I've recently been hearing that Cryogen, cold as it is, has been taken over in the freeze persuasion. Course this is someone's opinion, and I forget the soap he lists.
It's still available from some retailers, for about $12 plus shipping, but it was discontinued last year, so if one wants one, they shouldn't wait too long to get one. I'm not really into mugs, but if I was, I'd hunt down a Flinn's Klingtite Nonbreakable Shaving Mug No. 5.
Because I'm starting to accumulate soaps without containers, I bought three old matching brown plastic coffee cups for a quarter each. You can just cram a puck down inside and it's got enough room to whip it around.
I use the mug to load the soap. I usually bloom it, together with my boar brush for a minute. Then I continue to either lather in my turkish copper/chinese plastic bowl or face lather - 9 out of 10 times I just face lather. As a mug I use one of those cheapo chinese plastic shaving mugs (usually filled up with one or two sticks of Arko). Works great. Check. Just plastic, but Arko is heavy. Check. Mine slipped into the sink multiple times, very sturdy plastic, no chips. Check. Like a charm. Check. You can go tell your wife now I found the perfect shave mug.
It's not the cheapest thing out there, but this is probably the best unbreakable mug out there, design wise. https://www.etsy.com/listing/955192900/pereira-shavery-unbreakable-shaving-bowl Made by Pereira Shavery. They also sell many other neat products, including, wonder of wonders, shaving powder, which is not something I would have ever expected to see still being sold in modern times. It comes in five different color options.
I just picked up this one this afternoon thanks to a heads up by @Enrico. Fragile? Yes. A beauty? I think so. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2759386017...1YURq15H3JHrTT5k7mtFFdGkqO|tkp:Bk9SR7jIv4yuYg
My son bought me a Timeless Razor plastic shaving bowl from Maggard's a few years back. Virtually indestructible.
The things you think about in the solitude of the shave... This was the topic du jour. I have maybe a dozen and a half mugs/bowls/cups/call-em-what-you-wants that I use to whip up my lather. (I keep my soaps in a separate bowl and load the brush from there) Different shapes and sizes, all ceramic. Clean up - rinse under running water, wipe dry. What is it about any mug/bowl/cup/call-it-what-you-want that makes cleanup difficult, be it ceramic, rubber, plastic, metal, whatever? Are there any mugs/bowls/cups/call-em-what-you-wants out there that are difficult to clean? Just wun'drin. And, knock on wood, I've never chipped, broken, or dropped any of 'em. Watch - tomorrow will be the day!
FWIW, in spite of explanations given to the contrary, I don't believe that the "exfoliation" produced by swirling a soft shaving brush around on a slippery, soapy face amounts to much in the way of said "exfoliation". And once you plane your face with that sharp stainless steel blade numerous times, the previous brush work becomes almost moot. Peace. (I can't believe this thread is still alive.).
Changed my mind. I came across three of these old 4 inch Freezette containers. Lightweight, perfect size, good seal on the lids, and they stack. In other news, three vintage brown plastic coffee cups for sale, cheap.
I'd assume the consistent skin exfoliation that doesn't take place when bowl lathering, then that new freshly exposed skin layer coming into immediate contact with skin foods in the soap. The lather also has much more "soak time", per se, on the skin when face lathering. Scrubbing soap into your face with a splayed brush will absolutely exfoliate. I also notice my skin is happier when consistently face lathering, which is all the time these days.
Sticking the picture in. eBay listings go away, and future readers of this thread will be curious. Not everyone uses soft silvertip or synthetic brushes. I have a few that wouldn't exfoliate anything. Some of my favorites would probably leave your face red and sore, though those type of brushes tend to be on the outer edge of the bell curve for typical brush backbone and stiffness.
You never had your face scrubbed by shaving brush unless you use really stiff boar or vintage nylon. Is it a facial in itself? No, but it's going to scour off some dead cells before you even pick up the blade. Granted, most aren't interested in getting their face scrubbed by a shaving brush. That's cool too.
OTOH, their stiffness almost certainly brings more bloodflow to the surface than a softer brush would. This could make weepers more likely than they might otherwise be.
