Thread: getting the soap hot

How do you guys get the soap/lather to be really hot? Do you warm it up in some water while your brush is warming up?

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If your're using a hard-milled soap like Williams, simply turn on the tap and let the hot water reach its peak. Then put the brush in the mug with the soap and fill it up. Take shower as normal, then dump the water out of the mug, let the excess water drain from the brush and start making lather. This method does not work with softer soaps, like ClassicShaving's; they tend to get very mushy and I think it shortens their lifespan to boot. For creams, I soak the brush in hot water as above, make a few circles in the cream and it's off to the races. Shaving scuttles are another option, but I'll let someone who owns one talk about it.

I use the classic shaving soap, any suggestions?

Try soaking just the brush in hot tap water while you shower. Otherwise you can turn the tap water on hot, hold the brush bristles 90 degrees to the water and slowly roll the brush to allow it to soak up water. Several trips around to get the brush fully loaded & hot. Turn off the tap, point the bristles down to let the excess water drain, then off to lather.

Agggh the scuttle. This works great. I have a soap scuttle that I fill with near boiling water from a tea kettle. I let my brush soak in it while I shower. I then work up the soap and go to town. This gives a very hot lather just make sure it is not too hot. This takes a little longer so I use it on the weekends.

I use classic shaving scuttle soap.

Poor man's scuttle:

I fill my sink with hot water and let my mug sit in there for a while. I also fill the mug with hot water and let the brush soak (but I use cream).
I leave the mug in the sink for the entire shave, this way even the lather for the 2nd or 3rd pass stays warm.

Redwoood

Originally Posted by RichZ

I use classic shaving scuttle soap.

How does the shape and size of this soap compare with Harris and T&H pucks?

If you want to be really simple about it...when I have the time for a nice long shave and I am using a hard soap not a cream, I boil water in a tea kettle and bring that kettle into the bathroom with me I add part boiling water to part warm tap water till I get the perfect temperature water in my mug with my soap, I then soak my brush in that water so my soap and brush are both nice and hot.

The tea kettle keeps water warmer than required for the entire shave so I just add more water from that tea kettle into another mug or sink for keeping the brush nice and hot.

Originally Posted by mparker762

How does the shape and size of this soap compare with Harris and T&H pucks?

Not sure as I don't have any of the others.

What about the Moss skuttle though SFM? Isn't it's only purpose to keep the lather hot between passes? My understanding is that it provides piping hot lather for each pass. I believe Dr. Moss has written about it here and on SMF, though I know there is a link to the private potter who makes them at shavemyface.com.