Thread: Jack Black

In the first days of my lusting into the world of true wet shaving I happened upon a puck of Jack Black at my local all-things-fancy boutique here in Decatur. The packaging looked really cool and it promised peppermint and organic oils in a vegetable base perfect for sensitive skin and on and on... ever since I have regretted that purchase.

Not an awful shave but not something to remember either and clearly in the way of the dozen or so other top shelf soaps and creams I have accumulated ever since. And so being one not to waste have decided it better to just get it out of the way and use it up as fast as I can to get on and over with it. My fear being it lasts far too long and my good soaps and creams lose their zest waiting for me to catch up.

Delegated the puck to my old old spice cup which I has been allocated for random scraps of sample soaps that accumulate whenever you buy something more special otherwise I put it through the grater and packed it in. The oddity here is it never actually packed in but remained a powdery non binding cake which later half fell apart and out of the cup while i was trying to pour the spoonful of hot water I usually add to the cup before my shower in anticipation of prepping soap for use.

Rationally I figured perhaps it would be best to melt the powder to help it clump and keep it fixed in the cup. Throw the cup in a pot of water to boil and an hour later the water is boiling like crazy but the powder doesn't really melt. A little softer perhaps but still useless. Move it to the microwave where I have had success in the past with other glycerin soaps. Instantly within seconds the powder starts to foam up rather then melt, as though it is producing its lather. Shut off the microwave to avoid a boiled milk-like explosion and to my surprise it deflates the foam and leaves behind nothing any better then what it was with the exception of having clearly lost it's essential oils.

Try pressing it in which is finally starting to work yet each episode leaves me with a drier cake that smells less and less impressive.

So the question to you all is exactly what is this stuff? I assumed it was glycerin based from all the literature about it but it sure does not act like it.

In the end it seems only now like a flat base to add the equally un-inspiring Jack Black 'triple super' whatever shave cream purchased at the same time to hoping I can uber-lather it back to life.

Oh, and an interesting side observation is that my super badger brush seems to shed much more whenever using this soap. Perhaps it has an ingredient in it that eats badger?