I don't like this soap now what?

[byDoms]

On a few occasions I have put the soap in the guest bathroom to be used as hand soap, or even put the soap on shower duty. What do you guys do?

Normally, when I am not satisfied with a shaving soap, regardless of performance or scent, I use it as hand or shower soap.

What has been your most recent fail? What was it scent or performance or maybe both? And what did you do.

Last year, I bought two artisan shaving soaps on a local market. The scent was great and the post-shave experience was very nice as well. The soaps were however difficult to lather, at best, I obtained a rather bubbly foam which did not last once on skin.

After reading a thread on how to turn a soap into a cream (cf Haslinger Shaving Cream), I decided to give it a try on these. Within two weeks of watering the soaps and stiring regularly, I obtained two nice looking shaving creams. Surprisingly, these "soaps" were now easier to lather, creamier and longer lasting. I don't know really why as all I did was to add water, but as a cream, I probably loaded much more product on the brush than before.

 

[Jaidmaster]

I have not thrown out a soap or used a shaving soap in the shower.
I put it aside and either give it away for someone else to try, trade it, or sell it.

 

[BJ Sands]

Haslinger Schafmilch and I just don't get along. I'm not sure if it's my method or the lanolin and sheep's milk (though I've thrived with other soaps that have lanolin) but I get no protection and break out after shaving. An immensely mediocre product for me.

 

[sfeile]

I guess my point is that soap is soap...essentially we use it to clean things. Yes we shave with it...but all soap is generally made the same way. I think we overthink the hygiene thing sometimes.

I feel the same way. I have no problems trading a used soap. The money in my wallet is a lot less hygienic than a soap that has had a persons brush on it. So are many other things we touch and use every day. And like Don said, it's soap.
If people afraid of that had ever seen some of the job sites I've had to eat my lunch on they'd have probably never eaten again.

 

[Badgerstate36]

If its a soap that I dont like, I just toss it. Recently, I had a fail with Muhle soaps. I bought a few pucks and really wanted to like them as I love Muhle razors but the soap didnt lather very well and wasnt all that slick.

 

[flintoid49]

Haslinger Schafmilch is one I pitched soon after buying. To me the smell was reminiscent of what a colicky baby spits up.

 

[G.W.]

I would guess that many of us have quite a collection of soaps that we've accumulated over the years. Within that bunch of soaps, we've probably got some that are "must haves" and some that are just "OK". Anything that we deem to be unacceptable for whatever reason, I'll just assume they have been moved on (however that happens for you) as discussed in this thread. Relevant, but slightly different, is how I handle the "just OK" soaps. The ones that maybe I like the smell of, but the performance is mediocre, or maybe I've just grown tired of using, or whatever the reason that places it in the no-man's-land of your soap storage. I will describe my practice below:
I've learned that I need some sort of pre-shave prep to achieve the most comfortable shave. I, unfortunately, cannot just quickly lather-up and go. I prefer a shower and face-scrub prior to shaving, when time permits. When time is a bit tighter, I've taken to giving myself a quick lather with my less-desirable soaps (not looking for a yogurt-like consistency or anything like that, literally just quickly soaping my face with it), and letting that clean my skin and soften my whiskers while I'm doing my other prep, handling the morning duties, etc. This has proven to be a great way to use-up those "OK" soaps, and the last little bits of all of my soaps (shaving and bath soaps when you get down to those too-small-to-be-useful bits, I just throw 'em in with my "preshave" soap), and it works better for me than the pre-shave oils that I've tried.

 

[BJ Sands]

Haslinger Schafmilch and I just don't get along. I'm not sure if it's my method or the lanolin and sheep's milk (though I've thrived with other soaps that have lanolin) but I get no protection and break out after shaving. An immensely mediocre product for me.

I forgot to note that I kinda feel like PIF'ing soaps is icky. And since this product is relatively cheap I don't see the problem in chucking it, especially since it doesn't get along with my skin and wouldn't be good for use as a hand soap.

 

[G.W.]

Additionally, and I think this may have been mentioned by somebody else as well, I will break in boar brushes with soaps that I like the smell of, but don't like the working characteristics of. No sense rinsing your "good" soaps down the drain.

 

[njpaddy]

In 7+ years, Col Conk Bay Rum was the only soap I binned after one use. I love the scent of most any bay rum, but found the CC scent vile and performance equally vile. My worse soap ever. I have sold and PIF'd many used & unused soaps in the past, but in recent years, so-so performers usually wind up in the shower or tossed.

While I find Ogallala Bay Rum an average performer, it does make a great shower soap. I always keep a puck on hand (for shave or shower) because its clove scent reminds me of me grandma's in the 1950's.

 

[cbrf3_97]

I use them to break in brushes, especially boar.

 

[BigJ]

In essence there are two options if you really do not like a soap: PIF or bath. Just my $0.02.

 

[Jaidmaster]

How are you guys using a soft tub of soap (croap) in the shower?
Do you let it sit out in the air for awhile to harden up?
Scoop some out and lather up?
Sorry - I just can't get my head around it.
Thanks!

 

[Blade4vor]

I hoard all shaving soaps! Good, bad, or indifferent!

 

[Bouki]

Good scent, bad lather: Send to the showers.
Bad scent, good lather: Give to a shaving neophyte to let him explore a new soap.
Good scent, good lather (but you've got to make room on the shelf): Sell.
Bad scent, bad lather (I've never met one of these): Trash.

 

[Runnin_Ute]

Never had anything that approached needing/wanting to get rid of. So I don't know what I would do if I did.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Alright so you just bought that soap everyone has talked so highly about. It comes in and you hate it! The scent or the performance are just not up to snuff.

Me I usually PIF them or sell them since there is a good market for them.

On a few occasions I have put the soap in the guest bathroom to be used as hand soap, or even put the soap on shower duty. What do you guys do?

What has been your most recent fail? What was it scent or performance or maybe both? And what did you do.

My most recent fail was used today. Sudsy Soapery Jack Frost. I purchased for a penny during the flash sale they did. The scent was just NO GOOD! I can't under good conscience sell this soap so I will probably PIF it away soon.

Lots of guys like it. Including me. It is an excellent performing soap too. I think you could sell it, but I think a PIF here would be great too.

 

[EPfarnie]

Proraso white (green tea and oatmeal) for 'sensitive skin'... i didn't like the smell, I hated the feel on my skin (it felt like putting on a chemical peel).. I PIF'd it recently to a friend.. who I haven't heard from since.

 

[Kesto]

Trash 'em. I usually agonize over it and procrastinate for a good long time before ultimately coming to terms with the notion of just throwing it away. I'm such a cheapskate I even agonized over tossing out my stick of Arko.

I'm too lazy to want to get involved with sending a loser soap to somebody else - even if they were to pay the shipping.

Swirling my brush on a used soap grosses me out, so that's not gonna happen either.


-Kesto

 

[Hoka Hey]

I personally really like this particular soap. If you don't want to spend a dime, PIF it requesting postage. I've only tried a few soaps, but it's really good stuff.

Mark