Shaving soap issue

[basscatsmith]

Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I tend to lurk on forums and find my answers by searching. Most of my questions have been answered previously. That this site has a wiki increases the chances that I can find the information that I need. In this instance though I need to step out of my comfort zone.

I originally got into wet shaving because SWMBO is a etsy addict and bought me a puck of shave soap that matches a bar of shower soap that I enjoy. So, skip ahead a bit and I've got a Merkur 38C, a sample pack of blades and five different pucks of shave soap that I am running through. One of which I cannot get to lather. It loves to foam but I can't generate a good lather with it. I've used varying amounts of soap and water. I've bowl and hand lathered and used two different brushes. Nada. After all of this rigamarole, I read the ingredients and found that there isn't any glycerine in it. Is that enough to cause my problems?

As an aside, does B&B have reviews for etsy sellers? Interestingly enough, I just checked the seller's etsy site and not only is this soap gone but the shave soaps they have up do have glycerine. "Hmmm" /raised eyebrow, strokes goatee/

Thank you all for your time,

[davros]

Just about any soap I can think of has some glycerin in it, not just shave soaps, but they usually have more. It seems more likely that the ingredients list is wrong/ incomplete. Sounds like you've just been sold a dud. I can't speak from personal experience in this respect, and I'm emphatically not dissing artisan soaps in general, but I have heard of stuff being sold as 'shaving soap' at markets and the like that were just useless. If it's a nice soap otherwise, use it in the bath.

Having said that, try loading it for twice as long and see if it makes any difference before you write it off.

[Eric V]

Hmmm. What is an etsy seller? What shave soaps are you using? If it is a standard shave soap, it may be a hard water issue. Soaps with a high glycerin content do lather easier than some other soaps. They also don't seem to last as long as hard milled soaps.

[Jim]

Welcome Bass- Post the full ingredients list up for us.
FWIW many soapers have no idea what is required from a shave soap.Many that do know, are vendors here at B&B.

[basscatsmith]

Hmmm. What is an etsy seller? What shave soaps are you using? If it is a standard shave soap, it may be a hard water issue. Soaps with a high glycerin content do lather easier than some other soaps. They also don't seem to last as long as hard milled soaps.

An etsy seller is a vendor who uses the Etsy website www.etsy.com to sell their wares. Most products are handmade, craft supplies, or vintage. This isn't a hard water issue as the other soaps that I am using lather up just fine. I need to work on my technique to make good lather but it is still a decent lather.


Welcome Bass- Post the full ingredients list up for us.
FWIW many soapers have no idea what is required from a shave soap.Many that do know, are vendors here at B&B.

The ingredients are as follows: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Distilled Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Bentonite Clay, Fragrance.

Is there anything else that is missing besides glycerine? What else should I be looking for in a basic shave soap?

[k2clones29]

There are other members that know better about soap ingredients than I do. My best advice has to do with water. I moved to an area with extremely hard water, and I could not lather any soap I tried. I got an electric kettle and heat distiller water for my brush and washcloth. The difference is noticeable. As much of a hassle as t is, it might be worth a try if you have hard water.

[BrianK]

Olive oil as a first ingredient in a shave soap isn't a good sign. It's OK as an ingredient that shows up much later in the list.

I'm not an expert on soap. You might try adding some glycerine if you have some and see what happens. It can only fail miserably or make it better.

[Jim]

Ryan,
Olive oil is the the problem, you will never get a good lather out of it. Just throw it in the shower and use it as a bath soap.

Use the reviews forum for suggestions for a good soap or the SOTD thread to see what the other men are using.

[ackvil]

Ryan,
Olive oil is the the problem, you will never get a good lather out of it. Just throw it in the shower and use it as a bath soap.

Use the reviews forum for suggestions for a good soap or the SOTD thread to see what the other men are using.

What Jim said. Unfortunately, there are many people who call themselves artisans but don't know the difference between shaving soap and bathing soap. Take a look at the wiki on soaps (http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Shave_soaps).

[Greyfox]

There are many great soaps out there. Don't waste your time on one that doesn't lather properly.

[basscatsmith]

Thank you all for your info and time. I'll be tossing that soap in the shower. I hope that this does not discourage people from buying shave soaps from other Etsy vendors. I have found other shave soaps that I enjoy there.

[Go West Young Man]

As an aside, does B&B have reviews for etsy sellers?

Individual sellers and products do have reviews up - it would be helpful if you could write up and post a review of the particular soap you used, help out the next guy who's considering buying it!

There are plenty of artisan soap-makers on this board who'll more than pass the crafty / hand-made / local artisan test, AND their soaps have been thoroughly vetted and proved their worth over time. You can't go wrong with any of them!