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Rancidity...

Are RANCID soaps a "thing?"


  • Total voters
    31

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
The only soap I've ever had go rancid was Red Tub Cella. I've had some soaps dry out to the point that they shrunk in the container, but they still lather and smell just fine. I do make a point to use creams and croaps as quickly as possible.
 

WThomas0814

Ditto, ditto
I am truly regretting my purchase of a kilo of Cello Red for this very reason. I have chopped 2 pieces off (about 1/9 of the brick each) over the last two years. When I went to get a piece today, the brick had turned brown. Not rancid yet, but, the smell was definitely different. It is resealed in the cello bag, placed back in its box, and sealed in a gallon ziplock bag for storage. In hindsight, I should have cut the brick up and frozen the individual pieces.

I will likely throw the balance of the brick away… my mind will be telling me it is spoiled no matter how it lathers. I have stored Arko sticks for MUCH longer periods of time with absolutely no ill effect.
 
I am truly regretting my purchase of a kilo of Cello Red for this very reason. I have chopped 2 pieces off (about 1/9 of the brick each) over the last two years. When I went to get a piece today, the brick had turned brown. Not rancid yet, but, the smell was definitely different. It is resealed in the cello bag, placed back in its box, and sealed in a gallon ziplock bag for storage. In hindsight, I should have cut the brick up and frozen the individual pieces.

I will likely throw the balance of the brick away… my mind will be telling me it is spoiled no matter how it lathers. I have stored Arko sticks for MUCH longer periods of time with absolutely no ill effect.
Perhaps a vacuum sealer rather than the ziploc
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I tossed some Proraso red soap that was about 6 years old, it was cracked and dried out and had a film on the surface so I decided to toss it. I did get many lathering's from it over the years. Good soap but there is a symbol on the side when to toss it or shelf life when opened.
I have had not many problems at all with my soaps over the years because I bowl lather, I just scoop out what is needed for my shave to the bowl and that ways no water is added to main source or puck plus container is closed right away minimalizing air born dust and who knows what else from a bathroom setting floats around.
Take a wash cloth that is wet and damp and leave it bunched up for a day and it some how has a mildew scent so there is something in the air that makes it that way also , it's just nature doing it's thing.
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
I am truly regretting my purchase of a kilo of Cello Red for this very reason. I have chopped 2 pieces off (about 1/9 of the brick each) over the last two years. When I went to get a piece today, the brick had turned brown. Not rancid yet, but, the smell was definitely different. It is resealed in the cello bag, placed back in its box, and sealed in a gallon ziplock bag for storage. In hindsight, I should have cut the brick up and frozen the individual pieces.

I will likely throw the balance of the brick away… my mind will be telling me it is spoiled no matter how it lathers. I have stored Arko sticks for MUCH longer periods of time with absolutely no ill effect.
Next time cut it into chunks the size you’ll use, keep one out, then freeze the rest. Vacuum sealed is best, but a ziplock will work as long as you suck most of the air out. It’ll last almost indefinitely if frozen.
 
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I am truly regretting my purchase of a kilo of Cello Red for this very reason. I have chopped 2 pieces off (about 1/9 of the brick each) over the last two years. When I went to get a piece today, the brick had turned brown. Not rancid yet, but, the smell was definitely different. It is resealed in the cello bag, placed back in its box, and sealed in a gallon ziplock bag for storage. In hindsight, I should have cut the brick up and frozen the individual pieces.

I will likely throw the balance of the brick away… my mind will be telling me it is spoiled no matter how it lathers. I have stored Arko sticks for MUCH longer periods of time with absolutely no ill effect.
"... a kilo of Cella red..." 🤔

Makes it sound almost like CONTRABAND! 😲👮‍♂️

("What's the street value of pure, uncut Cella nowadays?") 😆🤣😆✌️
 
The only soap I've ever had go rancid was Cella Red. Cella products are now blacklisted in my house.
It sounds like a lot of people here have had similar experiences.

By comparison, WMS pucks from their Glastonbury days are still fine, just a bit scent faded.
 

WThomas0814

Ditto, ditto
Had to jump back on here. I received my brick of Vitos yesterday. Wasn’t what I ordered (it is the non-coco version), but, ingredients do list hydrogenated tallow. Based on reviews here, there is little difference with or without coo, so, I didn’t bother trying to return it.

Brick is nice and soft, color is snow white. I hacked off a chunk (I go for roughly 1/9 of the brick) and packed it into an Anchor-Hocking glass 1-cup lidded bowl. I dumped my Semogue 830 into my brush scuttle and let it soak a few minutes.

Sidebar: I highly recommend these glass bowls (I copied the title; the typo is the seller’s). Perfect size for Arko pucks and holds a good quantity of croap with room to spare for brushwork. They are 4/$18 and have plastic lids, which you can buy separately, so you can write on them with a Sharpie.

Anchor Hocking nchor Hocking Classic Food Storage Containers, 1-Cup, Clear Glass, Red Lids​


I flicked off most of the water, and applied brush to soap. Wow! Brush loaded MUCH easier that with Cella. 10-15 swirls, and I was getting lather in my bowl, which isn't what I was trying for; I’m a die-hard face latherer. The Vitos seems a bit softer that Cella.

Brush to face: again, WOW! Using a combination of swirling and painting, I had a beautiful, thick lather almost immediately.

Sidebar: this is the WORST tasting soap I’ve ever used. It tastes, I imagine, like Satan’s nutsack. I’d rather eat a stick of Arko than get this lather in my mouth.

First pass: slick, smooth, easy. DFS after one pass.
Second pass: slick, smooth, easy. Wasn’t necessary in most places, but, it’s my routine.
Buffing (chin, jawline, Adam’s apple; wet face only, no added soap): plenty of residual slickness.

Note: my brush goes back into the scuttle and is reloaded between passes. Yeah, I’m wasting some soap, but, its like $40 for a billion shaves if you buy a kilo.

Post shave: no excessive dryness, no irritation (zero alum feedback).

This was the best shave of my life. A true irritation-free BBS.

This is a truly fantastic soap. The smell is quite similar to Cella, but a touch louder. Not terrific in the bowl, but, the lather is very pleasant.

I will absolutely be ordering another brick to freeze, before the tallow versions are gone.

Happy shaving, gents!
 
Only Cella went rancid on me, although I still continued to use it occasionally before tossing. As I remember, it occurred within 1 or 2 years of purchase, at a time when I let my soaps totally dry before putting away. I bloom all my soaps and for years rarely let them dry before capping and putting away. I still occasionally use soaps from 2009, and while many have lost scent, none have gone rancid.
 
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