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Used shaving soaps

What are peoples thoughts about purchasing used shaving soaps? Right now in the environment we are in this seems like a horrific thing to do. I recently joined a shaving Buy/Sell FB group and there's all kinds of soaps on there from slightly used to half gone. On top of that, the prices people are asking seem odd. $20 for a used soap that is $25 new seems crazy to me as well.
 
We use soap to wash things. That's soap, I dont see the problem and you could put it for few days in quarantine if you want. Also some people like myself just scoop soaps out of tubes to bowl lather so only a clean spoon touched it.
 
I don't have a problem with a used soap. Most people just load up the brush and build the lather in a different bowl versus load up in the soap tub, lather and go back to the tub leaving whiskers behind. Others just scoop out what they need into the lather bowl.

Also, I'm not sure how many things can survive on soap.

As far as price, depends on what the soap is. Example, Captain's Choice North soap is regrettably no longer in production and I may not be able to control myself if i found one for sale.

However, I would not bother with someone selling a used Arko stick ...
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
The modern soaps I use are Tabac and MWF which are so inexpensive that buying them used is not necessary. I have several vintage soaps going back many decades, some of which were used when I acquired them but not for years as far as I could tell. It has never bothered me or been a problem. As said above, many people scoop the soap from the bowl but even if they do not then a few days drying should see you right. I do not use creams much but would not care to buy a used one.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
If you’re talking about corona virus, soap and water kills it in 20 seconds, faster than almost anything else. Used soap, soap that has had water on it, would seem to be one of the safest things that you could buy, new or used.

There are a lot of similar threads on used soap if you search for them, and I always reply that if you have to ask, the answer is ‘Don’t do it’. You’ll never use it.
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Not a problem with me, some of my best soaps were purchased slightly used. You can wash it off with a little soap and water.
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Same with razors and brushes.
 
I figure some boiling water poured on the top will take enough of a layer off that we are good to go. Also, buying someone's old soap was how I found out that I preferred aged Cella as opposed to the fresh stuff! It has more of a dull almond scent and harder for better use in stick form.
 
People knick themselves while shaving, and then re-lather. I sanitized the one used brush I received as a gift, sanitize all straights, even new, in Barbicide ("let me shave my arm and test this edge"), and don't want a used soap. YMMV, but it's not worth the small savings for my piece of mind.
 
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Covid and the regular flu is spread through respiratory, not by surface. I don't see a problem here. Also, it's soap, the stuff used to clean other things. I wouldn't worry at all.

I would only be nervous if the soap was really scummy and scuzzy looking, that would be a big turnoff, due to bacteria or fungal infection concerns
 
Sorry, but I do not know where this idea is coming from about how most people just “SCOOP” their soap out of their containers when using a spoon. I do not ever or never have “scooped” any soaps out of my containers with my spoon. Neither have I lathered any of my soaps inside their containers. If that is what you like to do...have at it. Just don’t translate your “scooping” or lathering “methods/habits” over into my tubs of soap, please! I am not suprised with the many problems I have heard that some people have had with rancid, spoiled, toxic, expired, and ruined soap inside their tubs. Carry on with your own chosen practices...
 
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I've got a puck of Williams, only used twice, which I'll sell for a buck plus postage! I've sneezed near it, and touched it with my fingers, and even I don't know all the places they have been.
 
I was watching Friendship shaving on Youtube a while back and he mentioned buying used soaps and I was taken aback by it. I didn't realize that was a thing. Would not be comfortable with that myself.
 
What are peoples thoughts about purchasing used shaving soaps? Right now in the environment we are in this seems like a horrific thing to do. I recently joined a shaving Buy/Sell FB group and there's all kinds of soaps on there from slightly used to half gone. On top of that, the prices people are asking seem odd. $20 for a used soap that is $25 new seems crazy to me as well.
If a new soap is $25 and used $20....I see absolutely no sense in buying the used on.
 
If a new soap is $25 and used $20....I see absolutely no sense in buying the used on.

Well postage makes it tough. It costs a few bucks to mail one so selling one means you’re taking a $10 loss on what is probably a nearly full tub, or more if the seller paid postage on top of the $25 charge for the soap when it was new. This is likely why sometimes people are likely to just keep things they don’t want instead of moving them on. Not worth the effort to get rid of them.
 
For me if it is used soap use the same recommendations the CDC states for virus concerns. Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. With vintage soap I might wash a bit more to get down to an unused portion of the soap. Some of the vintage soaps are great to use.
 
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