I was wondering if it would be more economical to make your own shaving cream and if anyone does it? Perhaps you could use the ingredients list of your favorite pre-made cream as a reference guide for what will work best in your custom cream. Just a thought. Also, what does "Cushion" mean in regards to shaving cream? I didn't want to start a new thread but always wondered this. Is it the same as protection from nicks and cuts?
If you buy your ingredients in bulk and don't factor in the time needed to make it then it would be cheaper to make your own.
Most of the recipes I have found online have been brushless creams. It seems pretty easy to make, but I prefer soaps, the nostalgia of twirling a brush on a soap puck is a part of shaving I look forward to. I look forward to finding a good recipe and hearing results from other wet shavers, because what works with a cartridge may not work as well with a DE/straight razor.
I made my first batch of shaving cream soap a while ago. It still needs time to cure but I thought I would try it out this morning and it's great, if I do say so myself (might have to find some guinea pigs in the near future). I used stearic acid, lard, and coconut oil saponified with KOH and NaOH. I will tweak the recipe once this batch has fully cured. We shall see...
One of the reasons I stepped away from cartridges is because it felt like a chore. DE shaving is something enjoyable that I look forward to enthusiastically, making my own soap sounds like work. 2
I'm going through some personal difficulties right now plus it will take a couple of weeks for the soap to finish curing but when the time comes I'll take you up on that offer. I'll PM you when it's ready to ship.
Actually it's kind of like cooking or home brewing. A blend of science and art that doesn't feel like work.
I'm glad you enjoy it Chris, during difficult times keeping busy with enjoyable hobbies or anything of interest helps out buddy, I dive into hobbies when I'm troubled. We're here for you Chris
Curing? What does it mean? Is it sick? If you are willing to ship to Indonesia, I'm willing to try it, too.
That's funny. Would it help if I told you that in most of the literature it is called "rotting" instead, even though nothing is actually getting rotten? I prefer curing because that is what paint or lacquer does. In my desire to have my shaving cream be world renowned I actually contemplated saying yes to this....but then I saw shipping costs to Indonesia
LOL. The shipping cost is really hindering my RAD. I love eBay-ing but the shipping cost hurt me badly. I still don't understand curing. Maybe I need to understand the whole process of soap making. I will look into this more.
I found this explanation on the web. Hope it helps. What does curing a soap mean? Why does that take 4-6 weeks? Curing the soaps simply means I slice it and place the slices on a rack that allows good air flow turning the soaps occasionally. Most soaps take 4-6 weeks to cure, although any soaps that are mostly olive oil or all olive oil take 6 months to cure. The cure time allows two things to happen. First, the water in the bar slowly evaporates which causes the bar to become hard. A hard bar will last much longer than a soft bar that hasn’t cured long enough. Secondly, curing allows the bar to become more gentle. I always test my bars immediately after cutting them to get a good idea of lather. That initial test makes my skin a little itchy and irritated. Every week that bar cures adds a whole new level of gentleness. Since I have the opportunity to test the bars out throughout those weeks, I can attest to the fact that they really do change a lot during that cure time.
Do you know when you paint something and the paint forms a skin on the surface but it is not fully dry ? This is curing for paint. Since cream soap uses both NaOH and KOH it takes time for the process to complete. Before it is done the high amount of stearic acid causes it be waxy and harsh/drying. Curing time allows the soap to become milder.
Wow. I didn't know that you have to cure soaps. Especially that curing can make soaps become milder. You learn new things everyday.
