Re-hydrating Soaps?

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by Padron, Mar 8, 2008.

  1. Padron

    Padron Active Member

    Well,

    The other day I was in need of a shave and reached for my beloved Tabac....it had been some time since I used it due to my ever expanding shave soap library :o.......

    ...anyway, it was all dried up and had some cracking taking place :eek: I was horrified :eek: :eek:.......so I proceeded to add some hot H2O to the dish and the top of the puck...to try and soften it up a bit..which seemed to work quite well and after no time if looked to be back to it's original texture and scent....the shave was great by the way, I did add some more water and let it sit overnight...in the morning it was perfect and back to it's original size and scent strength....:D

    I was mostly concerned about this as the soap had seemed to shrink up quite a bit and the scent also seemed to have dissipated....

    So, I looked at some of my other soaps that hadn't been in use in a while....Mitchell's Wool Fat was getting dried up and cracking too :eek:....I added some hot H20 to it and closed up the dish...the next morning it was back in shape...;)

    It looked like it was only effecting my tallow based soaps from what I could tell....has anyone else witnessed this and tried the re-hydrating?

    Inquiring minds want to know,

    Neale
     
  2. Baloosh

    Baloosh Duder

    I've had my MWF develop some cracks, but haven't done anything about it. It seems that the first use after the cracks develop tends to take care of it, probably the same end result as adding a dash of hot water and letting soak.

    My Tabac, so far, has not shown any tendency to dry out or crack.
     
  3. Michael

    Michael Duke of Kent

    The only one of mine that has cracked is the Kent (MWF). Don't much care as I don't like it anyway. GFT, Harris, Tabac are fine (though the diameter of the Tabac puck is quite a bit smaller than it used to be). No cracking and the scent's still there.

    With Harris and Kent, I'm not sure I could tell if the scent lessened. So little there to begin with.
     
  4. JayKay

    JayKay 3000 posts and all I got was this lousy title

    Michael, what do you want to trade for that puck of Kent (MWF)? I'm curious and have been looking to try it.
     
  5. Michael

    Michael Duke of Kent

    I'll trade you my Kent soap for your address. It's all yours (not the wooden tub though). Only used it 2-3 times. Have to go to the post office tomorrow anyway.
     
    PLANofMAN likes this.
  6. JayKay

    JayKay 3000 posts and all I got was this lousy title

    Woooohoooooooo!!!!!!!!
     
  7. Austin

    Austin Member

    Drying is normal and should not be of concern. Continue using as usual and the soap will come back to life.
     
  8. msandoval858

    msandoval858 Active Member

    If all else fails you can create a climate controlled soap storage system.

    The Soap-a-dor :happy102
     
  9. Austin

    Austin Member

    I think they call it a Soap Humidor.
     
  10. Padron

    Padron Active Member

    Now there's an idea :D

    I think I'll just continue to add a dash of water to the soaps when they haven't been used in awhile, as the dried out soaps seem to lose some scent and are more difficult to lather.

    Thanks :)
     
  11. moviemaniac

    moviemaniac Tool Time

    My opinion, exactly. The drying of soaps doesn't affect their performance at all, it's perfectly all right :)
     
  12. Padron

    Padron Active Member

    I read elsewhere just today, that many people have been soaking their Mitchell's Wool Fat Soaps and after they have absorbed a lot of water the soap performance is better.

    I soaked my MWF and the soap puck swelled up to fill the dish perfectly...I also noticed that it did seem to perform better and made an abundant amount of lather quite effortlessly.

    To me, it's still not as good as my Institut Karite, but does seem better.....:confused:

    Maybe the others that have experienced poor performance from the MWF should give it a try and report their findings :D

    Also tried it with Tabac, the puck swelled nicely and is a breeze to lather..

    There may be something to a well hydrated tallow soap after all ;)

    YMMV or not?
     
  13. rick

    rick I'll make ya SCream!

    OKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOK.
    Enuff already.
    I'll put some water on my MWF.

    Tonight.
     
  14. Padron

    Padron Active Member

    Hi Rick,

    I look forward to your report ;) I easily added several tablespoons of water to mine over the course of 24 hours or more and let it sit in the covered dish, it swelled up and looks nice and fresh....

    ...the MWF did not show any signs of over softening, however the Tabac soap seemed to over soften a bit and I just left the lid off during the day and by the afternoon it looked perfect..
     
  15. JayKay

    JayKay 3000 posts and all I got was this lousy title

    Michael is awesome and sent me a puck of Kent. Its cracked but I'll give it a nice soak before I use it. Maybe I'll have better luck with it than he did.


    :D


    Is MWF/Kent better to lather on your face or in the mug or are they both just as good.
     
  16. Padron

    Padron Active Member

    Very generous of Michael to hook you up with some Wool Fat..

    I use both methods but prefer face lathering with soaps...both work quite well in my experience though.
     
  17. JayKay

    JayKay 3000 posts and all I got was this lousy title

    Very nice of him indeed. Turns out hes actually only about 45 minutes from where I go to school. Great guy.
     
  18. Queen of Blades

    Queen of Blades Mistress of Mischief Staff Member

    Moderator Supporting Vendor
    YMMV. :D






    just a joke, folks. ;)

    @Michael- :agelic13
     
  19. JayKay

    JayKay 3000 posts and all I got was this lousy title

    Id laugh, but I dont know what YMMV means :confused:
     
  20. Queen of Blades

    Queen of Blades Mistress of Mischief Staff Member

    Moderator Supporting Vendor
    Your Mileage May Vary.

    Sorry.

    I had a feeling you wouldn't know. :ashamed001
     

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