A strange question about a bowl

[osueng800]

I am using C & E Nomad soap and have been observing a strange phenomenon. Previously I was using the Van Der Hagen kit as a starter and after finishing off the soap, kept the bowl. Now the Nomad soap diameter is almost exactly the same as the ID bowl diameter, and I basically wedged the soap in nearly flat with the top of the bowl and initiated use. I know all soaps are different, lather and moisturize differently too, but this soap doesn’t lather very well for me. I’ve read many posts speaking to the respectable lather built by others and noticed a mentioning about “milling.” I am assuming this means to cut away at the soap to fit the bowl/mug.
Does bowl/mug depth to soap matter?
This is a strange question, but it was something I was thinking about while shaving this morning.

 

[kingfisher]

Milling typically refers to grating the soap completely and then pressing it down into the bottom of your container, rather than just to trimming to fit. Milling may perhaps offer a slight advantage in lathering in some cases versus a non-milled puck.

As far as surface area to volume ratio and lathering, I'd say that as long as you are able to sufficiently load the brush with soap it shouldn't matter. You could argue that loading might be easier when the surface area of the soap is larger, but a smaller surface area shouldn't be able to completely prevent you from loading the brush.

 

[sodajerk]

+1 with not mattering. I think milling might be done when you have a small puck in a large bowl. To keep it from slipping around, you mill it and form to fit.

Question; do you know the parrot has a name? )

 

[galopede]

I find I can load the brush far better if there's a centimetre or more bowl wall above the top of the soap. I can thrash the brush around far better when it doesn't go over the edges.

I have most of my soaps as refills (tight git!) and they are in little Tupperware type plastic tubs with lids and there;s plenty of space above the soaps.

Gareth