Thread: Beginning soap questions

I am reading up to prepare for my first wet shave but I had a question on shaving soap.

When you put it into a bowl or a mug to put the whole bar in or just a part of it. Do you then melt it into place and let it cool?

Also after you lather and have completed your shave, do you wipe out the exess lather and let the bowl sit or what are you supposed to do with it?

Thanks all.

Everyone has their own way. Since I just started and I have my soap puck in a coffee cup.. I just dropped it in there and let it sit. After you use it a few times it will naturally stick to the bottom of the cup. You can buy soaps that are already in a bowl so you don't have to worry about that and then buy refills for that bowl. You can buy a soap and find a nice container.. grate it up and then melt it into that container so that it is fully formed into it. I am sure others do something completely different as well.

First of all welcome!

I keep all my soaps in the containers they came in and I have a separate mug that I lather in.

The best thing to check is the lathering article in the Wiki here and follow the instructions there.

Some people prefer to put their soaps in a mug, but its really personal choice. Sometimes the puck fits just right, other times you need to make it fit. The easiest way to do that is grate as much of the soap up as you need to fill the container to the level you want, and then press it into the bottom of the new holder with some water to make it all stick.

If your soap is in a mug or something, I'd just leave any remaining lather there as it will form part of the next lather you make.

If you make your lather separately in a different mug, its up to you what you do. I try to make only as much as I need and I rinse away whats left (usually not more than a small smear as I'm pretty good at judging the amount to make now!) as I use different soaps each time.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks for the quick responses. That makes sense and the Wiki article was very informative.

Hello, irontexan:

Welcome to Straight Razor Place.

I rotate a dozen soaps and three creams. Each soap sits in its own mug whole.

Two of the soaps, Mama Bear and SRD unscented, come in their own plastic tubs with lids. I keep them in there.

I also have a mug I keep strictly for making lather, whether with soap or cream. When finished loading the brush with a specific soap, the soap stays in the mug for the next time. Then I make lather in the lathering mug. It works for me.

I am sure you will devise your own method, something that works best for you.

Regards,
Obie

I switched to using a separate mug to lather in allso.Its a lot easier to control the moister content that way. I noticed a little less of the suction feal on the blade with a little wetter lather.

Simple stuff really. If it came in it's own container, leave it there. If it doesn't have a container, ie. Col. Conk, I just toss the whole thing into a coffee mug and go.

If it's a softer soap -- e.g. not a triple-milled soap like Harris or TOBS -- you can just put it in a baggie or wrap it plastic wrap and either leave it outside for a while on a hot day... set it in the sun for a little while... or place it on top of a warm stove (AS IN the top is warm to the touch because the oven was on -- DO NOT place it on a hot burner) -- that should make it soft and plyable enough to press into any shape container with your thumbs.

If it's not a triple-milled soap you can also give it a quick shot in the microwave but this FAR trickier and riskier than the above methods as it doesn't take much time at all to go from soap puck to burnt puddle of goo...)

From what I've read, the only real option for triple-milled soaps is to grate them, moisten the gratings a little, and then press them in with your fingers.

Of course, as was already stated, if the puck is small enough drop down into your bowl or mug - then don't worry about heating/grating it... just drop it in. The repetative wetting will eventually bond it to the bottom of the bowl.