Mug? Bowl?

[ronin78]

I am thinking about trying a shaving soap next, since my little sample of cream is starting to run out. I would also like to get a nice mug, bowl or both to use with it (in truth, I'm also looking for an excuse to beef up my shave den).

I see that there are lots of mugs available but, reading through this site, I'm not sure why you would need one. It looks like people either lather on the puck, on the face, or in a bowl, so what is the purpose of the mug? Is it just a fancy place to store a puck and charge the brush? I'm also seeing scuttles, but I have no idea what that's about.

Any soap users out there willing to shed some light on this?


Matt

 

[Luc]

You can use a mug to build your lather. You could use it to store your soap, build lather on top or face lather. I prefer a bowl but we all have our preferences.

There are a few scuttles out there, some are for face lathering, others to lather in a bowl and the bottom bit is filled with water so your lather stay warm. Since I always end up dropping my bowls by accident, cheap bowls work better for me as a scuttle cost more. I am looking at getting a metal bowl at the moment so it would float in the sink and I won't break that one... I hope...

 

[adonnellyr]

Mugs are good if you get a soap that doesn't already come in a handy container (ie: P.160, or the Ogallala soaps). Load up the brush in the mug and then switch over to a bowl (or your face, if you swing that way).

If you get a bowl as well, a metal one as Luc suggested above would be nice, or a nice thick ceramic bowl that can hold in the heat of your lather throughout your shave.

 

[deshaveman]

Do what works for you. You'll get a cornucopia of answers regarding how and where folks generate their lather.

I face lather so I just need someplace to store the pucks I have in rotation and load my brush.

I second Luc's preference for cheap bowls. Wally world carries a 4-pack of Anchor Hocking 1 cup glass bowls with lids for about $6 or so. Most pucks can be crammed in there. If they are of the taller/slimmer variety (like Tabac) they usually get glued down pretty good after several days use. Otherwise you can mill the soap into the bowl. They are stackable and highly presentable. Not as nice as a wooden bowl perhaps, but a step up from tupperware.

I picked up a $3 latte mug from target to use when I want to use a cream because I like to get the lather started in a bowl.

I would recommend Goodwill or Salvation Army as good places to hunt for lather bowls. You never know when you will score a nice latte cup or even an Old Spice mug!

 

[_JP_]

I see that there are lots of mugs available but, reading through this site, I'm not sure why you would need one. It looks like people either lather on the puck, on the face, or in a bowl, so what is the purpose of the mug? Is it just a fancy place to store a puck and charge the brush? I'm also seeing scuttles, but I have no idea what that's about.

Any soap users out there willing to shed some light on this?


Matt

Both! But I prefer mugs for keeping regularly used pucks in and because mugs are traditional. One of my favorites is the Old Spice mugs, which are pretty much perfectly proportioned. I don't "need" mugs, but I sure like using them! One soap that I have been using very often lately I'm keeping in a screw top Rubbermaid bowl.

 

[moonshine44]

I use soaps, and I like to use a mug with my big brush, because it's easier to keep my lather under control in a mug. I sometimes build all the lather in the mug, sometimes just get it started then switch the brush to the face to finish it. I just raided the kitchen cupboard for the last mug I used...

 

[MAK]

You can use a mug to build your lather. You could use it to store your soap, build lather on top or face lather. I prefer a bowl but we all have our preferences.

There are a few scuttles out there, some are for face lathering, others to lather in a bowl and the bottom bit is filled with water so your lather stay warm. Since I always end up dropping my bowls by accident, cheap bowls work better for me as a scuttle cost more. I am looking at getting a metal bowl at the moment so it would float in the sink and I won't break that one... I hope...

I agree. Personally, I face lather so my soap dish is just that.

 

[Left Coast DJ]

I use a wide-mouth bowl. I don't like the racket that's made by the brush handle hitting the sides of a narrow mug when making lather.

 

[Matsuey37]

I store the soap puck in a mug and also load the brush from there. I then use a small metal bowl floating in another bowl of hot water to build my lather and keep it hot. I still face lather from a shave stick every so often. Try several different ways and you will come to like one over the other.

 

[FreezerBurns]

...I would recommend Goodwill or Salvation Army as good places to hunt for lather bowls. You never know when you will score a nice latte cup or even an Old Spice mug!

+1

-I like to load the brush on the soap in the package it came in then make lather in a nice wide latte cup I obtained at Goodwill for less than a buck. For soaps that come in a cardboard box, I put those in the bottom of a coffee mug for now but I will probably melt them in to an empty package from a previous soap (recycling!) when I finally make it through one.

 

[ronin78]

Good advice here from people; I will probably start with a mug or a bowl and see how I like lathering in that or on the face. I will also definitely comb the recycling centers for good deals, and maybe let people know that I am open to receiving nice ones as gifts

Any recommendations for starting out on soaps? I can buy shave cream samplers, but do they have soap samples anywhere?


Matt