When I first started this hobby and before I started collecting different soaps I was putting the ends of our bar soap in my mug. We use Costco brand bar soap and it worked great. I have yet to find a cream or shaving soap that lathered as well as it did. The soap has 25% moisturizing cream using pure vegetable oils in it, detergent-free and has a light pleasant peppermint like smell that does not linger. You get 14 bars each 4.5 ounces in a box and each bar is shrink wrapped. Has anyone else tried this?