Thread: Second Hand Soaps

One of the reason that a like using a Surabachi as a shaving bowl is that you never need to get your original 'round' of soap wet. You just rub it into the dry indentations and put the soap back into the original container.
Worked in a Health Care facility before I retired and any Bar Soap was a no no.

Here's the biggest question for me: Why would you want to buy a soap that someone else doesn't like well enough to shave with?

If I discover a soap isn't up to snuff for shaving, I bust it back to handwashing.

Personally I wouldn't even consider buying a used puck of soap.
Nor would I accept it if it were for free.
Personal hygiene stuff is just that, personal. imo

I have to agree, soap is cheap so buy new. If you purchase a soap that you don't like to shave with, it's still good enough to clean your cracks and crevices. A few years ago, I purchased quite a few soaps, doubles of some scents, it turned out I did not like them personally, so the used one ended up in the shower, the unopened and still shrink-wrapped ones I offered to a new member on a tight budget as a PIF. On the other hand, creams might be a different story as I like to think most users of creams use some sort of snurdle.

A good rinsing off of the soap will get rid of anything stuck to it...after all, it's soap.

I don't go through life with any sort of germophobia and I haven't died yet. As for the brush thing, I don't think it's a big deal. Just clean it thoroughly. I mean, it's not like it's bathed in a crapton of blood or anything. A small nick would rinse/wash out when I cleaned my brush, anyway. And I do my best to stop bleeding rather than shave with pink lather

To each his own, but damn...people turn doorknobs and sit on public toilet seats but get squeamish over a bar of soap.

I had similar questions in my mind last week when I saw classifieds about sellers wanting to trade or sell their used soap and cream collections. I was trying to look at it from a vendor's point of view: would a vendor have a try-and-buy policy, where they let you try a soap and accept its return if it was "only used once" and you didn't like it, and restock it for another buyer to try-and-buy later? I came to the conclusion: NO. It's all about contamination, whether it's intentional or unintentional. You never know what you'll end up with on used soap, so avoid that secondhand stuff.

On a similar topic:
How about this, if you were taking a shower at a friend-of-a-friend's home, would you bath with their used bar of soap if you didn't have any soap of your own?

Originally Posted by henryconchile

On a similar topic:
How about this, if you were taking a shower at a friend-of-a-friend's home, would you bath with their used bar of soap if you didn't have any soap of your own?

Any sort of hairs on the bar is a deal-breaker.

Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

Any sort of hairs on the bar is a deal-breaker.

Well then you wouldn't even go into my bathroom!

You all germophobic send your used soaps to me, I'll clean them and use them. If I like it, I'll keep it, if not, I'll pass it on to any interested. And as far as brushes, there is soap, borax, and air that would kill 99.9% of any germs. So yes, I'll use those too. PLEASE! Double O

P.S. let the flame roll.

Jay Mohr's comedy bit on "Soap is Magic" is perfect for this thread!

Parental Guidance Suggested (they will never use the family soap again):

Jay Mohr -Standup - YouTube