Storing your Soap

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by Blah, Sep 11, 2016.

  1. Blah

    Blah New Member

    Im fairly new to wet shaving. I purchased some MWF in the ceramic dish. I already have a list of other soaps I want to try.

    For those with several soaps do you just keep them in the original container when not in use, or do you purchase a seperate dish for each?

    Thanks
     
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  2. david of central florida

    david of central florida Rhubarb Rubber

    Many come on their own container (my preference) but some need mugs. Il fill a mug, leave that sosp in it, til its used. I try to cover the mugs, mostly preference, but i think it keeps scents better if covered.
     
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  3. 178-bplatoon

    178-bplatoon Well-Known Member

    I now store all my soaps in Ziplock small storage containers once the pucks are opened and being used. They seem to stay perfect for a long time(in some cases I've stored them this way for years). The Ziplock containers are inexpensive, easy to find, difficult to break, fit most pucks, seal and stack well. Otherwise I just leave them wrapped in the original packaging that they originally came in. :happy088:
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2016
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  4. swarden43

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

    All my soaps are in their own clear glass bowl (3-for-a-buck at the Dollar store). Each bowl then goes into a sandwich size zip-lock bag to keep scent in and dust out. With 30-40 soaps in my rotation, it is a while between uses. If I used the same soap day after day, I wouldn't bother covering it.
     
  5. mikewood

    mikewood Well-Known Member

    The ziplock screw top tubs work very well for both storage and shave bowl. Just leave the leftover lather in the bowl and it will eventually melt the soap into a cream cheese consistency. Or let it dry with the lid off and it will harden back into a bar. You can cut the label off the box and use clear packing tape to laminate it and put it on the lid of the tub for reference.


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  6. Straight razor dandy

    Straight razor dandy Stuck cleaning the house himself PERMANENTLY

    As someone who has hundreds of soaps, I can tell you that many things work. It depends firstly on how many soaps you have, how many you plan on using in a rotation (frequent use), how many are on the backburner, and how big the soaps are.

    I prefer when they come in a tin or jar. Easy storage, even for long term and barely used soaps. These are the easiest way to identify and store them, and if I have the option of tin or refill...I almost always go for the tin.

    You can buy nice tins/jars for a nice presentation or if you just have a few soaps. Ikea has a series called grundtal, which are perfect for soaps

    http://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/series/08006/

    You can also find tins and jars on ebay or amazon (type in: shave bowl or shaving bowl), and at stores like target, walmart, and the dollar store. The ikea ones are preferred since they look great and you can see the soap through the window in the top (they also have magnets fir attaching to shelves). Additionally, there are nice metal and wooden holders as well, but they cost quite a bit more. I keep my better soaps in them. They look classy, but can add up in price.

    You may have jars around the house that they can go in as well...just get creative.

    You can use plastic baggies (i.e. ziploc), but while it is cheaper, it doesnt look nearly as nice. I don't recommend this unless you have little to no money for a tin or if you plan on having tons of soaps and you just dont want to spend the money on storage containers.

    The last option is leaving them in your shave mug/scuttle. I would only do this if it will be used very often and can be kept covered. You cant leave too many out. I certainly wouldn't consider using more than 3-4 this way.

    Screenshot_2016-09-12-08-33-09.png
     
  7. Blah

    Blah New Member

    I plan on only having 10 soaps at the most. I shave every other or every 3rd day. I was hoping to just leave the soaps in their original tins.

    If I load my brush from the original tin, then let it dry before I put the lid back on should the soap last for a long period of time?
     
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  8. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    All of my soaps are in their original tin/bowl/jar, and I have had several of them for a couple + years with no problems.



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  9. Straight razor dandy

    Straight razor dandy Stuck cleaning the house himself PERMANENTLY

    I planned on 5 at the most...now i have hundreds. Never say never.

    Get them in tins or buy nice ones if u only have a few.

    They will last with lids. For years.
     
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  10. swarden43

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

    Best-laid-plans.jpg
    Yes. With near 40 soaps in my rotation, I have some soaps 3-4 years old; a puck of Old Spice in the rotation is 40-50. They still smell great and work as good as day one.
     
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  11. Bussemand

    Bussemand Well-Known Member

    I keep soaps in the original containers, unless it's a small puck/shave stick - then I grate them down and keep them in a lidded tin (I've bought a bunch of matching aluminium tins on eBay). I'll load the brush in the container and then face lather or use a separate bowl for building it.
    After use, I let the soap dry for a day or two, put the lid back on and store it away - I keep my soaps in a cupboard in my bedroom, where there's a window open 24/7/365, so it's reasonably cool and dry in there.
    Some of my soaps were bought 8 years ago when I first started wetshaving, and there's no loss of scent or quality that I can detect.

    10 soaps sounds realistic, when you start out - Then your tastes change and these damn artisans keep making new soaps. I'm nearing 50 soaps, and that's mostly European ones - I've given up trying to keep track of what's being made in the US :shocked029:
     
  12. Shafer Springs

    Shafer Springs New Member

    Most soaps will do fine if stored in their original container or pretty much anything else you'd like to keep them in. Some actually benefit from a bit of airflow so don't feel like they need to be sealed, locked down, and stored tightly.

    Both cold and hot process soaps typically improve with age as far as lathering ability and will last for years.

    Moisture is the only thing you really need to watch for, and even that is fairly forgiving as long as you avoid storing soap that's absolutely sopping wet in an air-tight container.
     
  13. david of central florida

    david of central florida Rhubarb Rubber

    I recently conspired with @Jayaruh to let my mind rest about storing my soaps.
    Soaps that come in containers, stay in their containers.
    Soap rounds, pucks, portions (however reefered to) get stored in my shaving mugs. Jim fashioned lids for each mug. After a rinse,and allowed to dry. I put the lid on before shelving. This aids in stacking and prevents dust from gathering. It may even preserve a little scent. This last part may be imagined. 20160919_153752_resized.jpg
    But either way, i like this method. Thanks again Jim.
     
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  14. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    Very cool!


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  15. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    I recently bought some soaps and found the right size tins for them. They work great for 1 in x 3 in (4oz) soaps. There are other sizes available on Ebay. IMG_0753.jpg
     
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  16. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    I keep mine in original containers when possible, but others I keep in mugs that I cover with lids I made.
    lids4.jpg IMG_1585.JPG
     
  17. dustmite

    dustmite Well-Known Member

    20160924_110611.jpg
    Just got these at Walmart, $4.22 for 4. They're perfect for Stirling sample pucks, diameter wise, and my wife won't object to the looks.
     
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  18. Paul Turner

    Paul Turner outside the quote(s) now

    as to your option of just leaving it in a mug-I have Williams, and while I covered it for the first few days, I took it off the other day. Didn't seem to make much of a difference when I shaved this morning. I expect to finish it off certainly by the week-end.
     
  19. Linuxguile

    Linuxguile dating an unusual aristocrat

    Are you talking about the whole puck of Williams or some lather that you made that is sitting in a mug ? IIRC you just started using soap about a week ago. That puck of Williams should last you a good couple of months at the very least.
     
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  20. Straight razor dandy

    Straight razor dandy Stuck cleaning the house himself PERMANENTLY

    You can definitely leave soaps uncovered. I was referring more to long term storage. I have so many soaps that even ones I really love only might be used once in several month's time. I had a SOTD yesterday where I used klar (just a fantastic soap BTW), and I hadn't uaed it in about 7 months.
     

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