Newly Made Soaps - Scoop or Tub?

[MtView]

I have a new soap direct from NO and a new soap direct from Stirling that appear to be fresh batches because they are both damp and soft. The NO is quite soft. I face lather so I prefer to load the brush from the tub. In this case, would I be better off scooping and bowl lathering rather than adding more water to the soaps right now?

 

[JackJ]

After scooping my beloved and somewhat soft Officina Artigiana Stay Traditional again this morning, I decided it will be the last time. It's consistency is similar to Stirling, in my experience. I've wanted to scoop, and have asked about it here myself, in order to avoid incorporating extra water into the soap. Also to avoid leaving the container open for extended periods, fearing the latter might allow the scent to fade. I even bought a small artist's pallet knife as a scooping toon, and it works ideally.

But my problem with scooping is that I frequently fail to incorporate all the scooped soap into my lather. Today I swirled my beloved Officina Artigiana in my Captain's Choice copper bowl using a Simpson's 57 (best), and I really went at it for what seemed like a couple of minutes, adding water, reaching into all the bowl's little furrows, and trying to make sure all the soap was dissolved/lathered. I was certain I had.

The shave was great, but on the second application of lather I found a small but significant chunk still not incorporated. Arghh. So from here on out with my croaps, I intend to build lather with the soap container inverted, and the lather bowl underneath to catch any drippings. It won't keep the soap as dry as scooping will, but no water will pool in the container. I think this is the right compromise for me. YMMV.

 

[bjm]

I have a separate loading bowl. It's nothing fancy, you could even use a spare soap container. I scoop out anywhere from 10 to 30 grams of product (the amount depends on how long I plan to use it exclusively) and press it into the loading bowl. I then close up the original container and only load from the loading bowl. I don't need to worry about saturation, scent loss, or allowing the soap to dry before storage.

 

[MtView]

After scooping my beloved and somewhat soft Officina Artigiana Stay Traditional again this morning, I decided it will be the last time.

It's funny that you say that because I used OA Stay Traditional for the first time earlier in the week using the Marco method. I got a decent lather for my first time out, but was left wondering if it had been a good idea to put that much water onto the soap. I still don't know, but it got me thinking about scooping.

I had always thought that Stirling was on the firmer side, but the soap I just got is definitely closer to the OA croap than my other Stirling soaps that were probably not as recently made when I bought them.

 

[JackJ]

Please report back on how you like the O. A. (if you haven’t already), and if you have more luck, or skill, than I do with fully lathering scooped croap.

(Now there’s a phrase—“scooped croap”—with some subtly unpleasant connotations.)

 

[MtView]

I have a separate loading bowl. It's nothing fancy, you could even use a spare soap container. I scoop out anywhere from 10 to 30 grams of product (the amount depends on how long I plan to use it exclusively) and press it into the loading bowl. I then close up the original container and only load from the loading bowl. I don't need to worry about saturation, scent loss, or allowing the soap to dry before storage.

I never really thought about saturation until I got these new tubs that were so fresh that they were damp from the get go. I did end up scooping and got a great lather. It was a hybrid bowl lather / face lather.

 

[Wogus]

I had always thought that Stirling was on the firmer side, but the soap I just got is definitely closer to the OA croap than my other Stirling soaps that were probably not as recently made when I bought them.

Funny you should mention that because I've been trying some sample pucks of Stirling soaps, all delivered within the past week or so, and the first thing I noticed was how squishy-soft (that's the technical term) they are. Definitely more squishy than what I'm used to and have gotten from their soaps in the big jar..

 

[MtView]

Funny you should mention that because I've been trying some sample pucks of Stirling soaps, all delivered within the past week or so, and the first thing I noticed was how squishy-soft (that's the technical term) they are. Definitely more squishy than what I'm used to and have gotten from their soaps in the big jar..

My tub was Weekend in Malibu if that helps. It was most definitely squishy-soft.

 

[Wogus]

My tub was Weekend in Malibu if that helps. It was most definitely squishy-soft.

That information hasn't helped with finding the TV remote that's been missing all morning, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Oh, Stirling! Why hast thou gone squishy-soft?

 

[MtView]

Please report back on how you like the O. A. (if you haven’t already), and if you have more luck, or skill, than I do with fully lathering scooped croap.

(Now there’s a phrase—“scooped croap”—with some subtly unpleasant connotations.)

I really like the OA Stay Traditional scent. I got a great lather and the soap had slickness. What was really odd to me was that it didn't seem to have much cushion. I'm not sure how it could be slick without cushion because I had always thought the two went hand in hand. This was the first time I lathered it so it could very well be something I did or didn't do. I used the Marco method and there was A LOT of lather. I'll let you know how it goes when I scoop the croap.

 

[JackJ]

I do get great cushion as well as slickness with O. A., so hopefully a little adjustment will get you the same. I’m desperate to get my hands on the matching aftershave—currently unobtainable in North America until we can convince a retailer to import it.