Thread: If your puck stops lathering try your Thumbnail

I am not a big soap nut. I have a puck that is 90% used and have never had trouble getting lather from it. VDH or Williams probably but to be honest I am not sure. I am scraping the bottom of my soap stores which is very small. I decided to use it all up before I bought more. Not trying to complain about any brand in this thread.

I put the mug into storage a while ago and as I said as I am using it all up brought it out again. No problems. Then one day I couldn't get a good lather from it. I struggled for a week and then in frustration I pulled it from the mug and it for a lack of a better term didn't feel right. It felt like it had a different crust.

In my frustration I took my thumbnail and scraped off the outer layer and washed my hands with it. Not a thick layer obviously. Then it worked as expected!

As I stated I am using up the remnants of my "soap collection" and I think there was a reaction between soaps transferred by the brush or something similar.

I tried a search to see if this has been discussed before but couldn't find anything with the terms I thought of.

Well that is different, I've not had that problem as of yet.

Originally Posted by outback

Well that is different, I've not had that problem as of yet.

I agree it is different.

People talk about lapping a stone to get to a better level and that is sort of what I did with my thumbnail. Of coarse not flat!

One person says that this soap is good and another says I can't get it to work. Maybe there is something that is creating a layer on the soap?

People lap their stones all the time to keep them fresh. Maybe this idea could be transferred into soap?

I'm thinking the oils in the soap have dried out at the surface, being that its so small.
Kinda like a bar of soap does in the shower. When you first started using it, it lathered real well, but once it starts getting smaller, the less it lathers.

The bar gets pretty small and you don't want to throw it away but you get out a new one. Then the old one dries and warps and cracks so you throw it away anyway.

I can see this......

I have done something like this with soaps that seem to start lathering less and less as they get older. What I have done is cut some grid lines in the soap with a small penknife. It actually worked pretty well for me.

Pete <:-}

Originally Posted by petercp4e

I have done something like this with soaps that seem to start lathering less and less as they get older. What I have done is cut some grid lines in the soap with a small penknife. It actually worked pretty well for me.

Pete <:-}

Do you think that it worked because you were exposing "new" soap or from the friction of the brush?

Originally Posted by 32t

The bar gets pretty small and you don't want to throw it away but you get out a new one. Then the old one dries and warps and cracks so you throw it away anyway.

I can see this......

I put mine in a plastic bag, once I get enough saved up I grate them up real fine, put it in a container the size of a new bar or so, slowly add hot water till fully saturated, DONT STIR IT!! or the monster that ate Mr Bubbles will get you. [emoji23]
Let it sit till hard, and ya got a free bar for the work shop, or utility sink in the basement. Put a string in it for soap on a rope. All good fun, when your board and nothing to do. [emoji6]

Originally Posted by 32t

Do you think that it worked because you were exposing "new" soap or from the friction of the brush?

I'd say both. Probably that it exposes new soap plus the grid creates more of an abrasive surface and ridges for the brush to dig into and grab the soap.

Pete <:-}