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Shaving soap . How long can they last ?

So I was predominantly a cream guy until recently when I went back to using soaps but i tend to use many different soaps and rotate them .

My question is how long do these soaps stay “fresh “ once you have lathered them for the first time ?

The brands I have are
Stirling
B&M
Fine
Proraso

For eg I have a B&M serville that I first used maybe 2 years ago and it’s still great .
Also their older Cheshire and solstice I first used the puck over 2 years ago and it’s still good .



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So I was predominantly a cream guy until recently when I went back to using soaps but i tend to use many different soaps and rotate them .

My question is how long do these soaps stay “fresh “ once you have lathered them for the first time ?

The brands I have are
Stirling
B&M
Fine
Proraso

For eg I have a B&M serville that I first used maybe 2 years ago and it’s still great .
Also their older Cheshire and solstice I first used the puck over 2 years ago and it’s still good .



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It makes me feel good that you have good scent after 2 years. I'm hoping you come back in 3 more and say they still have their scent. [emoji16]

From my understanding, they last longer if you don't introduce water (lather in the tub). Of course there's also temperature, humidity, air exposure, etc. that likely plays a part.

I'm too new to traditional shaving to have any experience (under 2 years), but I'm watching to see what the concensus is. [emoji106]
 
I lather on the tub but after each use I'll leave the lid off overnight. This seems to work well for me. Several tubs that I don't use frequently I've had for years.
 
Soaps last so long as they are kept under reasonable conditions. I have used vintage soaps (OS, Colgate, Williams, etc.) from decades ago. They may have lost their scent and require a bit of extra water, but performance remained just fine! :a14::a14:
 
I lather on the tub but after each use I'll leave the lid off overnight. This seems to work well for me. Several tubs that I don't use frequently I've had for years.
Interesting ive never done that. I guess it makes sense to let it dry out a bit before covering up or closing the screw top lid. I usually just make sure i shake out any excess water in the tub.
 
Interesting ive never done that. I guess it makes sense to let it dry out a bit before covering up or closing the screw top lid. I usually just make sure i shake out any excess water in the tub.

If you’re using the soap every day this is probably not necessary, but if you rotate soaps it’s a great best practice!
 

Raven Koenes

My precious!
Four years ago I started acquiring too many soaps to ever go through a tub. I load from the tub and put the lid back on. I do nothing special. The oldest ones, Proraso Red, Tabac, and Arko smell just as good as the day I got them.
 
I lather on the tub but after each use I'll leave the lid off overnight. This seems to work well for me. Several tubs that I don't use frequently I've had for years.

I do the same and it's worked for years. I have a favorite and sadly out of production Earl Grey soap from Mama Bear's Soaps that I've been rationing on special occasions since 2009 and it still smells great and lathers like it always did.
 
I have a couple hard puck soaps that I’ve used at least once a week since 2008. Still have plenty of scent and lots more soap left lol
 
The triple milled vintage soaps seem to last forevever. I have a puck of Yardleys from 1914 that still lathers like a champ. My artisan soaps may have a shelf life I just haven't reached it yet. Some are nine years old. I let them dry out uncovered for 48 hours before I put the lid back on and put them away.

Clayton

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interesting responses thanks. I will have to try the "lid off" technique. I will just have to let me wife know to leave my soaps alone. I always just close the lid the put the soaps away but im worried about some of the artisan ones could go bad if there is some water/dampness left on the soap.
 
I've definitely been working on a Stirling soap for about 2.5 years now and no signs of it going bad yet or even the scent diminishing at all. I was actually wondering how people manage to keep a soap rotation fresh without feeling wasteful since I don't seem to go through more than a tub/year.
 
With some soaps, there is a fading of scent, e.g. with some Calani soaps. Kathy (owner of Calani) told me, that it depends on whether or in which amount essential oils are used. A lot of essential oils have a more or less short shelf life. Most fragrance oils can more or less last forever.

In my experience Stirling, Saponificio Varesino and most industrial soaps last forever. Some artisam soaps will loose the scent. Valobra Almond soft soap, Cella and such can ideed go quite rancy and start to stink.
 
I don't usually leave lids off overnight, and if I do (if I shave right before bed, for example) the lid is just set on top crooked so there's a quarter- to eighth-inch gap on one side. A couple hours is usually plenty to let them dry out enough, and I'm in a relatively humid climate.

I've got plenty of soaps, including Italian soft soaps, that I've had since 2011 or so and they're pretty much like new, no deterioration in scent or performance at all. This includes Calani, RazoRock "Linea Officina Artigiana," MWF, and everything in between.

One word of advice that might seem like heresy on this site: never "bloom" soaps. I've never found it necessary, even for the hardest soaps, and it's very often detrimental in the long run.

In short: let them dry out (to a reasonable degree), seal them up tight, keep them cool, and you should be good to go.
 
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