Shave Soap in a Cup?

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Thanks Sir,
I may be onto a winner with a cup I just found. However it is on clearance so by the time I'm though with testing I will probably be unable to find them again. I bought one to see how it goes. Here's some pics compared to the enamel mug. it's wider at the top - so more bowl shaped. The enamel mug i have is a smaller-than-usual one measuring 8cm x 8cm (a tad over 3 inches - don't know what you call the little dimensions between the inches). The ceramic one shown is 7.5cm high ( a tad under 3 inches) and 10cm wide across the top (4 inches). I'm thinking it could be ideal.
Also interested in feedback in the size of the enamel mug though - is 8cm too deep?
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My shaving soap never twirls in the container. It is very pliable , but not soft. I just mash it into the container, and it is sticky, so it sticks to the container. When that puck is used up, I just wash out the container, let it dry, place another puck in the container. I think if you make shaving soap that is too hard, that may be an issue, but with all KOH soap, it isn't. It's hard to explain if you haven't made a KOH only soap. It is pliable, not particularly soft, a bit sticky, but very solid, if that makes any sense. It will conform to any container you use.

I don't understand why sirtim is not concerned about breaking a ceramic container in the shower. It may not be as dangerous as glass, but who wants to break a container in the shower? What a mess!
 
His butler will clean it up ;)

Of course. Either him or my small army of faithful retainers...

Seriously though, I find broken ceramic quite a lot less dangerous than glass, it's cheap and there's a lot of sizes and varieties, and then there's the question of alternatives. Some shave soap firms (Trumper's for example) sell soaps in wooden containers, which are very nice, but then you're up against the costs (not to speak of sizes). Plastics are out of the question in my book, the planet's sinking under the weight of so much PVC, etc. Metal? That's an option I'm working on but there's still the price and size issue. I've used ceramic mugs and soap holders for almost a year now, and nothing has fallen or broken or splintered.

@KiwiMoose , your enamel mug is identical in size to mine, and that being so, a shaver will a) have problems getting the brush in there to load it, and b) will make a bit of an awful racket when moving the brush around, like banging the dinner triangle on the ranch. It's noisy. So noisy in fact that my butler has to placate the neighbours...

What @beckster51 says about KOH soap is spot on. It's soft enough to mash into any container really. But then again KOH means HP, stearic acid, tallow and crock pots, and I have a sneaking suspicion you're not in favour of HP. Zany's recipe is working really well, it makes great shaving soap if you're willing to work on it a bit. But it has to go through the CP process and the end result is a hard soap, and you need to find something to fit. It doesn't matter too much if the mug or whatever is bigger than a CP puck, the bit of water and lather that gets under the soap the first few times makes it stick to the base and you can work from there. But I still reckon your idea of pouring direct into a mug is the best one.
 
@KiwiMooseZany's recipe is working really well, it makes great shaving soap if you're willing to work on it a bit. But it has to go through the CP process and the end result is a hard soap,
Yes, it is CP and as such you will find it takes 2-3 uses before it hits its stride. You will also find it doesn't make copious lather which seems to be the point of the KOH shave bars.

SHORT STORY: When my DH taught the boys to shave, he said, "You don't need to lather up like they show in the commercials. That's just to sell more product. You only need enough to wet the whiskers." So my shaving soap is low lather but formulated to get a close shave, no nicks, no 5 o'clock shadow, leaves the face feeling moisturized and hubby could shave his whole face with only one rinse of the blade. (Not braggin'; just sayin')
@KiwiMooseand you need to find something to fit. It doesn't matter too much if the mug or whatever is bigger than a CP puck, the bit of water and lather that gets under the soap the first few times makes it stick to the base and you can work from there.
I developed my shave soap over a 3-year period. I found that a 2.5" (6.35cm) round 4 oz (115g) puck fits any container - I use a ceramic bowl; hubby uses standard coffee mug; a geezer pal just uses his hands to lather up and loves it! ;)

ETA NOTE: Feedback from women who use it say they don't have to shave as often. When I use it, I first lather up my face and use it as a clay mask while I shave my legs. :D
 
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Where can we find Zany's recipe please?
I've shared the recipe with two SMF members privately. I have neither the time nor the inclination at the moment to share it on SMF. Maybe later in 2020. I hereby give @SirTim permission to share it as he sees fit as long as it is passed on as "Zany's CP Shave Soap".
 
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So my shaving soap is low lather but formulated to get a close shave, no nicks, no 5 o'clock shadow, leaves the face feeling moisturized and hubby could shave his whole face with only one rinse of the blade. (Not braggin'; just sayin')

Well, I found it lathered up very generously for a CP soap, and the lather was stable, too. But the real beauty of the recipe is that it lubricates really nicely. The blade just glides over the skin.
 
I've shared the recipe with two SMF members privately. I have neither the time nor the inclination at the moment to share it on SMF. Maybe later in 2020. I hereby give @SirTim permission to share it as he sees fit as long as it is passed on as "Zany's CP Shave Soap".

"Copyright shall be duly respected given that it is a private creative venture. Pursuant to RD 189/2012, the owner of any intellectual property that is freely loaned, given, transferred or otherwise assigned should be named and any royalties thereof should be paid to same, under the terms and conditions of agreements entered into between the two parties."

I do this stuff for a living, you know...

Many thanks, Zany!

Anyone wanna buy a cool CP shave soap recipe...?
 
"Copyright shall be duly respected given that it is a private creative venture. Pursuant to RD 189/2012, the owner of any intellectual property that is freely loaned, given, transferred or otherwise assigned should be named and any royalties thereof should be paid to same, under the terms and conditions of agreements entered into between the two parties."

I do this stuff for a living, you know...

Many thanks, Zany!

Anyone wanna buy a cool CP shave soap recipe...?
I'll start the bidding... LOL
 
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So I had a go a lathering up my soap in a cup (trial soap for me was put in a bowl) and I must say it creates a lovely creamy thick slippery lather. What I did discover though, is that DH clearly needs a new shaving brush - his is practically hairless in the centre!
Having never used a shaving soap or brush, I will leave it to Roger to give his verdict before sending it wider for testing.
 
That lather looks luxurious.

But I’ve only ever used canned shaving cream then I switched to regular bar soap. I may need to look into shaving soaps now....
 
View attachment 43493 View attachment 43494 So I had a go a lathering up my soap in a cup (trial soap for me was put in a bowl) and I must say it creates a lovely creamy thick slippery lather. What I did discover though, is that DH clearly needs a new shaving brush - his is practically hairless in the centre!
Having never used a shaving soap or brush, I will leave it to Roger to give his verdict before sending it wider for testing.

Looks brilliant!
 
Awww - turns out the shave brush was the last thing his mum gave him before she died. His birthday was the day before she died. So that's why he's never replaced it. I might see if i can get one similar to fit onto the little set so he can keep the set but just replace the worn-out brush. He's very sentimental my Rog.
 
That can be done, but you need someone who knows how to do it. It involves making knots and other arcane stuff.

But what does he make of your whizzo soap? Tell all...
 
That can be done, but you need someone who knows how to do it. It involves making knots and other arcane stuff.

But what does he make of your whizzo soap? Tell all...
And I quote:
Shaving foam was good. It's a little thin but the slips is about right and it didn't make the razor scratch or anything or leave the skin any drier (oil wise) than the commercial stuff does.
 
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