Should pucks that are in mugs be covered?

I'm sure back in the day it was for storing and building lather.

 

We have gotten too soft I suppose. Pre shave oils, soaps, mugs, separate bowls for latjering, etc.

I occasionally use my scuttle just to take it back to the old school

 

Perhaps they even face lathered?

 

Id perfer to cover mine. Mostly because i have several in use at any given time. Id like to perserve scents and keep any dust out.

 

I think youll be fine. If youre shaving every day or every other day, its not going to dry out nor should it get dusty.

 

I use an old french onion soup bowl and yes it has a top. Don't laugh, the lip on the top of the bowl prevents the lather from overflowing and creating a mess !!!

 

No laughing here, it's actually a genuine way of controlling the lather inside the bowl.

 

EXACTLY !!!

 

Back in the day when shavers used only one soap it was likely pointless to cover their soap mugs because they used the same soap every morning. For those of us that use a variety of soaps and creams in a rotation over a period of days, weeks or months, it probably makes good sense to cover them until they are used again...it could be a while before they are used again. I would worry less about the soap drying out -- that is generally not a problem -- indeed it may be desirable...and more about dust and debris...depending on where it is stored. I have several soaps that are in mugs or Pryex containers with lids. If I am not using a particular soap every day, then after I shave I leave it open to the air until late afternoon and then cover it and put in my soap drawer.

 

I used to soak my VDH pucks in the morning prior to shaving, but now I never soak them at all. I wet my synthetic H.I.S. 1865 brush, squeeze out excess water, and load the brush from the dry puck. I whip it around for around 10 to 15 seconds, touch only the tip of the brush to water, then take to my face for lathering. I have plenty of lather for 3 full passes and some touch up, with lather to spare.

 

A shaving mug is most commonly used both to hold the cake of soap and to build a lather. One could certainly use the mug only to hold the soap and build the lather in a bowl or by face lathering, however. Traditional scuttles do not have the depth of a mug, so indeed they only serve to hold the cake of soap. There isn't any room to generate a lather, so most of the water is shaken out of the brush, the brush tips are loaded with soap, and the shaver then face or bowl lathers.

 

The great majority of shavers still use only one soap. The hobbyist shavers on the forums are only a very small subset of the worldwide number of shavers. We are mabye 200,000 at most out of countless millions. There seem to be many shavers who don't even know the wetshaving forums or premium shaving products exist.

 

This is true. I've enlightened and converted several friends that grew tired of paying exorbitant prices for carts. One, in a casual conversation while he was helping me with a house project, mentioned that he would sure love to have a razor like his dad and grandad used to have, the ones that have these little door things that open up. I told him I would be right back, and returned with 3 TTO and 3 3-piece razors. His eyes got big, and was so excited to find out you could still get razors like that. A couple of friends have in turn converted others. I've just converted another friend, who is now in the process of reading up on different razors. Until this came up in a passing conversation, he too was unaware of what all is available in traditional wet shaving.

Edit: I loaned him a SuperSpeed until he can decide what he wants.

 

Good for you! And also for your friends. I would give you 500 likes for that post if I could. I think that word of mouth knowledge has spread so much now that traditional wetshaving has reached critical mass. Expensive cartridges are bad enough, but having them locked in a display case is even worse.

What really reminded me of the lack of awareness among the larger shaving population are people I have seen in a local Art of Shaving store. Some have been given shaving kits as gifts, and are elated to discover such wonderful shaving products exist. Price does not seem to be much of a deterrent, apparently due to convenience and the lack of knowledge about less expensive products. Others have obviously read about traditional wetshaving on the Internet, and want to see traditionl wetshaving products firsthand. Often it is a guy accompanied by his girlfriend or wife who is buying him the items as a gift. It is usually younger guys, and they always make a beeline for the safety razors. Their excitement is quite evident. The good thing is that many of these people will go on to explore more options, and discover the many affordable products available. Your friends are more fortunate in that they are informed of the various affordable options right from the start. Well done!

 

I never cover my mugs. I think letting them dry out is fine, and covering them may initiate mold growth.

 

I use a mug for both storage & building lather, and I don't think I have to worry about a puck of Williams losing its...fragrance.

 

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Granddad's old spice mug

 

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I am fairly OCD, so my soaps are all covered 24hrs after each use.