Problem with my soap..

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by Tedolph, Oct 12, 2021.

  1. Tedolph

    Tedolph Well-Known Member

    I have a problem with my A&E Kaizen soap. My first problem is that I never really liked it (stinks of castor oil and the performance isn't anything to write home about) and am trying to burn through it. But, my second problem is that it has developed these weird, hard crystals in it:

    A&EKaizenResized.jpg

    They are getting bigger and more numerous. They do not dissolve when I make my lather and I can feel them on my face. I think it is the tallow somehow precipitating out of solution and forming these granules.

    Does anybody know what's going on? It is a croap so I can't even relegate it to shower duty. I would just throw it out if I hadn't paid so much for it.
     
  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    It stinks and you don't like the performance. That, and now it has weird growth that feels funny on your face.
    Cut you loses. Toss it.
     
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  3. PanChango

    PanChango Not Cute

    I agree.
     
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  4. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    That looks like a bad batch of soap. You might send that pic to A&E. They may decide to replace it with a good one for you. I've only used one A&E soap but it was excellent.
     
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  5. Tedolph

    Tedolph Well-Known Member

    Good point. I don't want a replacement but it probably would be helpful for them to know about it.

    My experiences with "artisan" soaps has not been very positive and this one confirmed that I will probably stick with products that have been on the market for a long, long time.
     
  6. brit

    brit in a box

    he may send you a replacement but in a scent you like ,if you ask him..:)
     
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  7. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    I certainly understand your point but my experience has been pretty good with the artisans I've tried. I have a pretty good stash of one particular soap-makers stuff because my wife enjoys dealing with them so much I get a couple of their soaps for every gift giving occasion. I have no doubt if I got a bad soap from them, they'd make it right.

    I like some old established products but seems like a lot of those are reformulating so even when the name's the same, the product is unfortunately not as good as it used to be. There are some that seem to be holding the line but there's fewer of them all the time.
     
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  8. Tedolph

    Tedolph Well-Known Member

    I wonder if we could make a list of old, good products that have not been reformulated. It might be a very short list.

    My entry: Cella?
     
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  9. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Cella is one I think. They made a new soap recently but didn't change the old one as far as I know. I finally used up a kilo of Cella earlier this year (gave some of it away too). Took me a long time and I probably won't buy another for a while. Too much other stuff to use first.

    Mitchell's Wool Fat as far as I know is still the same.

    Williams has been the same for a while but they still haven't lived down reformulating 25 or 30 years ago.

    There's still Arko too I guess.
     
  10. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Weeeeell...not quite. I know it says the "original 1896 recipe" or something similar. It's impossible. If I recall correctly, there are ingredients in the ingredients list that weren't invented until the 1920's. There was also a scent description up on Kent's website for years that is now generally considered to be absolutely bogus. (Kent soap = MWF).

    De Vergulde Hand is another soap with a questionable background. Again, a company with murky origin details, oldest brand in wet shaving, etc. The company changed formulas around 2005.

    It's almost impossible to find an original European or UK soap being made as originally formulated, if for no other reason than the EU forcing companies to reduce or remove many ingredients and fragrances.

    Oakmoss is one of those crucial fragrance ingredients that adds staying power to the fragrance. It's also a potential skin allergen, and is heavily regulated nowadays, which is why many fragrances are shadows of their former selves.

    Also, ingredients lists can change, but the formula remain unchanged. This freaky bit of happenstance occurs when a company is forced to follow regulations and list the ingredients by their chemical/scientific names, rather than by common, easily understandable terms.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2021
  11. Frijolero

    Frijolero Well-Known Member

    That would be Tetrasodium EDTA I think. A trace additive that isn't really even part of the soap. But some people love to play gotcha over it. I have no doubt that the actual soap part of the soap is indeed the original formula.
     
  12. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    That is an additive that is totally unnecessary to soap. It's made from chemicals that that are anything but heathy. This said, manufacturers are not only putting it in cosmetics, but food goods as well.

    It's not allowed in my household.
     
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  13. Frijolero

    Frijolero Well-Known Member

    Unnecessary as long as you have soft water. It is a chelator added to soften hard water. And it works very well for that purpose.

    So is soap.
     
  14. Frijolero

    Frijolero Well-Known Member

    D R Harris? I know that it still has dead cow in it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not been reformulated.

    Most of the reformulations have been away from tallow. Maybe some of the French soaps that never used tallow in the first place?

    One interesting soap that went the other way is Cyril Salter hard soap. Used to be veggie based, and I understand it was not very well liked. They recently switched to a tallow-based soap that's actually pretty decent.
     
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  15. Tedolph

    Tedolph Well-Known Member

    Thank you all for this lively discussion-I learned a few things.
    So right now our potential list of old, widely available soaps that may be true to their original formula include:
    Cella;
    Mitchell's Wool Fat;
    Dr. Harris
    Williams;
    Arko.

    Other potential candidates:
    Tabac?
    LEA?
    Geo. F. Trumpers?
    Proraso Green/Red in the tubs or tubes?
    Palmolive cream?

    Your thought please?
     
  16. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Tabac? Soap. Reformulated recently, along with spieck.
    LEA? Soap. Also reformulated. New formula is better.
    Geo. F. Trumpers? Soap. Reformulated. Is now crap. Shaving cream is still good.
    Proraso Green/Red in the tubs or tubes? Proraso red is not an old formula. I would even go so far as to say it's still pretty new on the market. It replaced the previous 'red', which was an oatmeal based formula shave cream for sensitive skin. Proraso Green is unchanged, so far as I know.
    Palmolive cream? I believe it is still the original formula, or very close to it.
     
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  17. IAmTheJody

    IAmTheJody Gillette-i Master Staff Member

    Yes, the wheat germ oil Proraso... Considered the holy grail of Proraso creams and "a" holy grail of all shave creams! I have 1 NOS tube left that I bought about 12 years ago. I'm actually going to open it tomorrow and use it. It will be a very sparingly used cream. Maybe 4 to 6 times a year until it's gone because once it is gone, it is really gone. ::cry::

    IMG_20211015_215937_resize_46.jpg
     

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