Hi Gents, I have a refill puck of shave soap from a local soap maker. I store it in a mug, and use this mug to bloom my soap in. I got a newer mug, and I was switching the soap from one mug to the other, and I noticed the bottom of the puck is all slimy(about a 1/4 inch of the bottom). * just for the record, I let it dry between shaves, but obviously the bottom is somewhat sealed, so it stays wet. Just for reference, here are the ingredients: Sodium Olivate, Water/Eau, Sodium Cocoa Butterate, Macrocystis Pyrifera, Sodium Beeswax/Cire d'abeille de Sodium, Parfum. Is this 'unsanitary' or bad for my soap? Cheers,
I am not a big fan of the constant moisture, so I would take your soap out of your mug; let it dry out thoroughly and then press it firmly (I use an espresso tamper) into your vessel of choice, making sure that there are no gaps on the sides of the bowl/mug.
It's soap. To make lather you add water and air. If it's too thick and won't fluff up you add more water and air. If it fluffs up and then falls flat before you finish a shave it has too much water. Take a rock hard puck of soap, add water and you get croap, add more water and it's cream. You can let it dry, sure but it looses some scent. That's ok. I would just scoop it up and put it in your new container and continue to use as normal. Enjoy your shaves abs don't sweat it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
That is to be expected if a soap is frequently immersed in water. Soaps shouldn't need to be "bloomed" in order to work well. If they do require soaking, then it is a sign that the soap could stand some improvement. In such cases, it might be best to try a different soap. Van Der Hagen Deluxe is dirt cheap, widely available and lathers like crazy. Mike's Natural, Institut Karite, Tabac, Stirling, Sego Lilly, and many others are very good and available at various price points. That is a huge amount of trouble to go through to get a soap to work, at least in my humble opinion. Shouldn't shaving products just work without one having to jump through a bunch of hoops? I strongly agree with your comment about constant moisture, though - it is not the best thing for soaps.
Too much trouble? Hoops? I guess I don't see it that way. For a great shave experience, I am willing to put more effort into it than I used to with a can of goo and a cart. But that's me. To each his own, as they say.
I use a mug myself, and I'm trying not to lose any sleep over this. Besides, my soap sits pretty snugly in the mug, so not a whole lot of water, if any, gets to the bottom anyway. And in the end, to quote a previous poster...
OK, point taken. You're right, not huge amount of trouble. Agree 100 percent to each his own. They have started carrying those shave sets at the local supermarkets and drugstores, along with the Van Der Hagen safety razor. When we start seeing that happening, it is a good sign indeed.