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When good Cella goes bad

Bertilak

Bertilak

My Cella was out of rotation for about two weeks as I kept to the same soap (MWF) while experimenting with other things (new brush, newly-self-honed razor, etc.).

Tonight I went back to the Cella and it had gone rancid on me! What a stink! I tried to scrub down past the surface and that didn't help so I tried to scoop off the top layer with a spoon but it was "rotten to the core".

It turned yellow with white specs all the way through and stank to high heaven.

Cella doesn't list any preservatives as ingredients so I guess this is what happens. I've only had it three or four months so expected it to last the 12 months it indicates as a shelf life, after opening, I thought. Could it be that this stuff just doesn't sell fast enough here in the USA and it sits around on shelves or in warehouses too long?

If so, some of the people here on B&B who report they don't like the smell may be getting very old product. I can certainly see how they wouldn't like what I have now!

And it was one of my favorites! :sad:
 
mretzloff

mretzloff

I think this is a conspiracy. Your SCAD and SSAD are out to get you :biggrin:

Sorry to hear that. Are you going to replace it or try something new?
 
Mainecanefan

Mainecanefan

A moment of silence for the passing of Bob's Cella...


Now wipe the tears from your eyes Bob, get back up on that horse and go get some more.
 
The National Razor

The National Razor

It was your devotion to Cella that led me to try it.

My tub does have a yellowish hue...I hope mine isn't rancid. But I think it' smells fine (not great, but fine), but the lather is out of this world. Probably fine. Hopefully
 
Luc

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
What if you soak it for a while to melt it underwater a bit?

Sorry to hear that.
 
R

rbaloha

The National Razor said:
It was your devotion to Cella that led me to try it.

My tub does have a yellowish hue...I hope mine isn't rancid. But I think it' smells fine (not great, but fine), but the lather is out of this world. Probably fine. Hopefully
Click to expand...

I also have a cella in this condition -- performance has actually improved with usage and age. Reinforces to use cella as quickly as possible.
 
ponyplayer

ponyplayer

Hi all,

I actually used Cella for the 1st time today. I received my tub through a sale and it was a used tube...the Cella I received is also yellow/brown. The smell is not very good but the later was superb. I have smelled some at the local store where I can find it and while it is white in color it does smell just about the same as the one I tried today.

Patrick
 
Etalex

Etalex

Robert Paulsen said:
My Cella was out of rotation for about two weeks as I kept to the same soap (MWF) while experimenting with other things (new brush, newly-self-honed razor, etc.).

Tonight I went back to the Cella and it had gone rancid on me! What a stink! I tried to scrub down past the surface and that didn't help so I tried to scoop off the top layer with a spoon but it was "rotten to the core".

It turned yellow with white specs all the way through and stank to high heaven.

Cella doesn't list any preservatives as ingredients so I guess this is what happens. I've only had it three or four months so expected it to last the 12 months it indicates as a shelf life, after opening, I thought. Could it be that this stuff just doesn't sell fast enough here in the USA and it sits around on shelves or in warehouses too long?

If so, some of the people here on B&B who report they don't like the smell may be getting very old product. I can certainly see how they wouldn't like what I have now!

And it was one of my favorites! :sad:
Click to expand...

May I ask wether you used to pour a bit of water on top of it each time you used it for shaving? I think such a practice would speed up the deterioration. In any case, I am not surprised that Cella would go bad quickly since it contains no preservatives. Also, it is not tripple milled so air and water can penetrate easily. I actually like that it's a "fresh" product without a long shelf life.

Alex
 
Bertilak

Bertilak

Etalex said:
May I ask wether you used to pour a bit of water on top of it each time you used it for shaving? I think such a practice would speed up the deterioration. In any case, I am not surprised that Cella would go bad quickly since it contains no preservatives. Also, it is not tripple milled so air and water can penetrate easily. I actually like that it's a "fresh" product without a long shelf life.

Alex
Click to expand...

I never poured water on it. Just used a slightly damp brush to load up the soap with. Mostly relied on the wetness of my skin to work up the lather with an occasional "tap" of the brush end to the surface of the water in my sink.

I also like the simplicity but it seems a waste for it to go bad while there is 80%+ of it left.
 
Bertilak

Bertilak

mretzloff said:
Out of curisioty, what are some well known preservatives used in shaving creams and shaving soaps?
Click to expand...

MWF lists:
  • Sodium Chloride (table salt) -- which has been used as a preservative probably for several thousand years.
  • Sodium Silicate -- used as a preservative per Wikipedia
  • tetrasodium EDTA -- per Wikipedi, a preservative or stabilizer to prevent catalytic oxidative decolouration. My guess is that this is the main preservative.
Tabac also has tetrasodium EDTA
 
bythbook

bythbook

Robert Paulsen said:
My Cella was out of rotation for about two weeks as I kept to the same soap (MWF) while experimenting with other things (new brush, newly-self-honed razor, etc.).

...

It [had] turned yellow with white specs all the way through and stank to high heaven.

...
Click to expand...


Ah! ...A perfect prelude to Lilac Vegetal!



.
 
DogHair

DogHair

I read somewhere about keeping Cella refrigerated for longer life but I can't find it again. My luck someone would eat it while I wasn't around.
 
Augustiner

Augustiner

DogHair said:
I read somewhere about keeping Cella refrigerated for longer life but I can't find it again. My luck someone would eat it while I wasn't around.
Click to expand...

You read it on this other recent post about Cella. The quote and link to the thread are below:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=102528&page=2

Quote:
The expiration dates are there so you throw the product away when it's "expired". Expiration dates are nothing but ways for companies to make money.
Cella is tallow based but doesn't contain any of the preservatives normally seen in a similar soaps (such as Tetrasodium EDTA - short for the delightful sounding ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). As such after a year it is possible for a soap of this kind to go "off" (normally appearance will suffer first). This can either be the soap itself or rancidity developing in the residual unsaponified tallow which most manufacturers leave in to moisturise the skin (if no free-fats are left behind, the soap would be very harsh on the skin. Normally about 3% - 5% unsaponified fat remains).
If you get a kilo of Cella, probably the best solution avoid any problems is to pack a bowl with enough for your daily use, divide the remainder into bricks and wraping them well in layers of plastic, place them in the bottom of your freezer.
 
deck360degree

deck360degree

When I purchased my tub of Cella it was already a light brown...In your experiences when you opened the red tub was the product actually white???
 
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