Do vintage soaps have less life to them?

[honeybadger79]

I started using my first vintage soap day after day (Williams) and it seems to be dissapoearing quite fast, relative to what I’m used to.

I wonder if this is a vintage Williams thing, or a vintage thing in general, or perhaps I’m just imagining things?

 

[sarimento1]

I started using my first vintage soap day after day (Williams) and it seems to be dissapoearing quite fast, relative to what I’m used to.

I wonder if this is a vintage Williams thing, or a vintage thing in general, or perhaps I’m just imagining things?

me thinks you're imagining!
I have no issue with vintage vs modern shave soap 'disappearance'!

 

[nemo]

Not in my experience. I have had a few soaps I wished would disappear quickly.

 

[ajkel64]

The only thing that I think that vintage soaps would lose is smell. To me a soap is a soap and should still work regardless of how old it is.

 

[honeybadger79]

The only thing that I think that vintage soaps would lose is smell. To me a soap is a soap and should still work regardless of how old it is.

Oh, it definitely works. It’s a fantasitic soap. I just seem to be going through it quickly

 

[zygalski]

Maybe just use less product?
Virtually all the shaving videos on youtube show people proudly creating enough lather for 6+ passes. it just leaves me thinking their soaps cost them twice as much as they should.

 

[BigJ]

The only thing that I think that vintage soaps would lose is smell. To me a soap is a soap and should still work regardless of how old it is.

+1! Yep! I wish they would bring back products like Colgate and OS using the vintage recipes!!

 

[Boar Fighter]

If anything, soaps that are very old, become harder and takes more effort to "dig" into them. Soaps have curing time. The longer they are exposed to air, the more water evaporates, they become harder and last longer. This applies to common soap, i don't see why not to shaving soap too.

 

[honeybadger79]

I have many hard soaps and use them over the years. The only other variable I can point to is water getting under the puck in the snug mug its in. The bottom may have gotten wet, sloppy, and trapped down there.

 

[honeybadger79]

Maybe it doesnt help that I soak the puck in hot water while showering. Will try without doing that. Probably isnt needed

 

[Boar Fighter]

Maybe it doesnt help that I soak the puck in hot water while showering. Will try without doing that. Probably isnt needed

A soap that remains wet longer, melts faster. This is why in the old days, when we were still using bar soap, there were bar stands that would allow the soap to drip its water beneath, instead of just keeping the soap in a pool of water.

 

[honeybadger79]

A soap that remains wet longer, melts faster. This is why in the old days, when we were still using bar soap, there were bar stands that would allow the soap to drip its water beneath, instead of just keeping the soap in a pool of water.

Yup. See, the shaving mug I was using made a good seal with this soap. It typically kept the water out of the underside of the puck. I think it sprung a leak in its nice seal along the side and got very sloppy underneath after that. I think this is where it went wrong