Thread: Making hot soap

Is there any way to make the shave soap hot? I soak the brush in hot water while in the shower and allow a few drops of water to soak into the soap cake too. Out of the shower and immediately start making lather and when it all gets to my face its cold... This was only my second time to make lather but I got better at making it, had tons more volume out of it.

Can't tell what soap it is, vintage I am sure. Was in the mug I inherited from my grandfather last week.

Stupid question... Is the mug for making lather in or just to hold the soap? I tried making lather in a bowl the other day but lastnight I made lather IN the mug and had much better results

I personally fill the sink with hot tap water and also fill my mug with hot water and let them sit. I also stick my brush in the mug. I let it sit for a few minutes and then drain off the water from the mug and shake my brush (depending on how much water your brush holds). I then make foam in the mug. This keeps the foam warmer.

I'm sure that other people have their own way of doing it.

Well, there are two schools of thought on the old lather issue. One, you can make the lather in the bowl. Two, you can make the lather on your face and use the bowl to hold the soap and brush.

The first way you will often get cold lather unless you are really fast. The second way you get warmish lather straight on your face.

Me, I personally find that warm lather is overrated but I live in a sub-tropical climate. In any event, it might be warm when it goes on but it does not stay that way throughout the shave unless you constantly reapply the lather, or you are a super-duper fast shaver!

Good luck!

James.

After pouring the water from the mug, run hot water back into the mug, then pour it out as well. After shaking out the brush, run hot water over the brush and shake again. On your second lather, do the same with the brush. Just a bit of hot water at the base of the knot tends to help me with warm lather as I pick up a bit of soap. I also build the lather on my face, as I can't really keep a warm lather in a mug. I know what you mean, though- for a while more than less of my shaves were done with a less than hot lather.

Originally Posted by PWillis

Is there any way to make the shave soap hot? I soak the brush in hot water while in the shower and allow a few drops of water to soak into the soap cake too. Out of the shower and immediately start making lather and when it all gets to my face its cold... This was only my second time to make lather but I got better at making it, had tons more volume out of it.

Can't tell what soap it is, vintage I am sure. Was in the mug I inherited from my grandfather last week.

Stupid question... Is the mug for making lather in or just to hold the soap? I tried making lather in a bowl the other day but lastnight I made lather IN the mug and had much better results

Not a stupid question.

In general the mug is for making lather.

-- In general -- there are other choices. It sounds like
your Grandfather had another method, see below...

Keep the soap in a shallow covered container.
An inexpensive plastic kitchen container will do.

When building a lather in a mug first heat it up with
hot tap water while you are in the shower. You can
pre-soak your brush at the same time.

Me I have a ceramic mug with soap in it that I found
at a Goodwill store for two bucks and a pewter shaving
mug $$ to build my lather in. The pewter gets warm almost
instantly and holds enough heat to reheat lather by running
hot tap water over the outside for 15 seconds. A tin
camping mug would do the same.

Some mugs float nicely in a basin of hot water or are
heavy enough to sit in a shallow basin of hot water.

Since this was your Grandfathers mug use it the way
he might have. Pickup some soap from the mug with
a wet brush. Lather your face once with it and rinse with
hot/ warm water then pickup some fresh soap and make a
fresh lather on your face. Add drips of water to the
brush and lather in stages adding dribbles of water
until you get it close to right on your face.

I think some folk pay too much attention to the look of
the lather and not enough to getting the face clean and wet.

There is no problem in refreshing the lather half
way through a shave. In fact if you are a multi pass
person it pays to shave one side then refresh the lather
on both sides shave the second side.... i.e. do not
let the cleared areas dry out.

Stages in a lather can start out drippy and sloppy but too
much soap. Work that with a brush adding drips of water
and it will fluff up. Too much water and it will get drippy
and sloppy again but will dry on the face in the two, three
min that is so valuable for most beard prep.

Bottom line: what works for you works.

Here's another vote for letting the mug sit in hot sinkwater while you shower. I fill the sink with hot water and my mug is so heavy it will sit on the bottom of the sink while I shower.

I never thought of filling the mug with hot water then pouring it out before whipping up a lather but I might give that a try. I'm also one of those people who paints my face with the brush then work it into my face letting it lather up. A little hot water on the end of the brush before bringing it back to my face helps, and sometimes if you hold the brush bristle side down for a few seconds it will draw some hot water from inside the brush, where it seems to hide, to the end.

Well, if you have the money for it... Scuttles are awesome, and work well.. If you like to face lather, get a Small Moss scuttle

If you alternate between face lathering, and mug lathering, get a GTP scuttle

Or, if you like to mug lather more than the rest, or have a big brush, or want those soap caps (I love them) get a Schwarz scuttle...

I personally have a Schwarz, between the soap cap, dipping basin, and large bowl for lather whipping, it was a no brainer... I still want a GTP G5 though...

Or there's always the Redneck Scuttle from Walmart/Home Depot (just use the search tool for Redneck Scuttle, you'll see. it's 6-10 bucks, and it works just as well as anything else. I just like a full scuttle more... Aesthetics

PWIllis,

This is what I have come accross and has seemed to do the trick for me.

I have my puck of soap in a regular coffee cup. I have a a VDH bowl and an old cereal bowl that can hold the VDH bowl. While i shower I put the hottest tap water i can in the sink basin and put my bowls in the basin of hot water to heat up along with my brush to soak. I put enough hot water in the coffee cup to cover the soap and place the cup in the sink as well.

after the shower i drain the VDH bowl and make my lather in that bowl. After my lather is made i put the hottest tap water i can in the cereal bowl to sit the VDH bowl into on the counter.

I strop for my shave, and the lather has been staying fairly warm.

I know some of those Moss Scuttles, etc...are expensive, I have money, and I won't buy one because I think they're way over priced.....Just my opinion. I use the double boiler method. I have a small Potpourri crock pot that I fill half way with water. They were used for simmering Potpourri. You can buy very small crock pots online or at Wal Mart, etc...Most are adjustable, I put my mug or scuttle in the crock pot. It keeps the lather hot throughout the shave, and my sink is free. When I'm done, the little crock pot goes under the counter in the bathroom. This may not work if you have a very small bathroom. I also understand some guys have used Candle warmers, and cup heaters...Stuff like that....Gotta have Hot lather.....!

Rich

Originally Posted by zib

I know some of those Moss Scuttles, etc...are expensive, I have money, and I won't buy one because I think they're way over priced.....Just my opinion. I use the double boiler method. I have a small Potpourri crock pot that I fill half way with water. They were used for simmering Potpourri. You can buy very small crock pots online or at Wal Mart, etc...Most are adjustable, I put my mug or scuttle in the crock pot. It keeps the lather hot throughout the shave, and my sink is free. When I'm done, the little crock pot goes under the counter in the bathroom. This may not work if you have a very small bathroom. I also understand some guys have used Candle warmers, and cup heaters...Stuff like that....Gotta have Hot lather.....!

Rich

I think it was worth it, but that's just me...

Another method would be to get a coffee warmer like Zib said... Find one that has bad reviews on Amazon, look for reviews that say it only keeps the coffee warm, not hot... That's bad for coffee, but good for lather :P Take one of those, put a touch of water in the bottom of your cup, set it on and voila.