Educate me on some triple mulled hard puck soaps.

[jonwilson]

I have dr harris, tobs, pre de provence, razorock what the puck, etc

my favorite and the only triple milled shave soaps that I use currently are pre de provence no 63 and bergamot and thyme

is arko considered a triple milled soap? I also use that. I have seen that say that arko is triple milled, but I don't believe it is.

 

[Shave Souffle]

I see Mama Bear is a glycerine soap. I’ve read mixed reviews on here about it. Was considering one of the 5oz pucks and melt it down into one of my several empty shave stick containers i bought for my arkos, and others. Has anyone tried melting their soaps and putting it into the empty shave stick containers? The instructions she gives were confusing about taking the lid off; putting it in the microwave; and then using 10 second bursts, but then says to use a glass container to melt it in in the microwave. So do you need to take it out of the mama bear container into a glass pyrex type measuring cup with a spout that can be poured into the empty shave stick container? Would the hot liquid soap leak out the bottom or not before it cooled into a solid? I’m thinking it will be like hot wax consistency and drip out making a huge mess. Anyone done this before?

 

[NorthernSoul]

I see Mama Bear is a glycerine soap. I’ve read mixed reviews on here about it. Was considering one of the 5oz pucks and melt it down into one of my several empty shave stick containers i bought for my arkos, and others. Has anyone tried melting their soaps and putting it into the empty shave stick containers? The instructions she gives were confusing about taking the lid off; putting it in the microwave; and then using 10 second bursts, but then says to use a glass container to melt it in in the microwave. So do you need to take it out of the mama bear container into a glass pyrex type measuring cup with a spout that can be poured into the empty shave stick container? Would the hot liquid soap leak out the bottom or not before it cooled into a solid? I’m thinking it will be like hot wax consistency and drip out making a huge mess. Anyone done this before?

You can melt glycerin soaps. Other kinds of shaving soaps will be ruined in the process.

It works better to melt a soap to fit into a bowl for an exact fit. For a stick, you would need to make a mold, using for example, a cardboard tube. Once the stick is molded, then put it in your container.

The best way I've found for making a shave stick is to slice the soap into thin pieces, spray them with a little warm water, and press them into a mold or a stick container. This works for all kinds of soaps. You can also grate the soap using a cheese grater. The end result is similar.

 

[coops]

Grate the soap, mix and press into the stick container.

Arko, on its own, is pliable enough to be squeezed/pressed directly into a bowl or inserted directly into a stick container.

I mix Arko & Mitchell's Wool Fat (a very hard soap) - grate them, mix and press into the twist up container. Easy.

Also mixed Cella & MWF - Cella is quite soft, so best to freeze first then grate. Mixed with the hard MWF it does make a very nice stick.

 

[Shave Souffle]

Grate the soap, mix and press into the stick container.

Arko, on its own, is pliable enough to be squeezed/pressed directly into a bowl or inserted directly into a stick container.

I mix Arko & Mitchell's Wool Fat (a very hard soap) - grate them, mix and press into the twist up container. Easy.

Also mixed Cella & MWF - Cella is quite soft, so best to freeze first then grate. Mixed with the hard MWF it does make a very nice stick.

Good idea about freezing some first before grating. One of the first things I did was put my Arko in a 2ounce twist up container. It fit the container fine, just had to put the plastic rod through the center of the arko.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

Ive melted mamabear soap in the microwave. I started by grating it with a cheese grater. Then press into the container/tub i wanted to put it in then melt in microwave with 10 second bursts. After just a few it was all liquid. By greating first it melted faster. let it sit and it firms back up. Dried clear just as it was to start with.

I enjoy mamabear. The only Glyserin soap id ever use.

All others soaps get greated and pressed if i want to change what they are in. Ive done this to a lot of soaps.

Im also going to vote for MDC and SF as top soaps. PDP is good too.

What Ray likes are soaps from Gromming Dept, Declaration Grooming, Zengari Man, etc...
Ray and I have spent many hours chatting about soaps.

 

[Lane101]

I don’t like soap creams or croaps. I have some of the crappy pucks like the williams soap, and some of the cheap Razorock soaps. What are some others I may not know of? I’m not picky, cheap to higher quality pucks would be cool.

Hi Shave Souffle,
How do your Williams and Razorock soaps work for you? By Razorock are you referring to What the Puck (Black, Blue, Green or Gold)?

I use both of these and achieve excellent results by lathering first directly on the puck for a minute and then completing my build via face lathering. For Williams a stiff boar brush (Razorock Blondie/Zenith 80N in my case) is needed to make this work. The Razorock works well with my 26mm plissoft synthetic. Easily generate rich, thick lather from both. If you are unhappy with your lather-to-date try adjusting technique in addition to looking for other options. I've direct experience with the following that also work well should you decide to explore alternatives:

• Arko, similar to Williams but lathers more easily so use my synthetic $1-2 per puck in the U.S. If you like Williams aroma you will love Arko. Note in an open mug (press my sticks into one) aroma dissipates as is the case with most soaps.
• Mitchell's Wool Fat(MWF), use my boar like Willliams $12 - 15 per puck.
• Van Der Hagen Luxury: $4-5 per puck. Works will with synthetic with good slickness thanks to added glycerin
• Van Der Hagen Deluxe: Around $2 - 2.50 per puck. Lathers easily though not as slick as desired (no added glycerin) but works well in blend (see below)
• Custom Van Der Williams Blend (saw your post above asking about melting/mixing soaps), Grate one puck Williams, one ounce of ivory (more slickness) and one ounce Dove Men+Care then add a half ounce of Proraso Red (last two as superlather ingredients) and mix together. Melt a puck of Van Der Hagen Deluxe and pour into the mix. Blend together and form into pucks. Have detailed posts on this. Lathers easily with my synthetic. Nice slick and long lasting lather. With Williams discontinued would use Arko or MWF as substitutes if you don't have any reserve stock. Have posted in detail on this on B&B and can send a link if interested. Suspect Mama Bear could be substituted for the Van Der Hagen though I've no direct experience with Mama Bear.

Note that I keep my primary soaps in apothecary mugs with lots of extra vertical space to enable lathering on the puck. Never bloom my soaps as techniques above works well.

 

[Lane101]

I have dr harris, tobs, pre de provence, razorock what the puck, etc

my favorite and the only triple milled shave soaps that I use currently are pre de provence no 63 and bergamot and thyme

is arko considered a triple milled soap? I also use that. I have seen that say that arko is triple milled, but I don't believe it is.

Mixed reports on whether Arko is triple milled though it is a hard soap. Unlike Williams or MWF it is malleable and can be pressed into a container such as a shaving mug without grating. Have seen it referred to as traditionally milled.

 

[tankerjohn]

DR Harris has already been mentioned, but allow me to foot stomp that endorsement. It is fantastic! DR Harris soap is, in fact, triple milled and the last of the traditional English houses still using tallow in their formula. Many, including me, vastly prefer tallow-based soaps. Scents are subtle, but exquisite. The lather is rich and thick and very protective. IMHO, it easily hangs with the best artisans. YMMV, of course, depending on technique, water quality, etc, but I’ve always found it very easy to lather. Refill pucks (which you can use in any mug or bowl, not just the fancy wood bowls DR Harris sells) are around 20 bucks and last forever, making The Doctor one of the best values in shaving soap. Give it a try!