s also good for inflammation and irritation.

The botanical extracts are from Bilberry, Sugar Cane, Orange, Lemon and Sugar Maple plants. They’ll provide a nice boost to skin brightness. They also provide a very nice moisturizing feel after dry down.

I also wanted something I could use as a daily toner on the days I don’t shave. It’s an excellent refresher mid day without having to wash your face.

It is available in all current scents, including the Cremoso exclusive for The Razor Company which they’ve had for a while.

Saying goodbye to the alcohol was easy for me personally, but I do understand it’s tradition and popularity. I am bucking the trend by removing it from the line up. I’ll take the risk.

At the same time, the new toner performs wonderfully, provides the same utility and is most certainly better for you skin!

Which is what I care about most.

Why the name Eleven? June 24, 2018 12:05

The short answer?  It refers to Lock and Dam no. 11 located in Dubuque, Iowa. My hometown.  ...and it's much easier to pronounce than Sapone Di Paolo!

The longer answer stems from me noticing that seemingly no one was saying the name Sapone Di Paolo.  The scent names weren't any easier.  I began noticing the video reviewers either avoiding the name or mispronouncing it.  I was very grateful they took the time to review, but it made me think "ooh, this may be an issue".  

It started bothering me most when I would get EMAILS where they wouldn't say it!  "Can I have the orange one" instead of Arancione.  If they won't even TYPE the name in Italian, that's not good.  

It finally came to "I don't speak Italian myself, I can't exactly expect you to either". 

So I began thinking of changing names.  If I were to do this, it needs to be exceedingly simple.

The Upper Mississippi River  has a series of locks and dams starting in Minneapolis (#1) down to St. Louis (#27).  I grew up at number 11 in Dubuque, Iowa.

So I chose Eleven.  I think it's a good looking word.  It's short, emphatic, easy to say and refers to one of my favorite places!