Mixing soaps

[Doc Dan]

Does anybody mix soaps to get different experiences from them. I often mix Stirling Unscented Beeswax with other soaps to make them perform better. However, today I mixed these two:

I mixed them half and half as near as I could tell. I lathered a bit in my hand to make sure I got them mixed right in the brush. I wiped that lather on my face and then face lathered as normal I actually got a creamier feel and got a nice blend of the scents. It was a good experiment.

 

[nemo]

Does anybody mix soaps to get different experiences from them?

Yes, of course. Usually referred to as Frankensoap.

Yet in your example you're mixing cream with soap, commonly called Superlather.
Not to be confused with Uberlather (cream, soap, and glycerin). Search here for it.

What is a superlather? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/what-is-a-superlather.549600/

Don't forget the Clownbarf!

 

[dmshaver]

I always keep a tub of Mitchel's Wool Fat mixed about 50/50 with Haslinger Schafmilch. Outstanding! Thanks for posting the thread @Doc Dan, always good to keep our members informed about ideas to improve their shaves!

 

[geneaut]

I have some Leviathan I have thought of mixing with some Stirling Beeswax just to cut the scent level a notch or two.

I also mix Stirling samples to make new scents. Most so far have revolved around Bay Rum, but I have an idea for Coniferous and Frozen Tundra.

 

[Lane101]

Hi @Doc Dan ,

I've done a lot of experimentation in mixing soaps for the ideal budget mix. See my older post discussing some of this via the link below.

My best mix, that delivers core shaving performance (ease of loading/lather creation, slickness and lather stability) as good as any of my commercial soaps includes two pucks of Van Der Hagen Deluxe (5oz total), two pucks Williams (3.5oz), Arko (2oz), Proraso Red (1oz), Dove Men+Care (2oz) and Ivory (2oz) to produce five 3oz+ pucks of shaving soap for under $2 U.S. of ingredients each. Arko can substitute for all the Williams since the latter is discontinued. Lots of posts from others on mixing soaps.

Focused all my mixing on the budget end of the spectrum as I've seen no need to molest my better commercial soaps such as Mitchell's Wool Fat, new formula Tabac, D.R. Harris, Cyril R. Salter and Razorock What-the-Puck. These deliver quality core shaving performance on their own with added benefits, over my custom mix above, of better scent and enhanced post-shave feel.

Anyone tried handsoap (Dove)?

I’ve tried Yardley and Dove in the past and had gotten decent results. I’ll have to try it again as we have a years supply of Dove in the bathroom closet.

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Guido75]

The only mixing I have done so far is a full puck of Arko and a full puck of Tabac to arrive at Tabarko - superior lathering performance and it takes away some of the heavier scents in Tabac - LOTH does not approve of Tabac, but she is ok with Tabarko.

 

[Lane101]

I always keep a tub of Mitchel's Wool Fat mixed about 50/50 with Haslinger Schafmilch. Outstanding! Thanks for posting the thread @Doc Dan, always good to keep our members informed about ideas to improve their shaves!

Glad that you enjoy that blend. What enhancements does it deliver compared to MWF alone? Also recall a video from someone who grated and mixed pucks of MWF and tallow Tabac with reported good results.

For me I've never been able to bring myself to molest one of my MWF pucks because it works so well on its own. It delivers what I consider a really luxurious lather with its enjoyable unique mild scent and excellent post shave feel. Even less likely to molest one now since the formula change.

 

[Lane101]

The only mixing I have done so far is a full puck of Arko and a full puck of Tabac to arrive at Tabarko - superior lathering performance and it takes away some of the heavier scents in Tabac - LOTH does not approve of Tabac, but she is ok with Tabarko.

Hi, was this with the tallow Tabac formula or the newer non-tallow Tabac? I use the latter and have found it really easy lather.

For both Arko and Tabac leaving them in a open shaving soap container allows the scent to rapidly dissipate to something much milder that is still pleasant if you would like an alternative approach that gets you LOTH approval.

 

[Guido75]

Hi, was this with the tallow Tabac formula or the newer non-tallow Tabac? I use the latter and have found it really easy lather.

For both Arko and Tabac leaving them in a open shaving soap container allows the scent to rapidly dissipate to something much milder that is still pleasant if you would like an alternative approach that gets you LOTH approval.

That was tallowed Tabac - still available at my local drugstore : At least last time I checked.

I tried the airdrying thing here in the garden and in the wind, but Tabac reigned supreme when I took it back in. It is also a mindset thing to add to the discussion - it reminds her of my dad who also uses Tabac. Choice to make it into something else was an easy one for me!

Guido.

 

[mikhou]

I haven't done it with any artisan soaps, but my frankensoap of Arko, VDH Luxury, and Dove Men Care 3 in 1 Extra Fresh works very well and smells great.

 

[Lane101]

That was tallowed Tabac - still available at my local drugstore : At least last time I checked.

I tried the airdrying thing here in the garden and in the wind, but Tabac reigned supreme when I took it back in. It is also a mindset thing to add to the discussion - it reminds her of my dad who also uses Tabac. Choice to make it into something else was an easy one for me!

Guido.

Makes sense, others, who have used both tallow and non-tallow Tabac, noted that the scent in the new version was not as strong or persistent as that of the tallow version.

Note that it took a couple of weeks in the open bowl from my Tabac scent to dissipate to roughly a tenth of its original level.

 

[Lane101]

I haven't done it with any artisan soaps, but my frankensoap of Arko, VDH Luxury, and Dove Men Care 3 in 1 Extra Fresh works very well and smells great.

Nice blend, suspect the glycerin in the VDH Luxury (not listed as a VDH Deluxe ingredient) adds to slickness.

Do you grate the Arko and Dove and then mix with melted VDH? I've found that melted VDH, in addition to improving ease of lathering, acts as an excellent binder to the other grated ingredients in my custom Van Der Williams + Arko blend.

 

[mikhou]

Nice blend, suspect the glycerin in the VDH Luxury (not listed as a VDH Deluxe ingredient) adds to slickness.

Do you grate the Arko and Dove and then mix with melted VDH? I've found that melted VDH, in addition to improving ease of lathering, acts as an excellent binder to the other grated ingredients in my custom Van Der Williams + Arko blend.

My understanding is that VDH Luxury cannot be melted so I just grate all 3 of them in equal portions and then smush them into a cake in a small bowl and lather directly off of that.

 

[Lane101]

My understanding is that VDH Luxury cannot be melted so I just grate all 3 of them in equal portions and then smush them into a cake in a small bowl and lather directly off of that.

Hi Mikhou, Unless there has been a recent formula change there is no reason it can't be melted. Formula is similar to the Deluxe version with some added trace ingredients such as glycerin and mango butter. Primary melt and pour ingredients are the same.

When I melt my Deluxe VDH the key is to microwave it just enough. Typically a couple of 10 second microwave bursts is all it takes.

Also there is a link below confirming that B&Bers have successfully melted the soap. Only risk is that there have been changes to the ingredients over the years that I posted on a couple of year ago.

Just microwaved my Van Der Hagen Luxury soap. did I messed it up?

I was really desperate to fit this soap to my beautiful mug but my mug is just 2 inch wider than the soap. So I decided to microwave it in short bursts at 10 seconds at a time. Now I am a little worried that I messed up some of the ingredients. Grating is not an option for me because the soap is...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Doc Dan]

These are some good mixes. The only other mixing I have tried is to mix the Stirling Unscented Beeswax with Arko, Cella, other Stirling soaps, WTP, and some others that I wanted to be better. The beeswax really is a good performer and a good replacement for lanolin.

Looking at some of those above, maybe I need to get more creative with my mixing.

 

[Marco]

I never mix products of any kind. To me a given product, in this case a soap, is either great on its own and worth keeping or bad and worth ditching.

 

[ChriWilson]

The extent of my mixing is using PAA Scentsless or a bit of Speick Tallow I keep readily onhand to boost lathering or volume.

 

[brucered]

I never mix products of any kind. To me a given product, in this case a soap, is either great on its own and worth keeping or bad and worth ditching.

Adding your quote to these from 2012.

For those who say you need a bowl to uberlather, I say a product that cannot stand on its own does not deserve a place in my cabinet.

I also never understood "uberlathering". if it doesn't work on it's own, i get rid of it.

2013

I add water, nothing else.

I am at the stage where if it doesn't stand on it's own, without adding glycerine or uberlathering, I won't keep it around.

 

[Lane101]

I never mix products of any kind. To me a given product, in this case a soap, is either great on its own and worth keeping or bad and worth ditching.

Hi Marko and @brucered , Respect that approach, especially in Europe where so many great shaving soaps are available for a fraction of the price we get charged here in the U.S.

Many of the soaps that we pay $10-$20 for here are sold for just a few dollars in Europe like MWF with U.S. pricing of $15-20 versus a U.K. price of around 6-7 British Pounds ($7-8 U.S.), Prorasso that sells for $10 here versus often a third of that price in Italy or Cyril R. Salter Shaving Soap that sells for 4-5 British Pounds ($5-6) in the U.K. versus $10-15 from U.S. retailers.

With the greater U.S. pricing differential there is a greater payback on the effort required to blend different soaps especially since we've found that custom blends can deliver core shaving performance that is as good or better than products like those above for less that $2 U.S. per 3+ ounce puck.

While the economics are relevant there is also a hobbyist element to this as many of us enjoy blending our own custom shaving soaps. Even though I was able to stock up on a variety of bargain priced (e.g. MWF landed in the U.S. at under $6 U.S. per puck) quality commercial soaps including all of those noted above in the fall of 2022 when the U.K. exchange rate collapsed I still keep one of my budget blends in my primary soap rotation because it works so well and, once I 3017 my latest batch, want to further experiment with adjustments to my latest formula.

The hobbyist element extends beyond just the reduction of soap cost as many fellow B&B members like to blend more premium soaps (or superlather with a cream) that, while they are great on their own, are perceived to be even better when part of a blend.

 

[mikhou]

These are some good mixes. The only other mixing I have tried is to mix the Stirling Unscented Beeswax with Arko, Cella, other Stirling soaps, WTP, and some others that I wanted to be better. The beeswax really is a good performer and a good replacement for lanolin.

Looking at some of those above, maybe I need to get more creative with my mixing.

I love the idea of mixing Sterling Beeswax with other soaps. I'm going to have to keep that in my back pocket.