My grooming dept sandalwood went moldy.
It’s the only soap I’ve ever seen go moldy out of hundreds.
It’s the only soap I’ve ever seen go moldy out of hundreds.
Mold on Soap?
- Thread starter Loosepagan
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- #22
As promised, here are some images of what the soap looks like. I'm not sure this is mold, but its something weird. I should add that nothing was ever added to the soap, beyond a baby spoon to add it to a shaving bowl. While one of the images appears to show hair on the lid of the jar, it isn't. No hair or brush even, was ever added to the soap.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
That would go right into my trash bin.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
When in doubt toss, something does not look proper and should not be used.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
So is an avoidance of preservatives a good thing?
Same. No question.
I'd share those pictures with the soap maker. I know I'd want to know about this if it were my product.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Nasty.
Anything left soggy in the tropics will get moldy. I always let soaps dry for 24 hrs here. And dry brushes carefully too.
Black mold like that, yikes. Aspergillis is one black mold we see after a storm tears your roof off. Not saying it's that, but we hate any black mold.
That said.
Pink mold, I saw one time on a puck of MWF left soggy (which, for best results, MWF must be left soggy. Anyways.) Hated to toss that puck, so let it dry/harden, and cut it off.
Don't even do that with anything black-moldy, IMO. Can it.
AA
Black mold like that, yikes. Aspergillis is one black mold we see after a storm tears your roof off. Not saying it's that, but we hate any black mold.
That said.
Pink mold, I saw one time on a puck of MWF left soggy (which, for best results, MWF must be left soggy. Anyways.) Hated to toss that puck, so let it dry/harden, and cut it off.Don't even do that with anything black-moldy, IMO. Can it.
AA
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
That could help but mold spores are commonly airborne. Bacteria could easily find their way to the soap as well.
I would think not. It's a risk you run with many small artisan soaps that are super fatted. Commercial soaps have no such issues and there are many fine ones that work well.
I don't believe the European artisan soaps have such issues as one test they must pass before putting their soap for sale is one wherein the soap is exposed to various nasties and if it allows them to propagate, it doesn't get approved.
Making the soap unfriendly could mean not sealing it up with excess water still in the container; also some soaps are fairly alkaline which makes it harder for the nasties to reproduce. Keeping excess water and contamination out is easier if you scoop out the soap you need and close the container right away.
Hard milled soaps are easier to keep dry and in good shape.
Personally, I don't mind preservatives too much as long as they are recognized as safe.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
This is an interesting read. This is where I found out about the testing.
"Well, one adds all kinds of bacteria, fungi and yeasts to the new cosmetic product. Then they examine how the ingredients react. The test is successful if all these added microorganisms adequate fall apart. A requirement of Europe to ensure that you and I use safe products."
The European Union works
As most children in Belgium, my daughter just finished her Christmas examination. The last course was biology. I can’t remember that this class was so difficult in my time. But when she expla…
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That’s really strange. I live in a subtropical climate and only started using shaving soaps and a brush after moving here. Never had that happen with any of my soaps
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Agree and this is my (understated) point. Your post 33 is interesting. Another argument for preservatives and standards for cosmetics, what if that mold had been white instead of black? My guess is that the owner would be happily smearing it on his face.
Also agree with @Atlantic59 - but there’s hardly any preservative that I know of that used in cosmetics that’s of concern in reasonable amounts vs mold and bacteria. Another reason that I no longer use North American artisan soaps with the exception of Stirling with which I’ve had no problems.
Notably, I have a jar of the MdC original bought about 10 years ago, that looks, smells, and performs just as it always did. No color shift, no odor shift, no mold, nothing. Only 5 ingredients other than perfume and one of those is water, and no preservatives. It is of course extremely well cured (6 months I believe) and it does not have excess unsaponified fats and oils, which people complain about.
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- #36
I tossed it, so I can't send it to the artisan. I'm not even pissed, more bummed out, it really does rank in my top three of shaving soaps.
I notice that you didn't provide an ingredients list. That may help find out what the issue is. Also, it could be an additive of some sort or part of the fragrance of the product since some fragrances have a darkening effect.
I have never seen mold on a shave soap. I usually leave my soaps uncovered for an hour or more before capping and putting away. I also store my soaps in my bedroom nightstand to avoid the heat and humidity of the bathroom. My oldest hard soaps, Tabac and Harris, which are a dozen years old and only used once or twice a year, are still good. The only problem soap I've encountered was a sample of Cella that started to smell rancid after a long period of non-use. It still shaved fine, just didn't smell so good.
Willing to bet aloe juice and goat milk are in the list.
Never had anything like that. Often if I do not use a soap for a while it will dry and shrink. I often add a little water or glycerine, or both, cover and let it rehydrate and have never had any mold growth.
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