Shaving soap with NAOH and KOH?

[LBussy]

You guys are such enablers!

Takes one to know one!

 

[Nikkor]

Irish Lass, happy to hear that your last experiment was a success! I find this all very fascinating.

I made my own shave soap using the recipe in Songwinds epic thread but found it a little drying. I tried another using tallow, stearic, coconut and shea with a 60/40 KOH-NaOH split and liked this one much better. It's a total YMMV type of thing though.

I lurk on the big shaving forums, mostly to look for good deals on the buy and sell threads. I'm looking for a higher end badger brush. I only have a lowly Omega boar but it does just fine. I just want to see what all the fuss about premium badger is all about. The one thing that struck me from being on the shave forums is how competitive the shaving soap market is. There are so many to choose from. You have the bigger players like Stirling, Mikes, HTGAM, Tiki, Mystic Waters, Cold River Soap Works, Barrister and Mann. Then there are a bunch of smaller guys/gals to numerous to list. I wonder how they all manage to make a sizable piece of the market? I'm not looking to get into the business, I have a good job, just curious.

I only say that since I see how popular the shaving soap threads are here and see so many people making it on this forum. I wonder if some of you are thinking of jumping into the action? It seems to me that a good marketing campaign and some kind of inroad into the shaving world is needed. I may be wrong but it is part of what I do for my profession and so I find the whole thing very interesting.

Sorry to go so off track. Back on topic, good for you Irish Lass! I'm watching for your next experiment to see how it works out. I've got enough of my homemade shave soap to last me another couple of months at least but am ready to try something new.
:-D

 

[LBussy]

Nikkor I have a rather high-end Silvertip and when it all comes down to it, I don't get a better than I did from my horsehair. It's prettier for sure.

Have you tried one of the Vie-Long? If not, I recommend it.

 

[Seawolfe]

"...that I were forced to choose only one scent with which to soap for the rest of my life, it would be Salty Sailor...."

And, of course, Daystar is out of stock on that one. And the other two that I thought I might like.

I just ordered some from the Daystar site, so try again? I also ordered an interesting looking sandalwood/sage.

Thanks IrishLass! I've been looking for a "sea scent" and I had an FO called "kelp" that sounded promising, but smells like a grandmothers boudoir....:roll:

 

[Nikkor]

Nikkor I have a rather high-end Silvertip and when it all comes down to it, I don't get a better than I did from my horsehair. It's prettier for sure.

Have you tried one of the Vie-Long? If not, I recommend it.

I have looked at those horsehairs. They look interesting for sure.

I'm thinking of just biting the bullet and getting a silvertip badger from one of the guys (WD) that makes brushes. He has great prices and excellent reviews. The thought of a used brush for some may be fine and I'm sure it is but when it's something I use to ""scrub" on my face I think I want a brand new one.

A Vie-Long horsehair may be in my future, I don't know. Just looking for that "pillowy softness" I keep hearing about in the premium badger.

 

[LBussy]

The horsehair is a very nice experience and you can always BST it if you don;t like it. I had my silvertip made by Rudy Very and it's an excellent brush - I would recommend him as well but Larry's followers seem to give him good marks as well.

 

[reinbeau]

Wow, there are shaving brush groupies too - shaving soap and the associated tools are fascinating, I never knew there was such a cult around it all and I don't mean that in a bad way. Interesting.

 

[cpacamper]

Irish Lass, happy to hear that your last experiment was a success! I find this all very fascinating.

I made my own shave soap using the recipe in Songwinds epic thread but found it a little drying. I tried another using tallow, stearic, coconut and shea with a 60/40 KOH-NaOH split and liked this one much better. It's a total YMMV type of thing though.

I lurk on the big shaving forums, mostly to look for good deals on the buy and sell threads. I'm looking for a higher end badger brush. I only have a lowly Omega boar but it does just fine. I just want to see what all the fuss about premium badger is all about. The one thing that struck me from being on the shave forums is how competitive the shaving soap market is. There are so many to choose from. You have the bigger players like Stirling, Mikes, HTGAM, Tiki, Mystic Waters, Cold River Soap Works, Barrister and Mann. Then there are a bunch of smaller guys/gals to numerous to list. I wonder how they all manage to make a sizable piece of the market? I'm not looking to get into the business, I have a good job, just curious.

I only say that since I see how popular the shaving soap threads are here and see so many people making it on this forum. I wonder if some of you are thinking of jumping into the action? It seems to me that a good marketing campaign and some kind of inroad into the shaving world is needed. I may be wrong but it is part of what I do for my profession and so I find the whole thing very interesting.

Sorry to go so off track. Back on topic, good for you Irish Lass! I'm watching for your next experiment to see how it works out. I've got enough of my homemade shave soap to last me another couple of months at least but am ready to try something new.
:-D

Nikkor, Omega boars are quite good brushes, and cannot be beat for value. I used a model 10066 for the better part of a year and was very happy.

I recently got a Shavemac D01 2 band silvertip badger knot in a Rudy Vey handle (the limited edition brush over at B and B) and I love it. Does it improve lather quality over an Omega? No, but it holds more soap and produce smore lather per load than the Omega due to its very dense knot. Is it luxurious, soft, and wonderful? Absolutely! Is it worth the extra cost? It is an extremely fine brush of top quality. For me, it's a complete luxury item and not necessary but certainly very nice to use.

 

[IrishLass]

Irish Lass, happy to hear that your last experiment was a success! I find this all very fascinating.

I find it all fascinating, too! Up until recently, I didn't know that my formula could be improved upon any more than it had already without somehow ruining the qualities about it that my hubby so greatly relies upon. And I also didn't know that I could get away without using clay if I just bumped up the stearic. This has been a great learning experience for me (and continues to be so).

I made my own shave soap using the recipe in Songwinds epic thread but found it a little drying. I tried another using tallow, stearic, coconut and shea with a 60/40 KOH-NaOH split and liked this one much better. It's a total YMMV type of thing though.

That one is still on my list to try making, only I think I'm going to have to superfat it up to around 15% or so with all that coconut oil in there (saponified coconut oil is a very powerful cleanser). Thankfully, though, coconut oil is a very stable oil that can take to being excessively superfatted without the soap coming down with DOS (the dreaded orange spots). I make a bath soap with 100% coconut oil superfatted @ 20% and it holds up fine for years (and still counting), so I'm not too concerned with a DOS infection. My only concern is whether or not the higher superfat will aversely affect the shaving capabilities. We'll see!

The one thing that struck me from being on the shave forums is how competitive the shaving soap market is. There are so many to choose from. You have the bigger players like Stirling, Mikes, HTGAM, Tiki, Mystic Waters, Cold River Soap Works, Barrister and Mann. Then there are a bunch of smaller guys/gals to numerous to list. I wonder how they all manage to make a sizable piece of the market? I'm not looking to get into the business, I have a good job, just curious.

I only say that since I see how popular the shaving soap threads are here and see so many people making it on this forum. I wonder if some of you are thinking of jumping into the action? It seems to me that a good marketing campaign and some kind of inroad into the shaving world is needed. I may be wrong but it is part of what I do for my profession and so I find the whole thing very interesting.

Hubby and I were talking about that the other day. He thought it might be cool if the shave-soap artisans were to pool themselves together as a group under the form of some kind of entity or guild to offer their wares, but still retain their individuality as artisans ...

I myself have no interest into jumping into the action market-wise. I'm often tempted to because friends and family are always encouraging me to go that route, but I know myself only too well, and I am no business-woman! lol Maybe someday if a miracle occurs and I'm suddenly infused with awesome business-savvy sense and super organization skills I'll think more seriously about it, but until then I'm perfectly happy making soap and other B&B things for my little pond of family and friends.


IrishLass

 

[LBussy]

My only concern is whether or not the higher superfat will aversely affect the shaving capabilities. We'll see!

I can't imagine not liking a little extra slide, but my big beef is the soap scum let's say a high tallow soap leaves in the sink. I do have very soft water and what works here though sometimes doesn't work say down in Wichita where the water is harder.

Hubby and I were talking about that the other day. He thought it might be cool if the shave-soap artisans were to pool themselves together as a group under the form of some kind of entity or guild to offer their wares, but still retain their individuality as artisans ...

Yeah and who would organize THAT room of poo-flinging monkeys? Not I! There are what I think is just enough dedicated shave soap artisans (as opposed to soap artisans who also make shaving soap) to keep things quite interesting I think. A couple of them have been corresponding with me on B&B and we have been exchanging soap samples just to get feedback. I don't think a person can or should do this to make money (at least not solely shave soap) but as a hobby it's a lot of fun and could pay for some supplies. If someone else wants to throw their hat in the ring I'll probably buy just to try it out, but I have enough soap to last me till 3017 (a popular B&B refrain).

 

[IrishLass]

Yeah and who would organize THAT room of poo-flinging monkeys? Not I!

LOL Boy, I'm sure glad I wasn't eating or drinking anything while reading the above comment.

... but I have enough soap to last me till 3017 (a popular B&B refrain).

My hubby's shave stash is quickly reaching that point, too, with all the experiments I've been doing lately. lol


IrishLass

 

[reinbeau]

Yeah and who would organize THAT room of poo-flinging monkeys? Not I!

Oh my goodness, you won the internetz tonight with that one, I can't stop chuckling.

I would like to take my little shaving soap pucks to a few local barber shops and see if there's any interest. Worst they can do is tell me know - unless they've got any of those monkeys hanging around..... :wtf:

 

[wetshavingproducts]

The one thing that struck me from being on the shave forums is how competitive the shaving soap market is. There are so many to choose from. You have the bigger players like Stirling, Mikes, HTGAM, Tiki, Mystic Waters, Cold River Soap Works, Barrister and Mann. Then there are a bunch of smaller guys/gals to numerous to list. I wonder how they all manage to make a sizable piece of the market? I'm not looking to get into the business, I have a good job, just curious.

I only say that since I see how popular the shaving soap threads are here and see so many people making it on this forum. I wonder if some of you are thinking of jumping into the action? It seems to me that a good marketing campaign and some kind of inroad into the shaving world is needed. I may be wrong but it is part of what I do for my profession and so I find the whole thing very interesting.

The first quoted sentence sums it up. It's super competitive. You have to offer something new to grab a foothold or have an established brand. Honestly, the only reason I'm getting into the business is because it's been a part of the business plan from the beginning and for some reason, I actually like making soap. It's a new challenge for me and I like problem solving. I'll probably get bored of doing it just like I'm extremely tired of sharpening straight razors, but I gotta keep the lights on somehow.

And just throwing it out there, I have thought about it and would like to take on a partner to take over the sharpening business...... Just saying

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Another reason why I am half grateful for all of the legal work I have to do to sell soap here in the EU - it keeps the number of competitors some what lower. It's a major PITA though.

 

[Lindy]

I am on B&B (Malaspina) and have found it to be a good place to sell soap. The thing to remember there is that they don't jump at the newest or the latest, it takes a while to get a lot of business out of them.

 

[cpacamper]

Well, there was certainly more work involved compared to my usual soaping methods that's for sure, but as for the final outcome- only the end of cure will tell.

What I really need to do for a good 1 on 1 comparison is to make the same recipe using 64% KOH/36% NaOH, but instead of separating things, just add all the oils/fats together and both lyes together, then soap as normal. That will be my next experiment (hopefully in the next few days). If it turns out that I don't see any difference in the end lather, I'll be a happy camper to be able to simplify the process by cutting out the extra 'separating' steps. Not that it was hard or difficult to do, mind you, but just a little more involved than my preferred method of soaping.

IrishLass

IrishLass, have you done this experiment yet?

 

[Mighty Mama]

So it seems pure coconut oil does the trick equally as well as the blend I have going at the moment (cocoa butter, shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil). Seeing as all my other soaps are 100% coconut oil, its def worth a try - thanks Lbussy!

 

[LBussy]

I'm just an apostle. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[IrishLass]

IrishLass, have you done this experiment yet?

Not yet. I got sidetracked with making embeds and other soaps, but I hope to do it sometime this week.

IrishLass

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

How dare you do anything other than make shaving soaps!