Thread: How to soften soap in wooden bowl

I lather with cake soap that I leave in a coffee mug. Before getting into the shower, I'll run about a tablespoon of hot tap water into the mug to soften the soap some before loading the brush. I then build the lather in a bowl.

I've seen many different shave soaps offered in a wooden bowl. It appears that the soap fills the bowl up completely leaving little, if any, room to let water sit to soften the soap. How do users of these wooden bowl shave soaps soften the soap prior to loading the brush, if at all?

Just a little hot water on top of the soap, while you're in the shower will do the trick...
It really doesn't take that much..... Actually just wetting the soap with hot water will soften it enough even if it doesn't actually sit on there.... The more you use the soap the more it will dish out and hold more water....

I have to admit I have yet to find a soap that requires being softened before use as long as my brush is sufficiently loaded with water. I do soak my brush for a few minutes and then flick lightly, leaving more water in the brush than I would with a cream and simply swirl on top of the soap, pumping gently as I go until it starts to come together and then build the lather either on my face or in a separate lather bowl. I do find the wood bowls to be a bit messy when first using them until you get a bit of a depression in the center of the cake but it's not earth shattering problematic. Mind you, it does seem to take quite a while to get any wear on the traditional English soaps such as Trumper, T&H, Harris, Taylors etc.


Christian

I never put water on the soap. Just load the brush with the proper amount of water and in seconds I have all the lather I need.

Originally Posted by lawman2

How do users of these wooden bowl shave soaps soften the soap prior to loading the brush, if at all?

They don't need soaking. I've never understood why the guys at B&B keep recommending this because all it does is greatly shorten the life of your soap. Just swirl your damp brush on top and go. As you use it day after day, it gradually absorbs water from the brush and get softer and softer. If you're using a soap you haven't used in a week or so then maybe run a little water in the bowl and swirl it around to wet the surface then tump it out. The remaining water on the cake will be more than enough to soften it while the sink's filling up.

Originally Posted by lawman2

How do users of these wooden bowl shave soaps soften the soap prior to loading the brush, if at all?

I don't soften any of my hard soaps. Years ago I used to soak my brush in my soap mug because that was the way I was taught but over the years discovered that doing it that way wastes a lot of soap.

Later in life when I started experimenting with different soaps that come in a bowl or jar using my normal methods tended to not only waste soap but make a mess as well.

The method I've been using lately is to take my brush with what I estimate is the proper amount of water in it and squeeze it over my mixing bowl or scuttle...I then use the "damp" brush to pick up some soap then return to the mixing bowl to make the lather. Less messy, doesn't waste soap and makes just as good of lather. The first couple times you try it you might have to repeat the squeeze and pick up soap until you get a feel for how many swirls it takes on the soap to pick up the amount you need. It's sort of like using cream except it takes a little more effort to pick up the proper amount of soap.