Thread: Soap Making Escapades

The samples are finally in the post - sorry it has taken so long but i have been out the country a fair bit - meeting up with Al Gore of all people!

I haven't sent any to the USA yet. Will wait to see what our Canadian chum (Thats you Ilija ) and a few others in Europe and the UK say first before I send any more out.

Let me know how things work out, I don't mind you posting the results here (even if they are bad )

Cheers

Rob

It looks like I'll never get to run out of that C&E Sweet Almond Oil cream the way new stuff for testing has been coming in

I'm excited! If his soaps are the same quality that his strops are we're in for a treat!

Can't wait! You do have my address don't you? If not PM me and I'll give you it.

Steven

Don't get too excited guys. There is still a fair bit oif work to be done on these soaps I'm sure. I just want some basic feedback at this early stage to check I am on the right lines.

Hah. this thread has got me thinking about trying to make some soap too.... like I don't have enough to do already! I've been lurking long enough, finally got around to making myself an account here.

I'm willing to be a guinea pig if you are interested in a neophytes opinion :-)

Just gave it a shot (got it in the mail a few moments before my shave) and it's pretty good. The lather could use some work. It tends to disappear after a while. It's quite slick and the scents are pleasent. (I think I got a bayrum and scentless? The last one smells a bit soapy but in a VERY nice way (it's the one I tried today)).

It lathers up easily but likt I said after a while on the cheeks the fluffy lather disappears.

If you can get that lather to last longer I think it's quite a good soap. The bay rum is still to be tested.

Cheers LX,

I have the same opinion, about the lather stability. I have made other soaps where the lather lasts forever so will go back to a recipe similar to those. Actually I may send out some of my earlier recipes. Just didn't want to bombard you all with hundreds of samples.

I'm glad you liked the scents. The other one which is not bay rum is scented, but at a lower level. It is a custom blend of essential oils. I really like the scent but on your fedback will add a bit more to further batches.

Like I said, i am in the VERY early stages of making shaving soaps. The bath soaps are pretty good already, but there are hundreds of good recipes out there for them. Shaving soaps on the other hand are a more difficult and recipes are more closely guarded.

Thanks for trying them! Much appreciated!

I resmelled (is there such a word?) the soap this morning and caught a hint of Cedarwood I think. I do like the scent but it should be stronger.

I just tested the unscented variety.. You're right when you say it needs a bit of work.. I used the same razor that gave me 2 good shaves in a row (shave-testing a sale piece) and this experience was quite different...
1) The bubbles were too large, the lather was tough to build and tended to disappear after a while, like Alex noted
2) It wasn't as slick as other soaps I've tried so it left a few weepers on my face and splashing OS was an interesting experience
I'm not sure about what you can do to improve lather composition, but bentonite and kaolinite clays are great for increasing the glide.
On a good note, it did not dry out or cause chemical irritation on my skin.
That means that you do have a decent base, even though I'd like to try out the other recipe as well. With a few tweaks, you should get a product you could sell with confidence