I LOVE MILLING...looking for recommendations!

[christhach]

Hi all!

So I just discovered the joys of milling together different soaps. I had this artisan brand coconut melt and pour glycerin based soap. Love the smell, but just didn't like the lather (too oily and runny - not dense enough, and not enough cushion). So, I melted it, and milled in a quarter puck of Riviage made my Gold Dachs into it. Voila! A beautiful combination!!! Plus I had the satisfaction of not wasting a good soap!

So, my question is: what is the best cheap tallow soap I can use, with as little as scent as possible, to mill into glycerin based soaps???

I don't want to use Gold Dachs for this purpose in the future!!!!!

 

[Vlad]

Arko soap stick.

In fact, that's an awesome idea. I bought some and I'm just not using it because I don't care for the scent, but your combination method should work. Now I gotta think what glycerin soap to melt.

 

[wimbouman]

Arko soap stick.

In fact, that's an awesome idea. I bought some and I'm just not using it because I don't care for the scent, but your combination method should work. Now I gotta think what glycerin soap to melt.

Mama Bear?
Awakenings might kill any Arko aspirations ;-)

 

[christhach]

Alright boys, I like where this is going...we might just have discovered a scientific breakthrough here...Arko + Mama Bear's milled together.

Well, I just bought some Arko.

Now, I pose the open question: what Mama Bear soaps shall we buy?

Acquisition Disorder: I hate it....but I lOOOOVEEEE IT!

 

[talibeard]

Actually I like Arko too much to mix it with lesser gods despite the fact that it is cheap enough for doing so.

I have to admit that I have a bowl with mixed soaps; basis is a skin drying heck-of-a-latherer (de vergulde hand) mixed with different Nizzy soaps (super skin friendly but lathering....not really). Into this there are all my tiny left overs from shave sticks (including Arko and Palmolive) and from bricks (P.160 and Cella) that were at the bottom of my soap mugs. Scent is a bit hard to describe but not bad and performance is very good indeed.

But I would never add a full puck/stick of any half decent soap into it!

 

[BroJohn]

About the only soap grating that I do, is the tailings of soap sticks. Last fall, I milled together the leavings of a Palmolive, a Speick, two butts of Arko, and a nub of a Wilkinson stick together with half a puck of Williams. Mixed well and pressed into a covered dish. Worked pretty well, and it was like getting a free soap.

-- John Gehman

 

[johnmrson]

I've got a few half shave sticks floating around that I'm thinking of milling into a decent sized bowl. I'd have never thought of mixing it with melted glycerine soap. Very good idea.

How fine do you grate? As fine as you can or a bit coarser?

 

[roboboticus]

Mmm, I love this idea. I love the scent of Col Conk's bay rum, but it's not the greatest latherer. I may have to get some Arko and give this a try.

 

[norton]

Less expensive Tallow sticks/soaps

Arko
Palmolive
Spieck
Williams

Possibly P160 (the Duro variety?)

Also, any older, vintage shaving soap like Colgate - pre 1985 or so - would fit the bill.

 

[christhach]

One more point for our grand experiment:

I've read that Arko does in fact have a cheap detergent like smell that many people don't like. I also read the solution: boil 2/3 of a cup of water in a small sauce pan. Add two sticks of Arko that you've already grated up to the boiling water. Wait 'til it melts, turn down heat slightly, and boil til' you get the right consistency - be sure not to burn the mix!

This method will evaporate out the detergent smell of the Arko.

We're almost there!!!!!

It's alive...ALIIIIIIVEEEEE!!!!!

 

[roboboticus]

How about Prairie Creations unscented? They have both a tallow and a tallow & lanolin version. I haven't tried Prairie Creations, but have read good things. Anyone here have any first-hand experience with it?

 

[christhach]

Well guys, today my package of Arko sticks finally arrived!!!!! I must say that boiling them down to remove the scent took a bit longer than I anticipated. Also, it's difficult to grate the stuff cause it gets all gooey and sticks to your grater. You can just break them up with your hands and throw them in the boiling water.

So anyway, after getting rid of the stink, I poured the golden tallow into some containers of melted MaMa Bear's Aged Spice and Nana June's sandalwood...mmmmmm, I can't wait to shave tomorrow!!!!!!!

I'll let you know if it was all worth it! (lot of work, but I will already tell you it was fun!!!!)

 

[christhach]

AAAAAAaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[roboboticus]

Dude! What happened?

 

[DFrancis]

Dude! What happened?

OMG! It was so good he exploded!

 

[DSW]

Tell me you didn't try to use the Magic Bullet to mill soap...

 

[christhach]

Okay kids, here's the moral of the story:

After you pour your molten tallow into your pre-mixed (and much cooler) batch of glycerin and essential oils, never, ever pour the mix straight into a blender (Magic Bullet), seal it, blend it, then open it right up.

Some kind of exothermic chemical reaction occurs during the blending process which creates a rather strong vacuum in the blender...

...What you get is a tallow bomb as you can see.

I'm lucky I didn't put an eye out with molten tallow.

At least my kitchen smells like orange patchouli now.

I think I'm gonna go shave my counter top now.

(by the way, I used the cream that was left over from the explosion this morning - it was amazing!)

 

[Doric]

Okay kids, here's the moral of the story:

After you pour your molten tallow into your pre-mixed (and much cooler) batch of glycerin and essential oils, never, ever pour the mix straight into a blender (Magic Bullet), seal it, blend it, then open it right up.

Some kind of exothermic chemical reaction occurs during the blending process which creates a rather strong vacuum in the blender...

...What you get is a tallow bomb as you can see.

I'm lucky I didn't put an eye out with molten tallow.

At least my kitchen smells like orange patchouli now.

I think I'm gonna go shave my counter top now.

(by the way, I used the cream that was left over from the explosion this morning - it was amazing!)

 

[Telecaster52]

BOOM goes the arko!

 

[Deltaboy]

AAAAAAaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey I have done that before it is a real mess to clean up.