Rookie wants to make shaving soap

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Doxster

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Hello soapers!

I'm brand new here, first thread and first post :)

I've been wet shaving for over a year now, and I figured it would be nice to take my hobby to the next step. I'd like to try my hand on making my own shaving soap.

But I have no experience what so ever in this. Where do I start? I guess I should start with reading about it. Do you guys have any advice on where/what I should start my studies?

Best regards
 
There are a good few threads on this forum about it -

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264&highlight=shaving+soap - start here. Read it all. Yes, ALL of it. There is so much in there about the theory behind shaving soaps, types of lye and so on. It really is the starting point for learning about shaving soaps.

There are others, but I don't think that there is anything new there that is not in the link I provided above.

Have you ever made any soap at all?
 
Howdy and welcome!

Check out this post... it's a long read but very informative: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264

You'll want to get some basics of soap making down first. I highly recommend the Soaping 101 channel on you tube. The videos build on themselves so start with the last ones first. Also, check out the stickies on the beginners forum here. Above all, come back with your questions. There are a lot of super nice folks here that have helped me out tremendously.

Be prepared to get addicted. :D
 
There are a good few threads on this forum about it -

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264&highlight=shaving+soap - start here. Read it all. Yes, ALL of it. There is so much in there about the theory behind shaving soaps, types of lye and so on. It really is the starting point for learning about shaving soaps.

There are others, but I don't think that there is anything new there that is not in the link I provided above.

Have you ever made any soap at all?

Thanks I'll definitley read it all!

I have never done any soap, truly a novice :)

Howdy and welcome!

Check out this post... it's a long read but very informative: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264

You'll want to get some basics of soap making down first. I highly recommend the Soaping 101 channel on you tube. The videos build on themselves so start with the last ones first. Also, check out the stickies on the beginners forum here. Above all, come back with your questions. There are a lot of super nice folks here that have helped me out tremendously.

Be prepared to get addicted. :D

Thank you! A youtube channel is a great way to learn, I've found out that it's much easier to learn from visuals than text. When you can combine the both it's even better. Much appreciated!
 
Oh, love making shaving soap. My boyfriend absolutely loves it.
Made it as a Christmas present last year and put it in a nice mug.
I actually started with melt & pour shaving soap. Might be a good idea for you as well, if you just stated making soap.
Good luck! x
 
Oh, love making shaving soap. My boyfriend absolutely loves it.
Made it as a Christmas present last year and put it in a nice mug.
I actually started with melt & pour shaving soap. Might be a good idea for you as well, if you just stated making soap.
Good luck! x

I had a quick look at melt and pour. It kind of feels like cheating? Everything is ready right? All you need to do is heat it up and throw some scents in it?
 
I had a quick look at melt and pour. It kind of feels like cheating? Everything is ready right? All you need to do is heat it up and throw some scents in it?

While a lot of people do some great and wonderful things with M&P, a shaving soap would be little more than what you described, yes.

Is that cheating? Well, a very popular shaving soap is melt and pour, so a lot of people like it. Is it in anyway preparation for making your own? No, it isn't.
 
While a lot of people do some great and wonderful things with M&P, a shaving soap would be little more than what you described, yes.

Is that cheating? Well, a very popular shaving soap is melt and pour, so a lot of people like it. Is it in anyway preparation for making your own? No, it isn't.

Thank you for your input. What popular shaving soap are you thinking about when you say very popular?
 
There are several types of soap. Every type of soap has it's own qualities. So it's not really cheating. Yes, it's way easier then making your own soap.

Still, if you haven't made any soaps yet so far, it's a good way to start. Build your way up from there and you'll learn in the process.

That's my advice.
 
I wouldn't start with the M&P shave soap. I tried that and there is no comparison to the HP method in Songwinds post. Purely my opinion and my husbands and other wet shavers preference. Read the shaving forum TEG linked. It's not that difficult to follow the directions and get a great soap It's a pretty forgiving recipe. You can then tweak to your liking as there are a lot of options there.
 
shunt, point taken. But IF one would want to do M&P, wich I don't, where does one buy one of those kits?
 
Thanks! Lots to learn.

But first I need to find a good supplier of all the ingredients for a HP soap. I've checked ebay and such but havn't really had the time to dive in to it. I'll probably try and M&P soap as well some time, to see the difference.
 
I think so too TEG, the more I look at ebay the more suspicious I get.

Say, do you mind if I ask you to point me to some reliable sources? I'm googling but it's hard to know where the quality is.

Also I was wondering where to read if one would like to geek out on this? Reading more in depth material etc, maybe a book or some sort of wiki site?
 
Geek out on soaping in general? Kevin Dunn has a book called 'scientific soap making' - it's geek-tastic!

Other than that - here :D

As for suppliers, I'm not US based so not much help. Do you read other threads on the forum regularly, as suppliers are often mentioned. There is also the 'shopping recommendation' section of the forum that will likely give you a good starting point
 
Most of the sites I gave you for M&P also sell other soap supplies. Is there something specific you are looking for? I don't buy everything at one supplier because some are better prices elsewhere.
 
Geek out on soaping in general? Kevin Dunn has a book called 'scientific soap making' - it's geek-tastic!

Other than that - here :D

As for suppliers, I'm not US based so not much help. Do you read other threads on the forum regularly, as suppliers are often mentioned. There is also the 'shopping recommendation' section of the forum that will likely give you a good starting point

Cool I'll check it out! :)

I live in Sweden so I'm mainly looking at the UK, to keep shipping costs down. Oddly enough it's very hard to find domestic suppliers.

Most of the sites I gave you for M&P also sell other soap supplies. Is there something specific you are looking for? I don't buy everything at one supplier because some are better prices elsewhere.

Doh, how did I not think about that... Embarasing. I'd like to have a onestop shop for the oils, stearic acid and potassium hydroxide if possible. Other than that it's a good source for essential oils, at a good price. I've read that the price is very dependant on the scent though.

I'll check out your links now :)
 
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