Hardness of Soaps

Up to my last but one shave I used Acca Kappa 1869 Almond Shaving Soap. This soap is quite soft and therefore easy to use. My ritual was to break off a piece with a small spatula, put it in a bowl, add boiled water to it and stir with a brush. Soon a nice smelling lather occurs.

After a year I wanted to try something new. I bought a piece of Muhle Sandelwood Shaving Soap. This soap appears to be compressed. You have to squeeze really hard to get it deformed. This time I needed a teaspoon to scratch off some thin curls. After a while I collected a handful and put these in a bowl, added boiled water to it and stirred with a brush for about twelve minutes. A wonderful creamy shaving lather was born. Due to the fact that I think Sandelwood has a ‘better’ scent than Almond, this will be my soap for the coming months.

Do you have any suggestions how to use hard soaps more easily? Or are you also faced with the same experience?

What I usually do with hard soaps is put some hot water on top of it and let it sit and then load my brush once it has softened up and go from there. Some soaps I will put the water that is still on top of the puck in a bowl/mug or just dump it out if I am going to face lather and then load my brush.

I suggest trying this:Edwin Jagger/Muhle shaving soaps : how to make lather. - YouTube

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Originally Posted by strtman

UAfter a while I collected a handful and put these in a bowl, added boiled water to it and stirred with a brush for about twelve minutes.

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Huh ? Twelve minutes to create lather ? That is how long it takes me to shave start to finish ........ :rofl2:

Thanks for the tips. I will try out the suggestions.

I've found this soap to be a little harder to lather than other soaps I've used. I have my puck in a small bowl. I cover the entire thing in hot water as one other person stated. I fill the whole damn thing with hot water, not just a few drops on the surface, then shower. After I shower, I load the hell out of the brush and begin building the lather. Sometimes I'll squeeze out the built up lather in the brush after a minute into my scuttle/mug, then load up some more, then proceed to lather again. I also find that a drop of glycerine seems to assist as well. I think I had an easier time with MWF and that has a reputation for being tough to lather. I was going to try the cream as well just to see if it lathers any easier. I haven't gotten around to that though.

JimmyHAD, please do not feel offended, but if you shave from start to finish within twelve minutes, do you enjoy the shaving?

I must not think of shaving myself in less than an hour. It is too much fun :).

I probably spend no more than 15 minutes from start to finish and enjoy the process immensely.

Whether the soap is hard or soft, the routine is the same for me. Just with a hard soap it takes a bit more twirling and sometimes a little more water. Either way no more than 30 seconds to make lather.

Yes I agree with thebigspendur. Same process for me regardless.

A soap can get very hard if it hasn't been used in a while. Usually the first two or three lathers won't be as good until it has been 'lathered' a bit more. But I wouldn't advice breaking bits off either way. If it's a puck (in a bowl), run a wet brush over the puck; if it's a shave stick, rub that on your face and then work a wet brush over your face to get a lather explosion.