1st shot at making my own.

[alpster]

I bought a pound of "Shaving melt & pour" from Bramble Berry along with a few fragrance oils and some liquid glycerin. My first try is sandalwood with added glycerin. When it cools and rests I will run it through a few shaves and report my experience. If this works, it will cut way down on the cost of shaving soaps and allow me to customize the fragrance and glycerin content. I am kind of excited about this experiment. My next batch will be a Menthol Eucalyptus scent (my own Proraso knock off). We'll see how it goes.....

Ronnie

 

[JBLA]

Keep us posted. There are quite a number of well-liked artisanal shaving soaps based on that base or one very similar to it. That base is a heck of a deal for the frugal shaver.

If you get really into it, saponifying the soap at home from the base oils can be fun too.

(Also, you may want to add a few more ingredients to the eucalyptus oil, as it can be a tad harsh on its own. YMMV.)

 

[alpster]

I'm assuming that fragrance oil and essential oil are not the same thing. The oil I ordered is a fragrance oil and not very strong at all (just holding up to my nose). They also have a fragrance calculator on their site that gives the correct amount of a specific fragrance based on the size of the batch. This is what I used in the 'sandalwood' batch. I am VERY new to this and will certainly toss out a few 'experiments' along the way. I have always learned new things by doing it and figuring out what I did wrong. LOL

 

[TxShaver]

How long does it take to set and be ready for use? The time and cost I would think would contribute to the question of ease of just buying soaps.

 

[Aschecte]

I make soap ..... I wonder if melt and pour will work as well as either true hot process or cold processed soaps as the alkalinity in CP and HP Is what you need to soften the hair..... glycerin based soaps are great for the moisturizing properties for your skin but have zero effect on actually softening the hair before the shave. I make shave soap as well if you would like I can post some recipes but be warned it's not for the weak of heart as you will be working with either sodium or potassium hydroxide aka LYE.

 

[alpster]

How long does it take to set and be ready for use? The time and cost I would think would contribute to the question of ease of just buying soaps.

I melted the soap base in the Old Spice mug that it will live in and added the fragrance and glycerin while it was still a liquid. Put it in the fridge for about a half hour and then set it on my shaving rotation shelf. I plan to try it tomorrow after 24 hours of setting. The instructions say you can use it as soon as it gets hard which only takes about an hour. I am choosing to wait 24 hours to test it. The time & energy is minimal, about 20 minutes with most of that time waiting for the soap base to melt in the double boiler. This is by far the easiest shaving related DIY project I have tried so far. Based on the cost of the last two soaps I purchased (Truefitt & Hill and Tabac) which were about $25 each. The cost of a 5oz mug of the homemade (not counting the mug) is about $4. The cost savings is significant, but my larger attraction to it is customizing the fragrance and glycerin content. YMMV

Ronnie

 

[alpster]

I make soap ..... I wonder if melt and pour will work as well as either true hot process or cold processed soaps as the alkalinity in CP and HP Is what you need to soften the hair..... glycerin based soaps are great for the moisturizing properties for your skin but have zero effect on actually softening the hair before the shave. I make shave soap as well if you would like I can post some recipes but be warned it's not for the weak of heart as you will be working with either sodium or potassium hydroxide aka LYE.

The website lists the following ingredients in the shave soap base: Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerin (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soy bean protein (conditioner), Wheat Protein (conditioner). So the sodium hydroxide is there, but of course they do not list the amounts and they post a disclaimer that indicates they would betray their supplier if they listed the detailed recipe.

I would definately be interested in your soap recipes. I have a pretty complete workshop in the basement with safety equipment for handling solvents, caustics, etc.

Ronnie

 

[Aschecte]

Yeah no problem I'll post some SOAPCALC recipes for you guys to look at..... yeah there are certain % of oils that make soaps properties different as well as a high percentage of what is called super-fatting the soap which makes it more" workable. I'll dig up some info and post it in this thread. As a disclaimr I am not recommending anyone trying to make soap unless you take all proper precautions as you deal with caustic chemicals as well as exacting amounts of oils and knowing a basic knowledge of soaping.

 

[mharris127]

I make soap ..... I wonder if melt and pour will work as well as either true hot process or cold processed soaps as the alkalinity in CP and HP Is what you need to soften the hair..... glycerin based soaps are great for the moisturizing properties for your skin but have zero effect on actually softening the hair before the shave. I make shave soap as well if you would like I can post some recipes but be warned it's not for the weak of heart as you will be working with either sodium or potassium hydroxide aka LYE.

An application and wipe-off of one of the knock-offs of Noxzema found in places such as Wal-Mart, Family Dollar or Dollar General (or Noxzema itself but why pay the higher price) or a good pre-shave lotion meant for wet shaving before lathering up and shaving will wash away hair oils and allow you to soak your beard adequately before shaving. Using this method a decent shaving melt and pour soap like Brambleberry should work just fine.