Shaving with soap has gotten a bad rap. This is partly because personal care brands make more money if everyone is convinced we need specialized products for every grooming and cleaning function, and also because run of the mill commercial soap brands actually are a poor choice for shaving. We’ll tell you why shaving with the right soap works great & how to find the best.

The clove is an aromatic dried flower bud from a tropical evergreen of the same name. Originating from Indonesia’s Spice Islands (aka, Maluku Islands), cloves have a long history as a highly-valued commodity, being worth their weight in gold in 17th – 18th century Europe. Across cultures and history, clove has been prized for its multiple uses and effectiveness in oral healthcare.

There is an ecosystem of trillions of bacteria, tiny spiders, and fungi living on every human—from our toes to the tops of our heads. That’s billions per square centimeter. While our automatic response may be to grab the nearest bottle of sanitizer or jump in the shower to soap up, we actually need these communities of teeming microorganisms, known as microbiomes.