Hello gentlemen I want to know if it is better to lather a semi soft soap (croap) by cutting off a piece and pressing it into your scuttle/bowl or lathering up in the puck like you would with a hard soap then building in the scuttle?The first method is recommended by the owner of Phoenix and Beau for his tallow soap but it seems a bit wasteful??
Personally I like the puck approach simply because it saves space and I can switch out soaps faster and store them. If I put an entire chunk of soap in a scuttle, I'm committed to using it until it goes.
The right way? There isn't one. Just personal preference really. I load on the puck. I'm thinking of buying a brush scuttle to keep my brush warm though. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Yup, personal preference. I keep all my soap pucks in their own small glass bowl. I load the brush from there, then whip up my lather in a separate mug or scuttle.
I typically gather soap from the puck and then build a lather in a lather bowl or just face lather. I rarely cut/spoon any soap out into a bowl unless it is a small sample or from a soap passaround
I just received the Crown King dual chamber scuttle last week and switched from loading directly from the puck to putting some soap pieces in the scuttle. I really like the warm lather from the scuttle. Nevertheless, I like loading from the scuttle because I only have 1 brush and it is a crappy Perfecto badger that I bought on Amazon for $9. It works fine but sheds a hair regularly. Using the scuttle keeps this out of my soaps and I avoid getting them wet. I do agree that if I take too much soap out of the bowl, I consecutively shave with the same soap until it is used up, but I have a pretty good feel for the amount to use to avoid this problem. Since this method has been working well for me, I think I will stick with it for awhile and see long term which is better. I will re-evaluate when I get another brush - I plan on ordering a synthetic from the Italian Barber when the next round of Hawk razors become available to fill the cart and avoid shipping! I think either way works well.
I load all of my soaps off the puck, or in the tub, and then either go straight to the face or too a bowl. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I now keep 3 soaps in 3 bowls. Cella croap, I cut off a piece, press into bowl and use it as I would hard soap, keep the rest of the kilo in the fridge. VDH is a soap I've used for many years and Col. Conk that I've added recently, I nuke glycerin soaps into bowl for 30 sec. Before we got a Microwave I'd just put puck in my mug or melt in double boiler on stove.
I lather on the puck and build lather in a mug. Either way is fine but I see no harm in loading my brush on the puck.
@PickledNorthern Nice to see you here mate! Talking of cups... I think I will lather in puck then transfer to cup but will press something like Phoenix and Beau tallow soap to base of the scuttle as the toasty feeling of a hot lather on a cold day is gorgeous. However I am stingy especially when it comes to $15 artisan soap as I am a man of modest means.
My current set up is a puck of Williams and a Strong Set brush soaking in hot water in an Old Spice mug 'til the sink fills up. Then I dump the water & beat the bejeebus out of it until I get a good, stiff lather built it, adding a bit of hot water 'til I think it's ready. Then I slather it all over my face & scrape away. Works for me.
I store my used soap pucks in small Ziplock containers. I load my brush directly from the puck container and then make my lather in a small stainless steel bowl(same dimensions as the VDH ceramic bowl). My pucks of used soap are safely stored, easily stacked, take up little space and are very available whenever I want to use them.
