Are shaving mugs special?

This is just a quick question. Is there anything makes a shaving mug different from other kinds of mugs?

If not I'm just going to put my soap into regular coffee mugs, not that I have very much soap anyway.

From what I've seen, nope. I know a number of people goto places like target and get some pretty cheap bowls.

Heck, some just open up the cabinet and use those!

I just use a big latte' cup. It's nice and big and has the handle on the side I can hold onto when I'm really whipping up some lather.

There's a video I saw awhile back where the dude was whipping up his lather right on the corner of the sink itself. If I had a big enough of a sink I'd try it but I don't. He was able to add water to it easily and the lather stayed put. It made for real easy clean up too.

I think it's just a question of the size. It's pretty difficult to swirl a decent sized brush around in the average coffee cup. Shaving mugs seem generally wider, and some seem to be made from a thicker porcelein, so presumably they have greater heat-retention properties.

I use one of my wife's teacups. Its big and wide with a handle that fits around my thumb, and the texture of it makes creating lather very easy. (The wife yelled at me because I broke the mug that came with it, but I think its worth it).

Oh, and I keep my soaps in an O'ccitane aluminum soapdish, I don't lather up on the soap.

Just Guess said:

This is just a quick question. Is there anything makes a shaving mug different from other kinds of mugs?

If not I'm just going to put my soap into regular coffee mugs, not that I have very much soap anyway.

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Some Old Spice shaving mugs have ribs in them, reportedly to help keep the soap from moving. Some old mugs had a wider base for a little added stability and style. Ohterwise, a shaving mug is just something to hold your soap. Although you can build lather in them, usually they are not a convient size for that purpose. I do like their nostalgic look though.

-Clarke

It would be a travesty to spend more than a $1.00 for something like this. Go to Goodwill, or any local thrift store, and there will be loads of kitchenware that will fit the bill. My large latte mug cost $0.75. You can also get normal size coffee mugs that work fine for cakes of soap. I know I may be burned at the stake for suggesting this, but I have a $20 DR Harris Arlington soap in a $0.49 mug, and it works perfect!

No need to spend more on this type of stuff, if you don't want to.

n33470 said:

It would be a travesty to spend more than a $1.00 for something like this. Go to Goodwill, or any local thrift store, and there will be loads of kitchenware that will fit the bill. My large latte mug cost $0.75. You can also get normal size coffee mugs that work fine for cakes of soap. I know I may be burned at the stake for suggesting this, but I have a $20 DR Harris Arlington soap in a $0.49 mug, and it works perfect!

No need to spend more on this type of stuff, if you don't want to.

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+1

This is what I do all the time. Soup bowls and chilli bowls work like a charm.

As Joel stated I found a soup bowl at a garage sale for .25 its wide but not to tall on the sides so you are whaking the handle of your nice brush on the sides as you whip up your lather.

AzulLuna said:

As Joel stated I found a soup bowl at a garage sale for .25 its wide but not to tall on the sides so you are whaking the handle of your nice brush on the sides as you whip up your lather.

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I'm in the thrifty camp on this issue. I could see myself trying out different prep stuff creams/soaps, after shaves, and colognes, but I doubt that I will deviate too much on the hardware.

I use a big yellow coffee mug that I stole from my cupboard. The handle broke when I dropped it on the floor a few weeks ago, so I chipped it smooth with a flat screwdriver and small hammer laying nearby. It works for me.

I personally invested in a custom Georgetown scuttle, but although it retains heat well, and the size is nice, I too agree that any cheap bowl or mug made of glass, porcelain, or wood works right nicely.

Well, I started with a coffee mug from my cupboard, with my first puck. Works okay, but it's a bit narrow. Nana June's lemongrass puck fit just fine, but HBS Sue's Yuzu had to be melted in. Brush knocks a bit during loading.

My others are all vintage ones off eBay---the Aramis one is wider, with an unusual "bombe" shape to accomodate lathering, the occupational mug is wider and footed, the Old Spice and Medarta ones are both a little wider and a lot shallower. I like having them in the shave den, but most of the time I just load my BBE straight off the top of a Mama Bear's soap.

Anyway, coffee cup's fine. But pick the right coffee cup for the job, whether from the cupboard or the dollar store or a yard sale---it should be fairly thick, wide enough for soap, and with flared sides or a rounded shape.

NANP™

My "real" shaving mugs tend to be a tad thicker, which is probably good because I have whacked them a few times in such a way that a teacup would probably have broken. Good old thrift store coffee cups are still the best, though.

"Back in the day," shaving mugs were larger than the teacups and coffee cups that were in use. That allowed for room to work the brush. Today, we all sorts of monstrosities for coffee, soup, hot chocolate, or whatever.

This is the area where my thriftiness has not given way to an AD. Since I started using a brush and soap over 15 years ago, I've purchased two mugs that cost $1.00 each.

I picked up a couple of small custard cups to hold my soaps and a mini souffle dish (maybe 4" dia) as my "mug". It's thick so it holds the heat, and ribbed on the outside so I can hold on to it easily with wet hands. (it doesn't have a handle.)
I think the custard cups were about $.50 each and the souffle was maybe $2.

Yep, wide and deep. That's what you want. Latte or oversized coffee mugs will work just fine. I used one for 12 years before switching to a deep bowl. Now my mug is used to store blades, razors, comb etc.

Coffee cups are fine. In fact a lot of mugs you see in antique malls are just white coffee mugs with brushes stuck in them. I prefer Old Spice mugs for all the reasons given above, plus I can stack them two at a time in my drawer by my sink. Currently have 23 Old Spice Mugs, I'm a little out of control. Mugs are for holding soaps and bowls are for building lather, IMO.

Not A Nice Person said:

Well, I started with a coffee mug from my cupboard, with my first puck. Works okay, but it's a bit narrow. Nana June's lemongrass puck fit just fine, but HBS Sue's Yuzu had to be melted in. Brush knocks a bit during loading.

My others are all vintage ones off eBay---the Aramis one is wider, with an unusual "bombe" shape to accomodate lathering, the occupational mug is wider and footed, the Old Spice and Medarta ones are both a little wider and a lot shallower. I like having them in the shave den, but most of the time I just load my BBE straight off the top of a Mama Bear's soap.

Anyway, coffee cup's fine. But pick the right coffee cup for the job, whether from the cupboard or the dollar store or a yard sale---it should be fairly thick, wide enough for soap, and with flared sides or a rounded shape.

NANP™

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And.........

Eagle said:

Yep, wide and deep. That's what you want. Latte or oversized coffee mugs will work just fine. I used one for 12 years before switching to a deep bowl. Now my mug is used to store blades, razors, comb etc.

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there it is!

DanOK said:

Coffee cups are fine. In fact a lot of mugs you see in antique malls are just white coffee mugs with brushes stuck in them. I prefer Old Spice mugs for all the reasons given above, plus I can stack them two at a time in my drawer by my sink. Currently have 23 Old Spice Mugs, I'm a little out of control. Mugs are for holding soaps and bowls are for building lather, IMO.

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of course you are-RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!

marty

I had a coffee cup that had a chip in it but I still used it for quite some time. I'm lefty and the chip was on the side that didn't interfere with my coffee drinking. My wife grabbed that cup one day and the chip was on her 'drinking side' so she was going to throw it out. That cup then became my shaving mug and has served me well for many years.