Prairie Creations bath soap - lasted 6 days

[WhosYerBob]

I know folks are expecting me to sing the highest praises for everything from Krissy due to the fact that I really think her shaving soap is the best thing since sliced bread (and it *is* for me - YMMV), but I'm here to say that her goat's milk bath soap is only okay.

Not stupendous, or amazing, or the heavens will rock you, or anything else like that.

No, I'm here to say that her bath soap is just okay. Works like my regular bath soaps but doesn't last nearly as long. Develops a decent lather for bathing, smelled okay (I got the Bay Rum scent, but it smelled more like cloves and turpentine than real Bay Rum), seemed good at cleaning and rinsed off without too much trouble.

My biggest issue is that it only lasted six (6) days on my abrasive pelt. And I used it for only bathing in the shower and nothing else. I started using it on Monday, 12/14 and it was completely gone by Saturday, 12/19; lasting a day less than a bath-sized bar of plain Ivory does for me.

My regular bath soap, triple-milled bath-sized bars from "South of France" that I buy at Whole Foods, usually lasts me about 3 weeks or so, and costs the same - less if I pick them up on sale. I've got a couple more bars of bath soap that I picked up from Krissy in the same order, but the stuff is too dear for me to consider buying any more beyond that.

As always, YMMV.

 

[Rughi]

It's hard to beat the triple milled. They're so dry and compact that they should cost about double their competitors in many cases.

Ideally, your soap would age for 1-3 months before use to harden and not just lather away in one week. My wife used to run a small soap making business, and the difference in how quickly a bar of hers dissipated between fresh and aged was dramatic.

I think you've figured out your workhorse soaps - perhaps boutique soaps are good for gifts or special occasions (such as S-A-T-U-R-DAY NIGHT!).

Roger

 

[Bulldawg]

TJ Maxx has some outstanding 12 oz. Triple milled soaps for $4 each. I use to use South of France from Whole Foods prior to discovering TJ maxx soaps.

 

[richmondesi]

TJ Maxx has some outstanding 12 oz. Triple milled soaps for $4 each. I use to use South of France from Whole Foods prior to discovering TJ maxx soaps.

Thanks for the heads up on this. My PC bath soap lasted about a week too. I much prefer other bath soaps.

 

[WhosYerBob]

TJ Maxx has some outstanding 12 oz. Triple milled soaps for $4 each. I use to use South of France from Whole Foods prior to discovering TJ maxx soaps.

I can get South of France soaps from Whole Foods for as little as $3 per bar when they're on sale - even $2.50 a couple of times.

 

[GoldenMonkey]

Also consider soaps from Pre de Provence, another French triple-milled bath soap. I LOVE this stuff, especially the sage, which has oat husks (I think) in it for exfoliation. Really thick creamy lather (you could almost shave with it, lol), rinses cleanly, leaves your skin feeling great (20% shea butter). $6.95 a bar or so. I have seen it ehre and there, but I know Pure Beauty stocks it .

 

[SiBurning]

I'm the opposite. I think her bath soaps are the best thing she makes.

 

[wedwards]

Depends on your definition of a bath soap I guess. I make my own bath soap and they are VERY wet (due to the type of oils I need to use) - they take months and months of drying to get them even slightly as hard as a triple milled soap, and even then they are nowhere near as hard as a triple milled soap.

A lot of people use what I would call hand soap, as bath soap. Hand soap is super cleansing, a harder soap, which lasts a lot longer. For me, bath soap is nice and soft and moisturising - as a result, it doesnt last anywhere near as long as hand soaps. A 1 inch thick x 3 inch diameter bath soap puck that I make will last about a week, or maybe just longer as I now store it out in open air to dry. The key is to dry it out between uses, and it lasts longer.

The benefit of this is that they are SUPER moisturising and great for my highly allergenic skin. The downside is that they dont last as long as traditional triple milled soaps.

 

[Suzuki]

+1 on the curing point.

When I buy soft soaps, I try to age them for at least a couple of months before using them and let them dry between uses (soap dish that allows the soap to sit above any water). This significantly extends the life of the soap.

 

[cvac]

I also like the South of France bath soap. Sometimes I will use Pear's Glycerin soap but it just doesn't last very long. Maybe a little more than a week if I'm lucky. Another one I really like is the Kiss My Face olive oil and aloe bath soap.

 

[WhosYerBob]

When I buy soft soaps, I try to age them for at least a couple of months before using them and let them dry between uses (soap dish that allows the soap to sit above any water). This significantly extends the life of the soap.

??? It's soap - not aged beef!

When I buy a soap, I use it. Period. End of story.

It either works right out of the wrapper for me, or I move on to something else. If it's supposed to have a long life, then it should arrive in the wrapper already prepped that way. Or be triple milled. I should not have to wait a couple of months on my end to get decent life out of a soap.

 

[john.crissman]

??? It's soap - not aged beef!

When I buy a soap, I use it. Period. End of story.

It either works right out of the wrapper for me, or I move on to something else. If it's supposed to have a long life, then it should arrive in the wrapper already prepped that way. Or be triple milled. I should not have to wait a couple of months on my end to get decent life out of a soap.

Whether you or the maker does it, a good soap is aged to allow the moisture to evaporate and insure a longer-lasting bar.

I have not used PC soap, but I bet it would last much longer than 6 days if it were aged about a month.

 

[JPM]

Whether you or the maker does it, a good soap is aged to allow the moisture to evaporate and insure a longer-lasting bar.

I have not used PC soap, but I bet it would last much longer than 6 days if it were aged about a month.

Should you age it in or out of the wrapper? If evaporation is the goal, I'm assuming out. Does it impact the strength of the scent?

 

[jmsodpc]

I bought some of her soaps. I will let them sit for a few months before
I use them.

 

[the_edski]

To each their own. One of many things I like about this site is that it shows us that not everything has to be fast, fast,fast gimme now like the modern world is. Shaving is better when its slower, writing is better when its slower, smoking is better when its slower and if soap needs to age for a few months to work at its peak performance and longevity, then so be it I will let it sit. But as always, YMMV applies to use as well as outlook.

??? It's soap - not aged beef!

When I buy a soap, I use it. Period. End of story.

It either works right out of the wrapper for me, or I move on to something else. If it's supposed to have a long life, then it should arrive in the wrapper already prepped that way. Or be triple milled. I should not have to wait a couple of months on my end to get decent life out of a soap.

 

[babydials]

Soap makers I know of post the new scents coming as "what's curing." This is the first time I have heard of selling uncured soap. But then I have about a years supply of soap at home, so they never get used right away.

 

[timsclips]

TJ Maxx has some outstanding 12 oz. Triple milled soaps for $4 each. I use to use South of France from Whole Foods prior to discovering TJ maxx soaps.

I purchased a four bar mix of soaps at TJ Maxx's last fall. Currently on the third, and so far the best, Olivia Green Tea soap from France. I paid $4 for the bar and far surpasses the previous 2.
On a side note I decided to bite the bullet and purchased a selection of name brand French soaps from Amazon. Mistrial, L'Occitane and Pre de Provence are all on their way. Avg cost was $9 a bar.

 

[Alaskan Snowmonkey]

To each their own. One of many things I like about this site is that it shows us that not everything has to be fast, fast,fast gimme now like the modern world is. Shaving is better when its slower, writing is better when its slower, smoking is better when its slower and if soap needs to age for a few months to work at its peak performance and longevity, then so be it I will let it sit. But as always, YMMV applies to use as well as outlook.

+1

 

[PugslyCat]

I've run into this with artisan soaps and a few others. I bought one brand early last year and used it at my weekend place. It was gone in a few weekends and I was not happy about it. I bought a half dozen bars of the same brand only because it was on sale cheap, didn't get to it for a while, and now it seems to be lasting OK.

The artisan soap I use during the week is another brand that didn't seem to last long. Now I keep the soap dish where it doesn't get hit by the shower spray all the time and it seems to be lasting much longer. It's also had time to age in the closet while I was using other soaps.

 

[DirtyDusty]

It probably wasn't cured enough. Depending on how much liquid was used when making the soap it could take 6 weeks or longer to cure good. I improvised a drying chamber to hasten the process on the soaps I make. Un cured soap won't hurt you, but it will dissolve away quicker.