The Wanderer's Journey

[AimlessWanderer]

After trying to redistribute my soap around in the tin, to increase surface area with the puck, I uncovered some rather unappetising... stuff... lurking between soap and tin.

And now that grey manky stuff is smeared into the soap.

End of soap! (I always seem to throw soap out rather than actually finishing it)

Next soap, Bundle and Rust's Goats Milk Shaving Soap.

 

[Esox]

After trying to redistribute my soap around in the tin, to increase surface area with the puck, I uncovered some rather unappetising... stuff... lurking between soap and tin.

View attachment 934901

View attachment 934903

And now that grey manky stuff is smeared into the soap.

End of soap! (I always seem to throw soap out rather than actually finishing it)

Next soap, Bundle and Rust's Goats Milk Shaving Soap.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

View attachment 934923

At least the next stuff is meant to be that colour

(second image is a little more accurate than the first)

 

[Esox]

Yeah but now I'll always be wondering whats in the middle and when will I get to it! lol

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Yeah but now I'll always be wondering whats in the middle and when will I get to it! lol

I know what you mean! This is why I want to stick with one soap till it's finished, to minimise cultivation time.

First shave (well, technically the second, I had one shave after my birthday) with the new soap. In terms of what most people seem to want from a soap, I'd say this is a better performer than the other.

It yielded easier to the brush, and at first I'd got it a little dry. It went on a little pasty, and had dropped to a transparent film before I got through the pass. I added a little more water for the second pass, and it lathered up really easily, and there was plenty of slickness there for the shave.

Scent is stronger in the tub than on the face, and it didn't overstay its welcome (to my nose anyway). I think the lather will get better once I've spent more time with it, and understand it better, but so far I'm happy with it - even though I do seem more easily satisfied than most with soaps

The Rubie was great again. The initial sharpness has settled down already, and gave a very pleasant shave. No irritation or other hardship.

I need to try and draw one of those beard map thingies. I'm coming to the conclusion that my neck is a mess in terms of direction. It doesn't matter which direction I do first, but between the jawbone and neck crease on the right hand side, I need to go horizontal, downwards, and at angles in between. Irrespective of the sequence in those directions, there's always some ATG resistance, and there's always something remaining from the previous angle. It's similar on the other side, but with a more horizontal prevailing grain. I don't know if this is follicular variations, or due to my hair being so frizzy and stubborn (from the root, and not obeying the skin trend).

 

[Esox]

cultivation time

Yet another heretofore unthought of equation to further muddy the waters. Or is that an algal bloom? Some soaps do have tubs that could pass as petri dishes lol.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Yet another heretofore unthought of equation to further muddy the waters. Or is that an algal bloom? Some soaps do have tubs that could pass as petri dishes lol.

I've no idea whether it was bacterial, fungal, a breakdown of ingredients, or a chemical reaction between soap and tin. All I know is it looked bloody ugly and I didn't want it on my face

As regards how NOT to treat a soap, I think there's many schools of thought. I don't bother putting the lid back on. Putting the lid on might minimise stuff getting in, but doesn't let excess moisture back out. So my soap has 24 hours for excess moisture to escape.

I'm not convinced that putting the lid back in and trapping the residual moisture in would be any better. I also use the soap again for the next shave, most of the time, so by the time it's mostly dried out, it's time to get wet again. Again, I'm not convinced that putting in in a drawer for a couple of days/weeks like some do, would be any better for the soap. So from that aspect, I don't think my treatment of the soap is to blame.

I'm actually glad that I did try and squidge it down, as if I'd have kept loading it the way I was, I might not have noticed the issue, because I'd have been "using" a little bit of the gruesomeness every shave. It was running the spoon round the edge and bringing it into the middle that made it visible.

All I really know for sure, is that I'm even less inclined to part use a soap, and stick it back in a drawer to give it a longer period to develop... stuff. New soap, use it till it's finished or gone manky, next soap. Job done.

 

[Esox]

I leave the lids off mine so they can dry overnight too. I cant say I've seen anything like your pictures show and to be honest I'm a bit afraid to look lol.

I wonder if it hadnt just separated from sitting around and not actually grown ...something. If it was bacterial or fungal I would think you'd smell it, but I dont know. I try not to sniff anything that may be one or the other outside of mushrooms lol.

 

[Twelvefret]

Nasty.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I leave the lids off mine so they can dry overnight too. I cant say I've seen anything like your pictures show and to be honest I'm a bit afraid to look lol.

I wonder if it hadnt just separated from sitting around and not actually grown ...something. If it was bacterial or fungal I would think you'd smell it, but I dont know. I try not to sniff anything that may be one or the other outside of mushrooms lol.

Indeed. The symbol on the tin says to use this within six months, and the soap had been in use since June. Maybe whatever that was, is why they advise that

 

[Esox]

My PdP has "10/2020" on the side. They need to increase that. It will last longer than they think lol.

 

[Clay S]

My PdP has "10/2020" on the side. They need to increase that. It will last longer than they think lol.

Oh NO! My PdP is listed as 10/2019. Have to start using it more! Ack! My other soaps don't have a date! And their softer soaps! What order do I use in. ACK!

 

[Esox]

Oh NO! My PdP is listed as 10/2019. Have to start using it more! Ack! My other soaps don't have a date! And their softer soaps! What order do I use in. ACK!

That was my reaction to seeing it too lol.

I cant say I've looked for a date code on my other soaps, but I'm pretty much down to four; CRS, Wickham, PdP and WK. All but the WK will last a while...

 

[AimlessWanderer]

My PdP has "10/2020" on the side. They need to increase that. It will last longer than they think lol.

Oh NO! My PdP is listed as 10/2019. Have to start using it more! Ack! My other soaps don't have a date! And their softer soaps! What order do I use in. ACK!

Mine don't have a use by date, just the use within however long from opening/first use symbol. The one that went awry said 6 months, MWF is 36 months, and the one I'm currently using has no symbol.

Clay, the sequence I'd suggest is:
1) soft soaps you've already started
2) harder soaps you've already started
3) new soft
4) new hard

While the current soap has no symbol, I'm going to try to use it up within 6 months like the other craft soap. I have another of these soaps, and another of the one that went manky, but in a different scent. I'll be using all these up before opening up my replacement puck of Mitchells. I might take a little diversion into a few samples later, but not until I've used up another two of these soaps, which will be around the end of next year. I haven't bought the samples yet, so there's no rush.

 

[Tokyospike]

None of my soaps have gone that wonky (and none have expiration dates) - but I did have a tin of Mike’s Natural lose its scent and its residual slickness after about a year. 3017 seems like the way to go, but I just can’t . . . too fond of my slow rotation.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

None of my soaps have gone that wonky (and none have expiration dates) - but I did have a tin of Mike’s Natural lose its scent and its residual slickness after about a year. 3017 seems like the way to go, but I just can’t . . . too fond of my slow rotation.

I've used one soap till it was finished since well before it had a number assigned to it

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Switched the Rubie over to the Super Slim Twist today for shave #4, and it was probably the best shave I've had with that razor. A really easy clean up. It will be interesting to see how this blade plays out, as it feels quite like the SharpEdge did after it mellowed out a while. If I had to guess, I'd say 18-20 shaves, but I've been wrong before. Very wrong.



The soap still needs a bit more time to figure out. I thought I'd nailed it perfectly today, but it collapsed on me during pass two and I had to start again, yet the lather on the first and third pass was fine. Well, fine for me, I'm sure most shavers here would hate it

I'm going to leave the blade in this razor for a while I think, as it's been several months since I last used it. I still prefer the Jagger to this one, but prefer this to the Interceptor, which is why I included that one in the PIF with the Grande. I have no need of two butterfly openers.

So with the Grande coming and going, and me passing on the Empire and 22 Interceptor, the razor count is coming down a little. I don't think I'll miss any of those, and I'm certain I kept the right ones. When I get the Razorine some time next year, there's a chance I might let another go, but not till I've spent a little time with it. I'm quite surprised how well the Jagger is holding up too. I expected once it got its first pimples, it would decline quite rapidly, but that doesn't seem to be the case so far.

So, we're back to plain sailing again for a while, steadily working through the test queue, and getting settled in with the new soap. I'm about halfway down my little test bottle of homebrew already, so I'll probably be knocking up another batch soon. No apple cider vinegar this time!

 

[rabidus]

My PdP says 04/20 on the can.

 

[Esox]

My PdP says 04/20 on the can.

I wonder if it will last that long...

 

[rabidus]

I wonder if it will last that long...

Nope! Not at the rate that I'm using it!