Isn't your whole body covered in germs 100% of the time always...trying to pick and choose those germs is guess work no matter what you do...just wash your hands let your soap dry for a few days if your really worried then don't worry after that. Holy cow how did man survive for millions of years with germs anyways.
Is there any extreme risks to buying used shaving soaps/creams?
- Thread starter cams105
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We survive in the past, but now society is getting weaker after decades of over sanitizing everything in sight.
Look at how many children with allergies are in our schools.
I, for one, have never done this. Of course I am abnormal in that I usually do a one-pass shave and a two-pass only once in a while and there's always enough soap in the brush for that. In fact, I usually put the soap away after loading my brush.
Same here.
I put the soap and cream away after I've bowl-lathered. If I have a nick or weeper, I do re-lather over it but that has nothing to do with the sanitation of my soap and cream. All I do is swirl the brush around in the bowl and re-apply. Then, after I'm done shaving, I thoroughly clean both brush and bowl.
I put the soap and cream away after I've bowl-lathered. If I have a nick or weeper, I do re-lather over it but that has nothing to do with the sanitation of my soap and cream. All I do is swirl the brush around in the bowl and re-apply. Then, after I'm done shaving, I thoroughly clean both brush and bowl.
That right there can contaminate the brush and then everything it touches.
Whether or not you can pass something on to someone like this is a different matter that seems quite unsettled, especially if everything dries out completley.
+1. I never go back to a soap after the initial loading. If I decide I need more product I add a dollop of creme to the center of the brush.
And I never hang my brush over my soap. I've never heard of this. I actually never hang my brush unless it's after cleaning and it's hanging to dry.
I can't see a scenario where any fresh hair, blood or skin would make it to my soap container. Blood might get on my brush, but it would need to survive my post shave brush wash, at least 24 hours of air drying, and then another hot water soak and rinse before ever touching a soap.
Not I'm not telling you that you have to abandon your new soap ways, in just saying that this particular argument doesn't track with me logically.
If you want to talk issues of mold, or bacteria growth (we are talking about a moist environment) or scent loss, or soap expiration (how old is this used soap anyway) I think there is room for discussion.
That's just me though. Everyone shaves a little differently
In examining my own method, I wouldn't worry about my own soap for this same reason, but I know when I first started I just lathered the soap directly from the puck. My method now doesn't involve "double dipping", but I see how other people could double dip.
I am always fascinated by people who are concerned about bacteria, or touching something that was previously touched by another human. To begin we are surrounded by bacteria, literally immersed in it, and generally our bodies use that contact to develop antibodies that protect us. Some who are germaphobes, may actually doing themselves a disservice by not coming in contact with bacteria. That's why we don't sterilize baby bottles and their rubber nipples any more, because the babies need the bacteria to develop immunities.
Think of how many door knobs one touches every day that has been touched by millions of people and never ever cleaned. When you put your food into your grocery cart, is it sitting on top of where someone's baby with a leaky diaper was previously sitting? Do you shake hands with people you meet? Lots of examples of bacteria being harbored everywhere.
At least with shaving soap, the soap only touches the brush, which only touches the skin on the face. Soaps do have a high alkaline PH, which helps slow bacterial growth. Soaps can be washed of surface bacteria with other soaps that are known to not have contamination. I really believe the odds of contracting some dread bacteria are greater in the daily activities of living than from a previously used shaving soap. At least the person who previously used the shaving soap has some hygiene standards or they wouldn't be shaving.
Most of my friends who wet shave have all at some point purchased used soap, and no one that I can recall have even broached the topic of bacteria. I think most would automatically wash the soap prior to use, the same as washing anything else previously used before using. That's my two cents.
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Just clean well before using it.
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