Shave Soap usage and storage - Noob ?s

[BMaples]

Hello all!

I'm new to Blade and Badger and DE shaving (<2 weeks into shaving - so far I love it!). I have no previous experience with DE shaving or shave soaps. After researching products a bit I have purchased and am using a Merkur HD 34C, Derby blades, and Col. Conk Bay Rum shave soap. So far I've found a lot of help here on BB - I especially found Jim's lather tutorial helpful http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/21136-How-to-make-great-lather-from-a-soap-Tutorial

I do have a question about the shave soap. So far I have left the soap in the little plastic container that it comes in and then build my later in a bowl. My first question will probably reveal just how little I know about the subject . Do people leave their soap in their shave bowl and just build their lather on top of the soap bar itself?

My second question is regarding the soap after I'm done with it. I typically run it under the faucet to rinse it off, leave the lid open for a bit until it dries and then I close it back up. I have seen soap boxes on a few sites and I'm curious as to what the benefit of this would be. What is the most appropriate way to use/store soap to get the most out of it?

 

[HOUS3Y]

I always kept mine in the plastic container and did just as you are doing. Although, I am quite new at this myself. So, there may be another way that is better. But, I can tell you one thing that I discovered through the wonderful advice of a fellow B&B member. Per his recommendation, I ordered some Bay Rum soap from Stirling, which puts Col Conks Bay Rum soap to shame. And, as he recommended, I have moved the Conk to the shower to use as one of my pre shave face wash soaps. Col Conk appealed to me based on price, but, Stirling is only a couple dollars more and ha improved the quality of my shave. Good luck to you!

 

[aihpcfl]

Lathering: You can load the brush on the puck and face lather. I don't want to comment on bowl lathering because I haven't done it. My advice for using the Col. Conk soap is to face lather. See what others say about bowl lathering.

After use: There is no need to rinse the soap.

Storage: Some people cover the soap, some don't. Some who cover let the soap dry a bit first. I don't cover and just leave it as is until the next morning.

If you start using multiple soaps and alternating so that you go a long time before you use a soap again you probably want to get some appropriately sized tight containers to store the soap between uses. If you use the same soap for every shave, don't worry about it and do what seems right to you.

 

[RVshave]

I only face lather and use mostly tallow soaps and pucks come in boxes so I got some glass bowls with covers from WalMart for less than $10 works pretty good for me. Don't worry about what you don't know, we've all been there, hence this wonderful place.

 

[jeff91605]

Here's my 2¢ from another noob:

I don't lather on the puck either because it seemed to me I'd be wearing it down faster then necessary. I also don't find the need to rinse it off either and just let it air dry.

As far as storage, I found that an unused cappuccino mug fit my larger Trumper Eucris puck and a smaller coffee mug for the Colonel's smaller size puck. The mugs I had on hand had the added benefit of being the right height for the drawer I put them in when I don't use them.

Now all that being said, I don't know how the scents from the soaps will last without being in a close-able container. Perhaps one of the gents doing this longer can speak to that.

 

[shakin_jake]

Now all that being said, I don't know how the scents from the soaps will last without being in a close-able container. Perhaps one of the gents doing this longer can speak to that.

~~~~A lot of shave soaps are sold with or enclosed in proprietary containers. Proraso shave soap AFAIK is only sold in a plastic jar w/a lid. That keeps their soap fresh. Although Tabac shave soap is sold in a refill puck, it's also sold with their glass jar along with a bakelight type cover to keep the scent fresh

Now there are some brands of shave soap sold w/o any sort of container. Many here will place these types of soaps say in to an Old Spice shave mug. I've done just that with Ogallala shave soaps, and have a puck of their Bay Rum/Sandalwood currently in my Old Spice mug. It just sits on the side of the sink w/o a cover. Some scent has been lost...no harm, no foul

I'd say this...if you want to keep a shave soap scent at it's peak strength, keep it in an enclosed container



Best,



Jake
Reddick Fla.

 

[Teppanyaki]

I keep my soaps in wide tins (or in the tins they come in) and keep them covered to preserve the essential oil scent.

You can lather on top of a soap, or you can load the brush and then lather in a bowl, or you can load the brush and then lather on your face. You can even load the brush and lather in your hand. Feel free to experiment.

You can also try varying amounts of soap and water for lather. One exercise is to make some lather with a relatively dry brush and only minimal water additions, and then feel it between your fingers and examine it. then add a bit more water, mix, and again examine it. Keep going until the lather quality is definitely not as slick and protective. That way, you can get a feel for what the lather is supposed to feel like and stop there.

 

[Face Bannon]

I take soaps out of their plastic container and put them in a separate small bowl or mug. This is different from the bowl I lather in (because I switch products, soaps and creams all the time). I have some small rice bowls from World Market that are great to put a soap puck in. I also have some small Pyrex containers I got at Walmart to store multiple soap samples in.

You can leave the puck in the bowl you lather in, but this keeps you from really working the lather to your satisfaction because you are loading the whole time. In that case, you become essentially a face latherer. Go to the face when the brush has enough soap. Whereas I load, lather in a separate bowl, then face.

 

[Andy]

Greetings and welcome to B&B!

The 34C is a great razor

With soap, when using pucks I normally load the brush and then transfer to a bowl and create the lather there.
Afterwards I just put the lid on until next time.

 

[briggs]

If you enjoy scented soaps it is better to keep them in a tightly closed container. RazoRock Italian artisan soaps work well for me and come in an attractive, durable container. Charles has them on sale now at a very good price.

I use the brush in the soap container only long enough to pick up the soap, then build the lather in a warm scuttle.

 

[ackvil]

First, welcome to B&B.

There are a number of ways to make lather. You take the brush to the soap leaving it in the container and load the brush by swirling a wet brush on the top of the soap. Then there are three alternative ways to work the soap into a good lather. One way is to do what is called face lathering. There you take the loaded brush and build the lather by swirling the loaded brush around your face. Another way is called bowl lathering in which you take the loaded brush and make lather in a separate mug, cup, or scuttle. Another way is called palm lathering in which you make lather by swirling the brush on the palm of your handl. You can read about these methods in the wiki.

Some folks bowl lather in the same container the soap comes in. However, I have found that such a method tends to waste a lot of soap.

 

[BMaples]

Thanks for the info Gents. I've decided at this time that I'm going to leave the puck in the bowl that I use to build lather in - I understand that this may make the soap not last as long, but at this point it's easier to build when I'm doing so around the puck in the bowl, plus being new to this whole experience the quicker that I use up the soap, the sooner I get to try other products