Hello Soapers!

[rcreger]

It's been a curious journey that lead me to you.

My wife and I are minor players in the the antique business. We have dabbled in it for several years and have participated in our fair share of occasional sales and having space in shops along with other sellers. We also have well paying careers that pay the bills, the antiques are more or less an advanced hobby that sometimes makes money.

I tell you this so that you understand that my brain is wired for an appreciation of the "old" ways of doing things. Traditional soap-making seems to be a natural fit.

In the last couple of years I have switched from shaving with a cartridge or disposable razor to a vintage Gillette double edge safety razor. As part of that switch I also started using shaving soap lathered with a brush.

I became fascinated by the variety of shaving soaps and have accumulated a fair number of them. As part of what my wife calls my "shaving fetish" I started investigating just what goes into creating a good soap.

I've read and learned a lot already. At some point in the not too distant future, I would like to try making some of my own.

So here I am, ready to soak up what wisdom I can.

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome to the forum. There are a couple excellent shave soap threads here.

 

[snappyllama]

Howdy and welcome!

I think you'll find it a really fun hobby where you get to engage science and art. Once you have a good handle on making hot process HP soaps (shaving soap needs to be hot processed), there is a font-of-wisdom thread about shaving soaps. It's a long but invaluable read, but I'd save it for little later on: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264

To get started, check out the stickies and last few pages of the beginner section. A good video series on youtube is Soaping101. Her videos build on one another so it's best to start with the oldest first. She mainly does cold process CP soaps, but the basic concepts are the same. I'd actually learn to make CP soap first since it's basically the same as HP without the added complexity of managing cooking.

Good luck and come here with questions! We all love to help.

 

[kc1ble]

Welcome rcreger. We've a lot in common. DE shaving is what brought me here a couple of months ago. I am shaving with a vintage Gillette, a 1964 Slim to be exact(well, that's my favorite anyway). When I began to research shaving soap, everything suggested I start with body soap first. So that I did and as of yesterday, I have a second batch of shaving soap under my belt. The first works fabulously, but because I am the experimental type, I need to try a few recipes and do some experimenting on my own before I settle on a favorite recipe. You have come to the right place to learn about soaping, there is a ton of talent hidden in these pages and I have just begun to tap the resources. Good luck on your adventure and by all means keep us informed of your journey along the way.:wave:

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome Rcreger! :wave:

You've come to the right place! We have several self-described crazy, wet-shaving dudes in residence here who have been a fount of wisdom to us regular soap-makers. Mt hubby is a wet-shaver and they helped me tremendously in tweaking and improving my own shave formula. Here are my favorite shaving threads that we have here on the forum:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264&highlight=Shaving

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=47002&highlight=NaOH

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=53981&highlight=Shaving


IrishLass

 

[dibbles]

Welcome rcreger - I'm in the Minneapolis area too! I haven't made shaving soap yet, but I've learned so much about CP soap making in the year I've been here. Lots of wonderful, knowledgeable people here that are so patient and willing to help.

 

[rcreger]

Thank you. I was thinking along the same lines. Learn the ropes of CP before moving into HP. My wife's extended family has a Christmas tradition of giving at least one personally created (not necessarily hand made) gift every year, which gets to be challenging to be semi-original every year. If I can get a few CP batches under my belt before the holidays, I should be in good position to give them all soap for Christmas. this year.

Welcome Rcreger! :wave:

You've come to the right place! We have several self-described crazy, wet-shaving dudes in residence here who have been a fount of wisdom to us regular soap-makers. Mt hubby is a wet-shaver and they helped me tremendously in tweaking and improving my own shave formula. Here are my favorite shaving threads that we have here on the forum:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34264&highlight=Shaving

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=47002&highlight=NaOH

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=53981&highlight=Shaving


IrishLass

Thank so all so much! I appreciate the warm welcome.

 

[Steve85569]

Welcome to the forum.
Someone should tell you that once you start you will most likely never go back to "store bought" soap for shaving or showering.

Lots of great teachers here!

 

[Susie]

Welcome to the forum.
Someone should tell you that once you start you will most likely never go back to "store bought" soap for shaving or showering.

Lots of great teachers here!

^This.

Hey and welcome to the addiction (and the forum).

 

[earlene]

Nice to meet you! My first thought when you mentioned antiques was, 'Wow, you can start an antique soap dish collection to go with your handmade soaps.'

I am always on the lookout for nice soap dishes to go with my handmade soaps. When I give them as gifts to someone for the first time, I usually include at least one soapdish per person as well as a 'soap lifter' to keep it from sitting in water. I want to encourage my family & friends to help the soap last as long as possible because I know I enjoy them so much, I like it when they last.

How cool that you are into shaving soap. My Dad used to use shaving soap, and if he were still alive I would certainly start making it for him. But none of my brothers, nor my husband uses shaving soap, so I haven't even given it a thought. I wonder if any of the ladies here use it to shave their legs. It might be a reason for me to give it a try. Hmmm....

 

[Kamahido]

Greetings and welcome to the addiction.