Too Much Soap?u

When acquisition disorder hits and you just have to buy every soap/cream there is... how do you store them? What are the downsides to owning multitudes of soaps? Or Is there even a downside?

I’m not going to lie, soaps are my weakness. I love em all! And when I got started in wet shaving, the acquisition disorder (AD) gradually grew to epic proportions for me. I started to find soaps I forgot buying lol. I vowed to use what I had until that time when I no longer had a single soap.

It took years, even with giving some away, but eventually they dwindled and this year I finally started to buy more, vowing to never again have more than 7.

But why?

Well I was/am a firm believer that the soaps began to lose thier scents over time. And if you read anything on soap making which I’m prone to do, you’ll know that indeed, soaps do lose scent with time. But ours are often sealed in a can so, it could take a while? Does it take a while? I didn’t think so but...

Of course another problem that anyone with a few soaps will attest to is, they shrink!

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And that’s never good! So for the love of the soap, I vowed that 7 is healthy, 8 and above isn’t. But then tonight I found this:

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It’s a mentholated soap! I put it away some fall ago it seems, and it just reared it’s ugly head. I have no idea who the vendor is anymore, or when I bought it. 6 years ago? I do remember getting it for the heat of summer.

Anyway, the first pic is it all shriveled up, but I took my brush to it tonight, and made a lather! The scent does seem to have lessoned, and the menthol has dissipated, but it’s still good.

The aftershave splash has dissipated a bit too, unless I’ve become more used to menthol. But all said and done, between the two, my face feels great.


So the question is, how long does a soap keep up it’s performance including scent? Do you guys have any tricks for keeping it “freash?”

What’s the scoop on long-term soap hoarding? Do you do it?

For me at least, it turned out to be a transient stage, call it “The Age if Wonder” after Richard Holmes’ 2008 popular science book about the eighteenth century history of science and the age of exploration.

When I became attracted to traditional wet shaving, I explored many soaps, creams and various razors, but settled down eventually with what I found worked best for me.

By then I knew enough about shaving soaps and creams that I was no longer compelled to try the latest discoveries and take now a “wait and see” approach to check whether some new product really catches on.

Eventually, I looked at the overflowing shelves in my bathroom and discarded all those soaps and creams that I hadn’t used in a while.
I have now settled down to about 18 brands, even though there are some among those where I have more than one variety of (e.g. D.R. Harris, Haslinger, Valobra, Taylors of Old Bond St.).

The “Age of Wonder” has given way to a more mature, disciplined approach, although there is still the occasional moment when I can feel that old itch...


B.

+ 1 to above. Everyone goes through that stage. I wears off and you end up doing a giant den purge of your software. If you want to develop an AD do so in hardware. Hardware lasts a lifetime, takes up less space and you can recoup your costs,

The only thing that sucks for me is... there are so many new and awesome soaps to delve into lol!! I feel like if I don't buy it now, I may never be able to again!! I have serious AD when it comes to soaps lol!!

18 would be a fine amount! I picked 7 - one for each day of the week.

Are all your soaps staying in good shape as time goes on?

Depends on the manufacturer. Most hard soaps will keep with some loss in scent. Creams, soft soaps and used soaps have varying degrees of stability...YMMV. I have had them turn, harden, discolor etc

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Originally Posted by earcutter

The only thing that sucks for me is... there are so many new and awesome soaps to delve into lol!! I feel like if I don't buy it now, I may never be able to again!! I have serious AD when it comes to soaps lol!!

18 would be a fine amount! I picked 7 - one for each day of the week.

Are all your soaps staying in good shape as time goes on?

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I think the doctor would conclude that you haven’t developed enough AD antibodies yet... :nj

My latest addition was Meissner Tremonia, where I sat on the fence for quite a while, but I am glad that I eventually bought it. It is one of the best soaps that I have come across, but - as usual - I let others try it first and waited to see what the general consensus was.
Before that, Lavanda was my latest addition, the low cost alternative to Musgo Real made by the same manufacturer. And it works very well too.

Before I try anything new, I try to gauge what the general consensus is, but am not necessarily bound by a majority vote as you can tell from the elimination of Proraso, Arko, Williams, Kiss My Face, and some other products from my rotation that a sizeable number of shavers swear by.
From past experience, I am particularly suspicious of “artisan” soaps, some of which should better be labelled “amateur” or “cottage industry”, as they were in my experience often not that good.



Never had any serious issues with ageing soaps, not even with Cella that has some anecdotal reputation in that area and where I don’t do anything more than seal it in the clear plastic wrapper that it came in, put it back in the cardbox and return it to its place on the bedroom shelf where I took it from.
I just pressed some of this Cella soap that I bought 5-6 years ago into a small porcelain dish and it seemed to work as good as ever.

Scents may grow weaker, colours may darken a bit (Cella), or creams (e.g. Lavanda from one particular seller) may start to require more effort to coax out of a tube, but that is about it.


B.

Funny thing, I'm running out of Castle Forbes Lavender shaving cream, so I checked when I got it. Turns out I got in October 2012. Besides from drying out a bit, I have noticed zero change in performance or scent.

I love trying new soaps, and to a lesser extent, creams. i probably have enough soap to last ten years. I suspect some will go bad before I use them up.

I keep my soaps in a cabinet in the bathroom; that is probably all too common. It would be far better to keep them in a cool, dark place and the bathroom does not qualify on that count.

I have never tried putting soaps in the refrigerator or freezer. I do not know what cold temperatures might do to the emulsions. Colder temperatures would certainly help minimize rancidification of unsaponified fats and oils in the soap and would slow the growth of bacteria and molds.

Creams and soaps that contain preservatives may last quite a while, but I will need to use up artisan products that contain no preservatives more quickly.

This is a June 2012 photo of my dresser's top-left side (the entire top is what passes for my "shave den") -- QED soaps in the two left-most columns; next, a column of CR Salter creams; and then another two columns of TGQ soaps):

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For the record, up until last Friday my most-recent purchase of shaving soap/cream was back in 2008, when I bought a refill puck of TGQ Desert Ironwood; but now, after a ten-year hiatus, I purchased (and yesterday, received) a tub of Castle Forbes 1445 shaving cream!

I have purged myself of any soaps that don't measure up. I am not persuaded by new soaps. My preference is mainly for a single brand and I stick to it. Venturing beyond into the sea of suds is no longer rewarding. I have found that if they are sealed in a covered container they seem to keep a long time. If the soap is exposed it seems work just fine but the scent may evaporate.

The Castle Forbes 1445 keeps calling me as well, JB! Look forward to your take on the scent given we know full well what to expect regarding the performance and post-shave feel of CF creams.

I started into my second Lime container this spring. Stellar stuff!

After nearly 50 years of shaving with essentially the same soap, Old Spice, I discovered the shaving forums and have thoroughly enjoyed trying at least a couple hundred different soaps over the past five years. I have few other vices that I waste my money on--I don't smoke, rarely drink, and purchased my car in 1996--I'm still having too much fun trying different soaps to consider stopping. I do shave with the same favorites five days a week, but enjoy trying newer soaps at least twice a week. There isn't a right way or a wrong way to enjoy this hobby. Whatever someone is happy with is the right way for them.

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Originally Posted by evnpar

After nearly 50 years of shaving with essentially the same soap, Old Spice, I discovered the shaving forums and have thoroughly enjoyed trying at least a couple hundred different soaps over the past five years. I have few other vices that I waste my money on--I don't smoke, rarely drink, and purchased my car in 1996--I'm still having too much fun trying different soaps to consider stopping. I do shave with the same favorites five days a week, but enjoy trying newer soaps at least twice a week. There isn't a right way or a wrong way to enjoy this hobby. Whatever someone is happy with is the right way for them.

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Truer words evnpar, truer words. I just didn't want any of my soaps going bad... it seems I might have been overthinking that.

PS - I wish I was your neighbor lol!!

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Originally Posted by OCDshaver

I have purged myself of any soaps that don't measure up. I am not persuaded by new soaps. My preference is mainly for a single brand and I stick to it. Venturing beyond into the sea of suds is no longer rewarding. I have found that if they are sealed in a covered container they seem to keep a long time. If the soap is exposed it seems work just fine but the scent may evaporate.

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You did not mention which single brand is your preference, but if you are using soaps that are several years old or more, you are missing out on a treat. Even established artisans like Barrister and Mann have upped their game in the past year or two. Competition between various artisans (Barrister and Mann, Cold River Soap Works, Declaration Grooming, Grooming Department, Noble Otter, Oleo Soapworks, Wholly Kaw, and others) has led to some fantastic improvements in soap performance and, in some cases, scents. Some soaps and creams that I once thought to be pretty good (DR Harris, Proraso, TOBS, GF Trumper, Pre de Provence, etc.) no longer make it into my top 10 soap bases.

Some of these new soap bases feature exotic ingredients like donkey milk, duck fat, goat milk, bison tallow, along with nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil, shea butter, avocado oil, etc. If these ingredients were simply a marketing ploy, that would be one thing, but these new soap bases are incredibly slick, highly protective, and leave you face feeling years younger.

I shave with one of the older soaps and creams every now and then to remind me how things used to be in the "good old days". It just makes me appreciate the newer artisans that much more.

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Originally Posted by earcutter

Truer words evnpar, truer words. I just didn't want any of my soaps going bad... it seems I might have been overthinking that.

PS - I wish I was your neighbor lol!!

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I wish i lived on the other side of him. Ha.

Well... I just bought 4 more soap/cream and aftershave combos. got some samples... I'm feeding the AD, I'm feeding the AD.

More than anything, I'm going to have to figure out where to put them all lol.