Ever touch a 9 volt battery to your tongue? That's a zap test. When making soap acid/alkaline balance can be checked against human neutral level by "tasting" the soap. If it zaps like a battery it's too alkaline. I'm sure soap makers can further explain.
Lye, caustic, potash.,,,,will all leave the skin slick feeling. This is the alkaline destroying skin cells. I've worked in the chemical industry my whole career. I've witnessed this first hand. I recommend not using the soap. I would hesitate buying from this vendor as well.
Dual lye? Not sure what this means, does this mean she added lye at two stages or that she used NaOH and KOH (which is caustic pot ash and not lye). Yes, they have different reaction rates but you can easily calculate the necessary amount and then you add superfat to ensure all of the NaOH/KOH has been reacted. I'm not trying to disparage anyone and I don't know the whole story, additionally I realize that things do happen, however, I have to agree with Spyder If only someone had included a link when they had mentioned "zap test"....Oh wait....I did
Yes, Chris, it confuses me too. But, I'm not a soap expert. Here is our conversation. Me: Hello, I just wanted to touch base with you. I recently purchased some Old Spice Shave Soap, and was able to use it yesterday. I want to say that I have used many many brands of shave soaps, over the past 4 years, and have had this problem with another one similar to this. When I used your product, for the first time, I started to get a slight burning feeling on my face, while using it. It felt very slick, and was hard to wash clean, after use. It felt like the soap was possibly Lye heavy. I am setting it aside, for a month or so, to see if it will mellow out. I had no other reaction to the soap, other than burning. Also, the soap wouldn't hold a lather, it dissipated very quickly. I'm not looking for a refund, and this is just a heads up on this situation. I've had this happen with one other soap, a long while back, and I've had no allergies to any shave soap I've ever tried. My order/transaction number is 131XXXXX. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on this matter, I would love to pick your brain. Bonnie: Sender:Bonnie Howard Date:1 day ago6:23pm EDT Message:Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that. AND I really appreciate your contacting me to bring this to my attention. I will not list the soap again until I can figure out what is the problem. Although the past few months I have been testing different formulations for shaving soap and have been thinking about changing mine. I have been working on a formula that contains either stearic acid or soy wax for most of the oils and use a dual lye. The people who have tested the different versions like the lather but I get different opinions as to which one is best. That plus the fact that dual lye makes a softer soap has kept me from making the leap. So I would like to make a proposal. May I send you samples of my new formulations and if you like one, I will send you a new bar using that formulation. If neither one works for you, I will refund your purchase price. I would prefer that you not use the one you have since you had a burning sensation, but would you please send me a small piece of it so I may test the pH. I will send you a stamped self-addressed envelop. I apologize for the inconvenience and discomfort to you. And again I really appreciate your bringing this to my attention. Bonnie My Reply: I'm not interested in a refund. But I would like to try the others you have mentioned. I would be happy to send you back a good amount for testing. I have already mashed it into my container, so it will not have its original shape. Thanks for your prompt reply.
Okay that clears it up. KOH produces softer soap and is used to make liquid soaps and with NaOH for creams,croaps, etc.
I hope the new soap works out for you. I wonder how much she superfatted the soap at. I do a 7-8% superfat, so the soap is mild, yet effective.
I hope so too, because the scent she uses is very, very nice. A bit more nutmeg & cinnamon'ish than Old Spice, but pairs with Old Spice remarkably well. Especially the modern Proctor & Gamble Old Spice "Classic" (which they say is Shulton's formula, but it's a bit sweeter and has more nutmeg in it IMO). The Village Soapsmith's version smells great. I have been using pre-shave oil and limiting my shave to 1-pass plus a quick clean up and then I don't get any 'burning' from this soap. I do admit that the lather is unstable and dissipates fast, but the smell keeps me coming back for another use regardless.
Update: I was sent several samples, from The VillageSoapsmith. I tried one marked "Stearic Acid". No scent given, but it smelled of Barbershop/Sandalwood. It lathered easily, but the lather dissipated quickly. There wasn't the burning feeling the other soap gave me. BUUUTTTT, the lubricity was barely adequate, to lacking. The lubricity also dissipated as the lather disappeared, at times. This caused me to re-lather several times. So far, it's not looking good, for this brand. I will try the other samples, later this week.
Second Update Sample #2. Unknown Scent, but it does smell woodsy. Soy Wax base. Very surprised. Excellent lathering, as well as longevity of the lather. The slickness was spot on, and zero issues. An excellent soap. So far, the Soy Wax based soap is a winner. Zero complaints.
Last and final evaluation. The last sample that was sent me, cinched it. The soap was Eucalyptus & Mint Glycerin. It smelled nice as is, but on the face, had a metallic scent to it. It was an OK lathering soap, and the slickness was good. But, when I was almost finished with the first pass, I got this tingling feeling to the face. Reminiscent of the one that burnt me. I went through a second pass, and the tingling turned into irritation, but not burning, yet. I washed it off well, and the irritation didn't stop until the aftershave did its job. I'm done with The Village Soap Smith soaps. All are being tossed except the Soy Wax one. I will use that sample until its gone.
