My first shaving soap is a success!

[psfred]

This is indeed a great forum, lots of good advice, a huge base of experience and expertise, and very nice people.

Good luck with the shaving soap!

 

[commoncenz]

Well, that was interesting. I didn't get soap on a stick. In fact, everything went pretty much as Lee described it in his blog. I got mashed potatoes almost instantly. Kept stirring and that became apple sauce. I let it cook for about half an hour only because there was no zap at that time. By that time, the apple sauce had thickened up a bit. Added the lanolin and shea superfat and it loosened up a little. Stirred for a little while longer and then scooped it into a 3" PVC pipe. The soap is now in the freezer so I can cut pucks later and let cure in my soap room.
One thing I was thinking as I scooped it into the PVC was ... Why not cut the PVC into individual puck molds? For example, say you have 24" of 3" PVC. You could use a miter saw and cut that down to about 23 individual puck molds that are each 1" thick. That way, you could just scoop your shaving soap into each individual mold, but, unmolding would be a lot simpler/easier. I may try that next time I make this soap. Which won't be until I've given away the soaps I've made and gotten feedback.

 

[LBussy]

Fantastic!

I think people use a single mold because you only have to fill it once, and that the cut pieces are the ones that are "even." The ends are often the pieces that are kept for use by the soaper since they are quite a bit more rustic in appearance.

 

[commoncenz]

Fantastic!

I think people use a single mold because you only have to fill it once, and that the cut pieces are the ones that are "even." The ends are often the pieces that are kept for use by the soaper since they are quite a bit more rustic in appearance.

I didn't think about the "rustic" v. "finished" look aspect. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[lenarenee]

Ahhhh, I've finally finished reading this thread. It has been too long since I last visited this forum. A thread like this is a good reminder of why I like it here so much. The sharing of ideas and experiments. The sheer amount of creativity and diversity of thought. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this discussion; which has kept me locked in and reading until the wee hours of the morning for the last two days. Now, to review my notes, clear my head and attempt to make the shave soap that I've been promising I'd make for my cousin's husband for the last two years.

It's good to see you back!!

 

[psfred]

You can also get individual containers and portion it out that way if you want. I don't bother with a mold since my soap is just for me at the moment, I pile it on a sheet of freezer paper and roughly roll it into a cylinder. As it cools off I mash into the shape I want and then cut into pieces, they don't need to be particularly even for me. Freezer paper wrapped around a tuna can works too.

Since I use 60% KOH the soap never gets really hard.

To sell it I would use a mold just so they all weigh very close to the same.

 

[commoncenz]

OK, so I unmolded and cut this soap today. Keep in mind that I am a novice/amateur when it comes to loading a shave brush. (i.e. there was a lot more lather than this, but I had trouble getting it all on the brush). This soap absolutely exploded as soon as I started swirling the slightly damp brush on it. I let it sit for 45 minutes (OK, I got a phone call and forgot about it) and it still held the lather. The pic of the lathered brush was AFTER the phone call. Since it was loaded, I HAD to shave with it ... Fantastic! I'll never buy that canned crap again. Nor will I settle for using one of my body soap bars as a substitute. I'm so taken with the entire process that I joined that other forum you guys talk about. lol

 

[psfred]

Proper shaving soap is a revelation, that's for sure! Now you will have to try a dozen different scents and four or five formulas and..... you will have enough shaving soap for a lifetime! I do, and I've just started!

 

[slickjim]

I either need to buy one of those tiny scales that measure small grams or start doing bigger batches.

I did a 200g of oils last week and tried to do the 3% of essential oils. This was supposed to be 6 grams. I used a small measuring cup i use for my beard oil. It's 100 ml and I filled it with around 10ml of essentials oils. The scale didn't move from 0

Also, I put my glycerin in the lye water and it went yellow..a bit like pee. I hope that this is ok

 

[psfred]

Get the scale, you won't regret it.

The yellow color is fine, but I put the glycerine in later for that reason. I like nice white soap.

I also use about four drops of FO in 200 grams of soap, but that's me.

Hope it shaves nicely.

 

[redhead1226]

I either need to buy one of those tiny scales that measure small grams or start doing bigger batches.

I did a 200g of oils last week and tried to do the 3% of essential oils. This was supposed to be 6 grams. I used a small measuring cup i use for my beard oil. It's 100 ml and I filled it with around 10ml of essentials oils. The scale didn't move from 0

Also, I put my glycerin in the lye water and it went yellow..a bit like pee. I hope that this is ok

Hi Slick! Your scale does not have different modes? I have ounces, grams, pounds, kg, etc. I do however have a smaller
gram scale for measuring essential oils as my larger scale doesn't recognize such small amounts. If you can, make a small investment as a good capable scale is invaluable in soap making. Also, I add my glycerin at the end. Im not positive if it matters frankly.

 

[slickjim]

Yes, I guess I have the same issue with not recognizing the small amounts. I will get one with smaller gram scale then. Thanks!

psfred, aren't 4 drops to little or FO is stronger that EO? I have bought some - tobacco, leather, tonka and some mixtures but I've yet to try them.

 

[psfred]

Four drops is perfect for me, I just want a hint of scent in my shaving soap.

I think I have a fairly sensitive sense of smell, too, though. I find many commercial soaps to be grossly over-scented.

 

[LBussy]

@psfred can smell a drop of FO in a 5# batch.

Each FO should have usage guidelines. For instance, the almond FO I use recommends .6 - .8 oz per pound of oils (3.75-5%). Since this is up on mah face, I go with 3%.

 

[Escott752]

Love that ladder! Great job. Thanks for sharing

 

[slickjim]

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• slickjim
• Jul 9, 2018

IMG_20180708_155308

• slickjim
• Jul 9, 2018

View media item 1210
So, I finally lathered the last batch in question:
Stearic Acid
Coconut Oil
Lard
Castor Oil
Shea Butter
Lanolin
Glycerin
EO: Orange, Grapefruit & Lavender

I shaved my armpits and the cheek line (I have a beard) and decided not to use to after shave.
Didn't notice any irritation afterwards. Pretty happy!

My bowl is too small and I still can't make a decent lather.

PS. Maybe not the best way to upload photos?

 

[LBussy]

I recommend the captains choice bowls. They are a nice size and have a textured bottom.

 

[psfred]

Lol, if it is Drakkar or Fierce I probably could smell a drop in 5#, sadly. All the "new" Old Spice scents are so strong I can't stand to handle the sealed containers....

As far as lathering goes, if you are not shaving your whole face and hence cannot face lather, try lathering on one hand, adding water by dipping the brush tip into a basin and see how the soap works. It will improve with cure over three or four weeks. The key is getting enough water in it to make it very slick.

It does look good though! I'm back to using my own shaving soaps after finishing the "3017 a puck of Williams" challenge on B&B -- took 5 months. They are much nicer feeling, but I need to work on getting them slick. Doesn't help that one of the brushes I'm using tends to eat the lather between passes for some reason.

 

[slickjim]

LBussy that's a very interesting bowl..especially the bottom. Does it help with the lather being like that?

psfred I will try the hand thingie...looks promising. Since, I directly started shaving with my own soaps last month I bought some commercial ones. Proraso and the infamous Arko. If I leave one of them open, my whole bathroom starts to smell.

I don't know how much of EO I ended up using...around 10 ml is my guess. It gave a decent aroma while swiveling the brush and that was about it.

 

[LBussy]

I think the texture helps, yes. It’s also one of the larger bowls available. There’s more than a few folks that just steal a bowl out of the kitchen, but I do prefer this one.