Seaweed: Mankind’s First Superfood

and Rugged Rejuvenator

We, human beings, gazed upon the coastal water’s rhythmic hues of reds, browns, and greens today as was done long ago. The importance of such scenery is no longer deemed necessary for our survival, however, should be understood as an invaluable source of nutrients.

It is believed that human evolution and the development of our large brain required an environment rich in omega-3 fatty acids and five key micronutrients including iodine, iron, copper, zinc, and selenium. Human nutrition and evolution researcher Stephen Cunnane and neurochemist Michael Crawford brought these points to light and highlighted the idea that early humans must have lived along coasts and fed upon fish, shellfish, and most likely seaweed roughly 100,000 years ago. Since this time, seaweed have been relied upon for food and medicine throughout many cultures particularly in Europe, Nordic countries, Asia, Polynesia, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Also, human migration relied on a coastal “kelp highway” where the first North Americans and eventually South Americans required a coastal route. These populations originated from Asia when eastern Siberia was connected to Alaska 14,000 years ago.

Seaweeds, also known as marine algae, are incredible aquatic botanicals and have been used throughout history as natural beautifying agents. They are extremely diverse and possess bioactive compounds much different than terrestrial plants. The mineral content they possess is upwards of ten times the concentration of land plants in addition to their abundance of vitamins A, B, C, and E. These attributes and subtle variance in bioactive compounds between seaweed variety, make certain aquatic botanicals like sea oak, kelp, alaria, dulse, rockweed, and Irish moss (found in Alluvian’s Isle of Man Beard + Hair) a valuable addition for natural grooming products that help moisturize, leaving skin and hair soft and supple.

Getting started eating seaweed may be easier and tastier than you believe. For starters, nori, the red algae famous in sushi, is protein rich and has a mildly nutty and sweet flavor.

Wakame is brown seaweed and has a mild and sweet flavor that is used in miso soup or seaweed salad found in many Japanese restaurants.

For the more adventurous, a trip to your local health food store should yield some common varieties for at home recipes.

If you are currently a seaweed enthusiast, try ordering online for some primo seaweed, sustainably harvested and processed by such companies as Canadian Kelp Resources out of British Columbia or Iceland located on the southern coast of Iceland.

Incorporating seaweed into your diet and grooming routine will yield some truly amazing results. The combination works harmoniously no matter your goals. Return, at least in spirit, to the sea.

Mouritsen, O. G. 2013. Seaweeds: edible, available & sustainable. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press

The True Value of Shaving Soaps

A picture containing person, person, looking, standing Description automatically generated

Planned Obsolescence and Shaving

It seems like you just bought the aerosol blue shaving gel. It was cheap, yeah, but now it’s all used up within a few weeks. This is called Planned Obsolescence – a trick of intentionally making a consumer good require replacing from its short product lifespan.

Spending More Costs You Less

You enjoy eating out, getting a massage, or attending a concert. These experiences are gone faster than you would like and at an expense. It wasn’t a need but a want. Think about this as investing in yourself. When we think about the needs of personal grooming, like shaving, we easily fall into the trap of cutting costs, looking for cheap, for easy. Cheap and easy, it turns out, is using a shaving soap that lasts, gives an experience, and contains a natural formulation for thick, creamy lather. After all, this is your face we are talking about.

Shaving cream and foams from aerosol cans are cheap because of low quality ingredients used, intended to maximize profits without much benefit for the customer. Artificial ingredients like propylene glycol is a known skin irritant that is used in other products like antifreeze. No good for the face

A picture containing indoor, table, sitting, small Description automatically generated

Value in Longevity and Formulation

One tin of Alluvian Shaving Soap will last a year. One year. How about that for longevity? It is intentional to provide value to the end user, you and me, allowing the experience to last. Natural ingredients like kokum butter and mineral rich Irish sea moss yield skin that is more supple and balanced. Distillations of plant extracts provide unique aromas that have depth, unheard of in commercial varieties. Essentially, it’s a facial, aromatherapy treatment plus a shave.

This specific combination of premium ingredients, formulation, exceptional performance, and longevity make Alluvian Shaving Soaps among the best in value grooming products for men. It truly offers real value.