Thread: How long does a puck of soap last? rec. for new one?

So I've been shaving almost daily for about two weeks, and today when I was washing out my mug I noticed my soap was gone... oops?

I've been leaving the soap in the mug, after a few shaves it was pretty well sealed to the bottom and it was pretty soft so I couldnt pry it out.

Today I tried leaving my mug in the sink full of hot water, which felt awesome but could it have melted my soap out or something and just washed it down the drain when I rinsed it all out?

I was using a Col. Conk soap that came with my kit, I was getting a pretty good lather with it and it felt good on my face and after shaving, but I'm not sure really on what is going on...

Also what do you guys recommend from here? I figure It is worth exploring some different options for soaps and creams!

Thanks!

It depends on the soap. if it is Glycerin based and you leave it soaking in water it will dissolve. If its a triple milled type it won't or at least not as fast. In general soap should last many months. Personally I never soak any soap in water just load the brush with the right amount of water and then load the brush with soap and then I'm done with the soap puck.

Put it this way, I've been using soaps for over 3 years and I've yet to come close to finishing a puck.....

But then again I do have a bit of a rotation going on....

In soaps, I recommend MWF and anything from Bald Frog Soaps, which is ran by Mastershake on this forum. Both give a great lather and a great shave.

So do you guys not soak your soaps? I've been playing around today a bit just loading a wet brush from dry soap and lathering in a different bowl and that seems to work nicely! And I assume it uses much less soap than if I were to soak and lather a puck in the same bowl. I'm a little disappointed, I liked the scent of my now gone soap much better than the little backup puck I have. Also I just have no idea what could have happened to that soap?!

Also thanks for the recommendations on new soaps!

I wet my puck liberally before I shower to soften the top up, then load my brush with the appropriate amount for the soap, then lather in a separate bowl. I never lather on top the puck, but like I said, I do wet/soak the puck to soften before use. Makes it easier for me to load my brush. Btw, I'm using an Omega 10049 boar brush, for comparison's sake.

I put about 1/8 inch os HOT water on top of my soap (whatever container it might be in).
I let it soak a couple minutes and then with a barrely wet brush I load it in the container of soap and tranfer to my lather bowl, sometimes actually pouring the soapy mix from the soap bowl over to the lather bowl.
I get uber lather everytime I do this as long as the soap is of good quaility.

Well, I started an Arko stick some 4 months ago and it looks like it still has a couple of months left. I shave three times a week and I face lather, directly with the tip of the stick and then with the brush.

I've been playing around today a bit just loading a wet brush from dry soap and lathering in a different bowl and that seems to work nicely!

That's how I do it. I've been using Proraso -- cheap, and lasts a long time. Many other people swear by Mitchell's Wool Fat as a soap that lasts forever.

Charles

I just put a couple teaspoons of warm water on the TOP of the puck to soften the lathering surface, and then reuse the water to hydrate my lather. If you are soaking the entire puck in hot water that will absolutely contribute to a soap's short lifespan. It just wastes soap.