The secret ingredient sheep contribute to our shave cream
LANOLIN: Derived from Latin, Lana – wool and Oleum – Olive Oil. Also known as wool wax or wool grease.
New Zealand might be the land of dairy farming now, but once sheep reigned supreme. In the early 1980s, there were over 70 million of the woolly creatures roaming the pastures of Aotearoa.
Aside from wool and some good lamb chops to throw on the barby, sheep also contribute a very important skincare product. They secrete lanolin into their wool to make it waterproof, which is why their coats still look fluffy and woolly even in heavy rain. The lanolin acts as a barrier so they don’t get bogged down and it is harvested by pressing the sheared wool.
It might not be the most appealing – or fashionable – of products but lanolin is a powerful emollient that helps protect the skin. Let' face it you never see sheep with dry, cracked skin.
Sheep are a domesticated animal that produces excess wool which has to be shorn off to prevent overgrowing and matting. Their fleeces are left on over winter then shorn from them in the warmer months when it becomes a relief from the heat. Bar the visits from the Vet or farmer, in New Zealand, our sheep get on with their lives in open green fields, feeding on grass and singing the song of their people.
References to the use of lanolin can be found as far back as Greek and Roman times and it's even mentioned in the Bible. It briefly fell out of fashion in the 20th century but is back in vogue now as a natural moisturizing agent. It can penetrate the skin but still allow it to breathe.
Triumph & Disaster uses lanolin in its Old Fashioned Shave Cream where the natural oils create a natural glide on the surface of the skin for a really crisp, smooth shave.
Whip it up with our Silvertip Synthetic Fibre Shave Brush - you'll be able to use less, or get more done with the amount you already use once the brush has whipped a bit of air into the formula. 
