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Ariana and Evans Kaisen 2e (with Emu oil)

I recently purchased a tub of Kaisen 2e shaving soap from The Shaving Shop Club which is the membership club arm of Ariana and Evans. This soap is currently exclusive to members. I have not yet seen any detailed reviews of this soap, so I thought I would provide my thoughts on the product.

Kaisen 2e is Peter’s latest tweak of his already superb Kaisen 2 soap base. It is reported to contain emu oil, which is an expensive ingredient used in cosmetics. Emus are birds native to Australia where they live their lives under the hot Australian sun. However, emus can be farmed in many places around the world. The oil comes from a patch of fat on their backs that protects them from the scorching heat in their native habitat. The oil is said to have many beneficial properties for skin.

Although the “e” in Kaisen 2e presumably refers to the emu oil, the letter could easily represent other words such as: excellence, elegance, and elite.

Having previous experience with Kaisen 2, I lathered the soap using my normal procedure. I “bloomed” the soap for 10 seconds with 1 Tablespoon of hot water and then dumped the bloom water into my shave bowl. The soap is fairly dark in color, so I elected to use my 26mm Simpson Trafalgar T3 synthetic for the session. I wet the brush with a quick dip in warm water. I shook out excess water leaving the brush slightly damp. I consider the soap to be semi-firm. It is not soft, but it is not particularly hard either. Ten seconds of swirling on the surface of the tub were more than sufficient to load the brush. Next time I will probably limit loading to 7-8 seconds. Thus, I consider the soap to be easy to load.

I dipped the loaded brush into the bloom water already in the shave bowl. After 30 seconds of agitation, I had a low structure lather ready to apply to my face. Thus, this soap is easy to lather.

The soap has plenty of slickness for a great shave. I did my typical three-pass shave, applying lather before each pass. However, the residual slickness of the soap was so good that I decided to do a full clean-up pass, including buffing, without reapplying lather. I will only attempt that with the very best soaps in my collection.

After my clean-up pass, I applied a bonus lather and rubbed it into my face to maximize the post-shave feel. The lather remained on my face while I cleaned my shaving gear. Then I removed the lather with a wet microfiber cloth.

I consider cushion to be the ability of the lather to protect my sensitive skin from irritation during the shave. When I applied witch hazel after the shave, I got zero feedback. I was able to achieve a near-BBS shave with zero irritation. That is my goal. All is well.

Finally, I evaluate the post-shave conditioning. The soap left my skin feeling great immediately after the shave. That feeling persisted well beyond the 24 hour mark. It has now been 50 hours since my shave and my skin still feels great. I have never had any soap keep my face feeling like that for so many hours. The remarkable thing is that the soap did not leave my face feeling heavy or greasy like some soaps,. Thus, Kaisen 2e has been able to do something that no other soap has been able to achieve. That was accomplished without use of any post shave product other than Dickenson's witch hazel.

Since I have used Kaisen 2 on many occasions, I expected the performance of Kaisen 2e to be wonderful. However, I was blown away by the way my face still feels two days after the shave. I hope Peter is able to offer the formulation to the general public. If you like soaps with world class performance, consider purchasing a 6-month membership to The Shaving Shop Club.

Kaisen 2e is currently being offered in the Grecian Horse scent. Peter describes the scent as: Grecian Horse features an unexpected almond note, slightly sweet, yet somewhat bitter and warm. Vanilla steals the show in the base of this superb scent, while bergamot, sandalwood and amber tame the sweetness, rendering it refined and inviting. One smell and you'll be swept away in its sophistication and majesty transporting you back to the XVIII century. I do not believe it is identical to the Grecian Horse scent offered earlier in the "goat milk" base, but it is very similar. It is one of my favorite scents.

Please note that I paid the normal price for my soap. No one asked me to evaluate the product and all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. I am just a highly satisfied user of the product.
 
Thanks for this wright up. Just a note, there are now at least 2 other soaps in K2e. It's not particularly easy to find them, I have one in another scent. Mine has been on a tour of the Continental US, a special Priority Mail option, and is now taking a break at the local post office to be delivered whenever they get around to it. No hurry, I only paid for a service, don't strain yourselves! Yes, I hate waiting for things that I want to try NOW. This post does not help. 🤪
 
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Great review. I'm just about to order kaizen 2 k and kaizen 2e. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, Adriana Evans soaps are excellent as well as the aftershave is excellent
 
Emu oil. That’s what I’ve been missing all these years. I wonder how one goes about extracting oil from an emu.

Unfortunately, removal of the oil from an emu requires that the bird be sacrificed. As the pig said to the chicken, for you a bacon and egg breakfast requires a contribution on your part, but a supreme sacrifice on my part.

Emus are no longer confined to their native Australia. They have been introduced to several continents where they are raised for their valuable meat, eggs, skin, feathers and emu oil. Thus, unlike many animals that have been slaughtered over the centuries for specific body parts, full advantage is taken of any animals harvested.

There was a growing population of Emus in the USA with Texas being the primary farm location. Emu meat had some potential health benefits vs the more common beef, pork, and chicken. However, because the price was several times higher than beef, Emu meat never became anything more than a passing fad.

You can purchase a bottle of Emu oil and add it to your own shave soap and/or after shave.
 
Sounds great! Emu oil has been used in some other artisans soaps for pretty nice results. Interesting to see this vendor working it in.
 
Excellent review from a beloved company and a valued B&B member. I have yet to find my preferred scent(s) with A&E, but even their pre-Kaisen soaps were wonderful to me. Can't wait to see what they offer in K2 or K2e for the masses.
 
I’m amazed at the artisan shaving soap/cream production. It is interesting how they try different formulas, oils, fats, etc to perfect their offerings.
I just find it fascinating in a geeky shave freak kind of way.
 
In all seriousness...is that a byproduct of emu meat production? Or are the emus specifically farmed for this fat patch?
According to my research, there are small farmers who raise Emus. In the USA, they are found primarily in Texas. Since the cost of raising them is fairly high, when one is killed, they try to recover and sell everything they can. This includes the meat, fat/oil, skin, and feathers.

It takes about 3 acres of land to raise an emu vs about 5 acres per steer. Since cows are a lot larger than emus, the price of emu meat and other byproducts has to be very high to justify the cost of raising them. If you want to try emu meat, expect to pay $25-30 per pound. Thus, it has not become a staple in the diet of Americans who tend to prefer $5 burgers or the $5 rotisserie chicken at Costco. The original plan was to introduce emu meat to consumers as a healthy alternative to other meats. However, due to the high cost, it never caught on. The oil is simply a valuable biproduct that helps the farmers break even.
 
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