Best Way to Use Small Soap Samples

[naperjp]

I'm only a couple weeks into my new life as a DE shaver, and I received a couple of soap samples from Captain's Choice with a recent order. I'm wondering what is the best way to use them. They came in a plastic flip top container that is about the size of a half dollar. Right now I am bowl lathering in a Captain's Choice lather bowl with ridges on the bottom. Should I press a small amount of soap (fingernail sized?) into the bottom of this bowl and lather straight from there? Is there a better way to do this?

Thanks in advance.
John

 

[Haggises]

I press a sample into the bottom of an empty tub and pick up as much soap as I need from there. I then go to the face, you could go to a bowl, or even make lather on top of the sample - sometimes this works better as it can be hard to pick up enough soap.

 

[naperjp]

I'm so new to this that I don't have any empty tins yet. I'm looking to place an order of some samples from Stirling and will grab an empty tin or two, that way I'll have some on hand. Might just be a coffee mug or the lather bowl for now.
Thanks.

 

[Snorlax]

The Stirling samples and tins will be great for this exact issue.

 

[gaj90027]

Depending on the shape and size of the soap sample you can also rub the moistened soap directly on your face like you would if it was a shave stick then face lather.

 

[WildWest74]

I usually put samples into a small shallow glass bowl, or an empty soap tin from another maker.

 

[FatboyFan]

if I have small samples disks, generally the fit in the smaller Sterling soap tins..I bought a few. I just toss it in and it fits well

 

[Riyame]

I'm so new to this that I don't have any empty tins yet. I'm looking to place an order of some samples from Stirling and will grab an empty tin or two, that way I'll have some on hand. Might just be a coffee mug or the lather bowl for now.
Thanks.

Personally I use small round ziploc containers. They are cheap and big enough to load a brush in.

 

[TropicalHotDogNight]

Should I press a small amount of soap (fingernail sized?) into the bottom of this bowl and lather straight from there?

No, you wont get any lather that way. Press the entire sample into a bowl, and flatten it out for maximum surface area. The less surface area you have, the harder it is to load your brush.

 

[Ad Astra]

Smear it in the bowl- and less than you think!

AA

 

[dangerousdon]

I think you are getting the idea with what people are saying. With the Captain's Choice samples (I have had plenty of these) are great soaps and are easy to work with. If you are going to bowl lather then you will need to find a bowl or a mug to put the sample in. I regularly get samples and I use an old Campbell's soup mug because it is slightly shallower than a coffee mug but wider too. This makes a great mug to load from. If you just want to do one shave and save the rest until later, take out about a quarter to a third of the contents and push it into the bottom of something like I mentioned. I suggest, however, that you take the whole of the soap sample and do this. As mentioned above, the more surface area the easier it will be to load, but don't overdo it either...don't spread it out in the entire bowl or mug. It might work for one shave but then you are wondering where your soap went to for subsequent shaves. If you get a small puck of soap or a small bar or wedge of hard soap...I suggest applying the soap directly to your face like a soap stick. This works very well and you don't waste any of the sample. Hope this helps.

 

[objectuser]

I agree that you should put the whole sample in something. I wouldn't worry about getting more tins or anything unless you have nothing around the house. Use any bowl that's big enough to let you work your brush around. It can be plastic, glass, whatever. If you don't have anything stop by a dollar store and pick up something usable.

 

[BSAGuy]

With a small brush?

 

[dangerousdon]

With a small brush?

You joke, but I remember when I was more of newb than I am now, I had no idea how I was supposed load a brush in those small sample containers!

 

[tlentz]

I press a sample into the bottom of an empty tub and pick up as much soap as I need from there. I then go to the face, you could go to a bowl, or even make lather on top of the sample - sometimes this works better as it can be hard to pick up enough soap.

+1

 

[dotKomo]

You may need to spend more time loading, but I have found the moistening and then sticking the sample in the bottom of a bowl/mug/container effective. I always bloom hard soaps, so that helps.

You can also hold the soap sample, rub it into your moistened face, and then build a lather directly (similar to a shave stick). The only problem with doing that is that the soap is slippery and hard to hold, especially as the piece gets smaller.

 

[gwsmallwood]

I'm so new to this that I don't have any empty tins yet. I'm looking to place an order of some samples from Stirling and will grab an empty tin or two, that way I'll have some on hand. Might just be a coffee mug or the lather bowl for now.
Thanks.

Stirling and Ginger's Garden samples are an anomaly. They are cut from full size pucks, so they're easy enough to press into an empty mug, tin, etc. I had your same problem with the tiny Through The Fire samples. They come in tiny tins. It's difficult to even get them out of there, but that's really the only way to get them loaded properly. You have to scoop them out of the tiny containers and press them into the bottom of something with enough room to load your brush.

 

[SHAVEWIZARD420]

I just scoop a small amount and press it in the bottom of a bowl, and lather. I try to spread the soap out so there is more surface area, but I don't find much of a difference if I press the entire sample, or just a sliver of soap. I do spend a bit more time loading when using samples, so it is easier to get a good lather.

 

[naperjp]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'll see if I can find a small, short, round ziploc container, there's got to be one of those amongst the 500 others in the drawer. I'm gonna test my sample tomorrow, we'll see how it goes.

Thanks