Soap disappearing quickly.

So, I regularly hear about how cakes of shaving soap last for weeks or months. But my soap cakes are lasting about a week and a half, I'm wondering if perhaps something is wrong with my technique? So let me describe what I do with them.
I use classicshaving's regular cakes of soap. When I run low on soap in my mug, I drop a cake in and microwave it for 40 seconds to make it fit perfectly in the mug. I then let it solidify for a few hours before I try to use it. I run my water as hot as a I can, then I hold my brush (Vulfix's bottom-of-the-line boar brush) under the water for a few seconds. Then I fill the mug with hot water and submerge the brush in it. I then take a quick shower (usually about 5 minutes on a weekday) then I get out. I drain almost all the water out (I need to keep a little in, because the brush doesn't hold much water, and I usually need to add more water once or twice while shaving because the lather gets pasty) then I just put the brush in, with moderate downward force, then swirl it back and forth in a circular motion until there's a good lather in the brush. At least, I think it's a good later. I work it until there's no bubbles and I can spread it on my face with a slightly creamy feeling instead of a liquid one, and I can't see my skin underneath for about 10 minutes. So that's what I do. Why is the soap going so quickly?

I would imagine it's from using too much water. I'll let some veterans verify this. I'm just finishing up a puck of TGQ soap, and I've had it for almost 2 months (about a week shy I would say). Granted, I used my William's Mug soap a couple times in there, but for the most part I stayed with the one puck.

Here is my process:

1. Soak the brush and towel in very hot tap water while preparing other things. (towel is for wrapping my face while I strop:))
2. Flick the brush out a couple times so it's not dripping, but still contains a good amount of water
3. Push the bristles down on the soap a dozen times to charge it up.
4. Swirl the brush around at a moderate pace inside the mug to build the lather. If I need to add more water, I'll add just a teaspoon or little less and continue swirling.

That's pretty much all I need to do and it gives me a great lather.

It is probably the soaking for 5 mins in water that is doing it. From the fact that you microwave your soap it isn't a triple milled soap, these are much harder and can benefit from a little soaking. My GFT coconut is now 5 months old and barely has a dent in the middle.

You missed the part about what you do AFTER your shave.


I used to drop the brush into the cup full of lather and leave it that way overnight.

The brush held enough moisture to ruin the soap overnight. My soaps would last a week.

Now I always rinse the brush out and stand it up, then rinse out the cup (with soap), and invert it to drain it. Then, after I put the razor away, I set the cup back upright to allow the soap to dry.

^^This is almost the exact same routine I use, as well.

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Originally Posted by toolarts

You missed the part about what you do AFTER your shave.


I used to drop the brush into the cup full of lather and leave it that way overnight.

The brush held enough moisture to ruin the soap overnight. My soaps would last a week.

Now I always rinse the brush out and stand it up, then rinse out the cup (with soap), and invert it to drain it. Then, after I put the razor away, I set the cup back upright to allow the soap to dry.

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I rinse out my brush thoroughly and hang it upside down. I then run hot water through the mug to rinse off all of the lather (or paste, by then), shake it out, then stick it on a shelf right-side up. The bathroom usually doesn't get very humid, since I'm the only one who uses it and I'm fairly quick about cleaning.

The soaking does seem like it might be responsible. I'll soak the brush in a separate bowl from now on, I'll see if that helps. And it might also just be that the classic brand is a softer soap. The only other kind I've ever used is Williams, but it's definitely much softer than that.

Each of my last three soap cakes lasted for between 5 and 7 YEARS. I don't scrimp on lather at all and I shave every day.

I soak in a seperate container, and my soaps last a long time as well. If you are using a glycerine based or soft soap, all that water is dissolving your soap, when you pour it out, you are throwing soap down the drain.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Each of my last three soap cakes lasted for between 5 and 7 YEARS. I don't scrimp on lather at all and I shave every day.

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:eek: :eek: And how?!

triple milled soaps last forever no matter how much water you drown them with but Glycerine soaps are soft and hot water will dissolve them fast. So you want to use only what water you need and make sure to drain it fast when your done making lather.

In my experience, glycerine-based soap pucks really dont need much soaking. Depending on the brand, hot water on the brush is enough. Those I have tried lasted a few weeks.

Hard soaps like williams can handle a bit of soaking since they are pretty hard. They dont dissolve as fast and they last a long time.

My 2 cents...

I agree that soaking the soap for that long might be the reason. Also, I've seen soapmakers suggested nuking the soap for no more than 10 seconds at a time. Could 40 seconds be too much at once?

Jordan

Nuking it for less than 40 seconds doesn't completely dissolve it...10 seconds does absolutely nothing.
Okay, I tried doing it last night using some boiling water in one cup, for the brush, and no water in the other cup, with the soap, and I was having an immensely hard time working up a proper lather, it just seemed to stay as suds despite a full half hour of trying and re-trying and re-trying and re-trying and re-trying...sometimes I just have bad nights, though, so I'll try again tonight and see what happens.

I think you making too much out of this thing, maybe your trying too hard. usually when I make my lather whether its a milled soap or glycerine based I just soak my brush under hot top water for maybe 30 seconds and then let the excess water drain off and depending on the brush maybe give it one medium shake and then put it to the dry soap and in 30sec or less I have enough lather to do 5 shaves and I've used classic soap with the same results. What kind of brush are you using? and size? Maybe hard water? Tell us more.

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Originally Posted by Infectious

Nuking it for less than 40 seconds doesn't completely dissolve it...10 seconds does absolutely nothing.
Okay, I tried doing it last night using some boiling water in one cup, for the brush, and no water in the other cup, with the soap, and I was having an immensely hard time working up a proper lather, it just seemed to stay as suds despite a full half hour of trying and re-trying and re-trying and re-trying and re-trying...sometimes I just have bad nights, though, so I'll try again tonight and see what happens.

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Sorry I wasn't clear. The instructions from the soap ladies was to nuke for 8-10 seconds, check it. Nuke again for 8-10 seconds check it again, etc and keep going until its melted. Just what I read.

I do well with a fairly dry brush (I shake it out pretty well). Then load on some moist soap until its pasty. Then I lather on my wet face. I'll flick the brush under the slowly running water to add moisture if needed. I've never had a problem making lather with soap. Maybe your water is the culprit.

Jordan

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I think you making too much out of this thing, maybe your trying too hard. usually when I make my lather whether its a milled soap or glycerine based I just soak my brush under hot top water for maybe 30 seconds and then let the excess water drain off and depending on the brush maybe give it one medium shake and then put it to the dry soap and in 30sec or less I have enough lather to do 5 shaves and I've used classic soap with the same results. What kind of brush are you using? and size? Maybe hard water? Tell us more.

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It's...umm...the bottom-of-the-line, $7 Vulfix brush, the VS/1. It's my first brush, and I haven't had the money to spare to upgrade. The water in my house is extremely soft. I work my lather up in the cup.