A disconcerting but revealing soap experience

[Polarbeard]

I've just had a disconcerting, but revealing experience. I woke up wondering how many shaving soaps and creams I actually have acquired over the years so I pulled out the very large plastic box and decided to count the content of it and moved it to a shelf in a wardrobe. There were 65 soaps/creams/croaps in the box, 61 of them are totally unused, some of them still are in bubble wrapping.

My policy is to have a limited number of soaps in my rotation and I try to use them up before replacing any of them. I use up about four of them per year. I do have a categorisation of them:

1. Tabac (Always in my rotation)
2. Sandalwood
3. Neutral (to go with any cologne)
4. Rose
5. Variety is the spice of life.

So all in all I have 70 soaps/creams/croaps. If I continue to consume 4 soaps a year this means that I have soaps for another 17.5 years. I've had a hunch of that it was pretty bad so I have pifed a lot of soaps, but you can only give away a certain amount of soaps to your friends before they start to suspect that you are giving them hints regarding their personal hygiene.

Conclusion: I don't have to concern myself with how much soap I spend and I won't buy any more.

Now I need you to come out and confess that you're even worse out than I am. There's nothing more soothing, when it comes to a bad conscience, than the knowledge that there are others that are even worse.

 

[Tokyospike]

I’m sorry. I’m a piker. I can’t help you. But, I don’t believe you need to have a bad conscience about a box of fine soaps.

 

[GearNoir]

Dang Arne!

I only had about 8 full sized soaps the first couple years of my journey (2 for the very first year and a half). I was recently increased to about 15 to some generous friends who wanted to offload their unliked or “just OK” soaps. It’s been a real treat! I can’t imagine staring at 70+ every day wondering what to use...

Better start loading em like you hate em!

 

[Brian C.]

And here I thought I was bad with 12. I’ve only got 4 years worth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Wow! I currently have two tub soaps and a shave stick which are in use. In the spares tin I have one more tin of soap and some spare shave sticks ... and that feels excessive to me. I can't imagine what seventy soaps would feel like.

 

[Nick Weepers]

I am currently trying (and failing) to keep my soap collection to a Baker’s Dozen. I am well aware that if I’m not actively keeping track, it WILL quickly get out of hand.

So many soaps, so little time...

 

[Surgeon]

I'm like you, I try to have a limited number in the rotation and finish them before I open a new one.
However, I only have 7 "in stock" and 3 in rotation so I guess I'm a hardcore minimalist compared to most of you...

 

[Rhody]

My stash, collection, stockpile is split upin different locations so thats my excuse not to count. I do use most everything at least once ive never finished anything yet

 

[Ad Astra]

There are several ways to see this ...

I have a spice cabinet in the kitchen. Without doubt, the lemon pepper will cake up, bay leaves crumble, and others lose their potency ... But they really didn't cost much, and give me fine options while cooking.

Will I live long enough to use up 70 colognes and dozens of soaps? Doubtful. Will I buy more? Yes. They add more enjoyment to life than their cost takes away.

There's about 50 vintage Gilletes floating around here; they'll never be consumed. Yet there's this one model I still don't have ...


AA

 

[Rhody]

They add more enjoyment to life than their cost takes away.

Well said!

 

[rockviper]

I've been 3017ing since late 2012 for this very reason. Alas, my stash seems to be breeding...

Spoiler: my 3017 journey

???????- Oct.14.2012.....Col.Conk Amber (small puck)
Oct.15 - Dec.19.2012.....VDH Deluxe
Dec.20 - Jan.07.2013.....Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet (partial tub)..... Wowwee!!!!
Jan.08 - Mar.06.2013.....C&E Sienna cream
Mar.07 - Mar.28.2013.....Mama Bear Aged Spice (mug soap; they're so tiny, they're cute!)
Mar.29 - May.25.2013.....Palmolive Classica Naturale cream
May.26 - Jun.22.2013.....Proraso Green tube (partial tube, old formula)
Jun.23 - Sep.27.2013.....TOBS Sandalwood cream (I love sandalwood products)
Sep.28 - Nov.02.2013.....Mama Bear Northwoods (partial puck)
Nov.03 - Dec.14.2013.....Mama Bear Amber Romance (partial puck)
Dec.15 - Jan.31.2014.....Klar Kabinett (partial, suspended to 3017 D.R.Harris PIF)
Feb.01 - Aug.29.2014.....D.R. Harris Arlington ........ Nope, no typo; 215 shaves from that puck
Aug.30 - Sep.29.2014.....Klar Kabinett (back in use after the Arlington finished)
Sep.30 - Oct.15.2014.....Rose of Bulgaria cream (partial tube)
Oct.16 - Oct.20.2014.....D.R. Harris Almond (partial tube)
Oct.21 - Oct.31.2014.....RazoRock XXX (partial tub)
Nov.01 - Dec.24.2014.....Blue Willy (grated Williams soaked in Aqua Velva)
Dec.25 - Feb.20.2015.....Dr Dittmar
Feb.21 - Mar.31.2015.....12 cream samples from Mr Bingle Secret Santa
Apr.01 - Apr.19.2015.....Mama Bear Lime Ice (partial puck)
Apr.20 - Jun.22.2015.....Captain's Choice Bay Rum (1/2 container)
Jun.23 - Aug.13.2015.....Mama Bear Winter Grapefruit (partial puck)
Aug.14 - Oct.10.2015.....Godrej round
Oct.11 - Nov.20.2015.....Mitchell's Wool Fat (partial puck)
Nov.21 - Jan.05.2016.....Mama Bear Cucumber Mint (partial puck)
Jan.06 - Feb.15.2016.....Mama Bear Dragon's Blood (partial puck)
Feb.16 - Apr.17.2016.....Cella, Crema da Barba all'Olio di Mandorla
Apr.18 - May.22.2016.....Klar Kabinett (partial puck) **** converted to Nougat blend with 5 other soaps
May.23 - Jun.07.2016.....Proraso Sandalwood (partial tube)
Jun.08 - Sep.27.2016.....nougat (partials of Klar Kabinett, Valobra stick, La Toja stick, Mama Bear's Hydrogen, Mama Bear's Hazelnut, and Arko)
Sep.28 - Oct.28.2016.....Samples (Stone Cottage Hesperides, Mama Bear Spicey Lime)
Oct.29 - Nov.10.2016.....WSP Tobacco, travel puck
Nov.11 - Nov.21.2016.....WSP Matterhorn, travel puck
Nov.22 - Jan.10.2017.....Monsavon
Jan.11 - Feb.01.2017.....Godrej round (suspended to participate in 3017 WILLIAMS thread)
Feb.02 - Apr.07.2017.....Vegan Willy (grated Williams soaked in Lilac Vegetal)
Apr.08 - May.14.2017.....Godrej round (continuation)
May.15-xxx.xx.xxxx.....P.160 Tipo Morbido (650g)

 

[shave/brush]

I try to be a minimalist but I am not doing so well. I have 9 soap pucks, 15 shave sticks, and 2 creams. Only 7 aftershaves.
If I had it to do over I would have held the sticks to 4, pucks to 3, and creams to 1 and aftershaves to 3. But it's too late now.

 

[musicman1951]

I have been heading in the opposite direction, but I have clear favorites. Some shavers love variety, I love to use one of my favorites.

I just started a jar of MdC that will last over a year with daily use. I have a tub of CF Lavender that will suffice for my occasional desire for something different. At some point about 6 months or so from now I'll get another tub of WK Bare Naked. I have a tub of Haslinger's that mostly serves as my travel soap. That's it for me.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

DR Harris and Cade in rotation. MWF and Haslingers in the wings. Couple VDH pucks in reserve for travel + a Godrej round.

 

[psfred]

I started making soap last year and experimenting with scents, so I have 12 or so experiments of various weights waiting to get used up. Also bought all the Haslinger scents last winter, some MWF, Tabac, and one of the Oglalla flavors, and had four Col. Conks from when I started. Couple pucks of Williams since it's in the local grocery. Couldn't resist a dozen Arko sticks, and just for fun got a Palmolive stick and a Derby cause, well, shipping.

Then I discovered I use VERY little soap per shave....

Will make more shaving soap eventually, but mostly because I didn't use any perservative in the first batches and they are slowly going rancid and may not last long enough to actually use. Otherwise, I'm fixed for at least a decade.

No more soap purchases for me, I like my own better.

 

[Rory1262]

I hadn't amassed such a stockpile...but it was sizable enough to prompt me to do a number of PIFs.
I'm keeping some good ones aside for the St. Sue auction too.

 

[BigJ]

I keep the soaps in my current rotation in the bathroom (probably enough for 2-3 years)!

That way I don’t need to count the back-ups and extras stashed in my shop!!

 

[jackgoldman123]

I think resistance is futile. I see a new artisan soap with great reviews and voila I am shaving with the new found soap. I wish you the best on your soap hiatus. I have SSAD something fierce, there is no cure. Too much ain't enough. Life is too short and soaps for me are a lot less expensive than other hobbies...

 

[Hoka Hey]

I’m no help. Only 50 or so. Probably at least 20 I’ll never use.

 

[Mike R]

There are several ways to see this ...

I have a spice cabinet in the kitchen. Without doubt, the lemon pepper will cake up, bay leaves crumble, and others lose their potency ... But they really didn't cost much, and give me fine options while cooking.

Will I live long enough to use up 70 colognes and dozens of soaps? Doubtful. Will I buy more? Yes. They add more enjoyment to life than their cost takes away.

There's about 50 vintage Gilletes floating around here; they'll never be consumed. Yet there's this one model I still don't have ...


AA

I'll go with somethting like this. Maybe 40 soaps / creams, 20 colognes. 50-ish razors. I mainly stopped buying soaps and creams about 10 years ago. I've picked up a few soaps and creams in the last few years but have given away about as many.