Rolling My Own

[brothers]

Going on 5 weeks since I made my first batch of shaving soap. As time goes by, I do believe it keeps getting better, and it started out excellent. I've got 6 tubs of different batches and scents of homemade soap sitting on the shelf and I've been using them exclusively for a month. Now I've used the Lime scented version for two days in a row, with distilled water and 15 second loading time. Can't beat it.

[bernards66]

Well, I really didn't think that I'd be chiming in on this thread....afterall, why? I'm not personally into making soaps and I've made it quite clear in the past that my experiences with homemade 'artisan' type shave soaps have not been positive, and I sampled quite a number of them back when this forum was young. Nope, didn't care a lick for any of them, the lather was always too thin and insubstantial for my taste and I came to the conclusion that perhaps it was impossible to make a cold pour soap that would do the trick for me shave-wise. Okay, granted, we remain uncertain as to whether the Mitchell's shave soap is hard milled and it certainly is a quality shave product but regarding more 'artisan' efforts I felt done. And I have ignored them since. But then Chris Moss insisted on trying HIS hand at this soapmaking business. Umm...yes...well..I know Chris to be highly inventive and determined as well as being discerning regarding shaving gear so I couldn't completely ignore what was going on and when he offered to send me a cake of the finally finished product, gardenia scent and all, I felt it would be curlish as well as foolish to refuse. It arrived in time for use yesterday.

And I was wrong...clearly it is POSSIBLE to make a truly top performing shave soap without the benefit of hard milling. Chris' product produced a lather that was as good as any hard soap I've ever used; I'm talking D R Harris and old version Floris & Penhaligon's 'good'. It was dense and 'peaky', had a smooth cut and adequate cushion and it remained moist as long as I needed it to. The scent?...well to me it came across as mainly just really 'old time soap' but it certainly wasn't offensive and was very mild. Chris says that he thinks the fake 'gardenia' scent that he uses in very small amounts creates a somewhat 'leather type' scent and maybe...with a little imagination. What ever. The lather and shave were totally top shelf. I really am impressed.
Regards,
Gordon

[Squire]

Yeah, scent's subjective, I used the same soap this morning and don't get leather, but it does shave very well.

[CMur12]

Gordon, I haven't tried Chris's soap, but I was a tester for Tim/TRBeck, and I can say unequivocally that his is the best shaving soap I have ever used!

If Tim comes back - and I truly hope that he does and that he is well - and if he is still interested in making shaving soap, I hope to persuade him to produce a goodly supply for my personal use!

- Murray

[Thalay Sagar]

If Tim comes back - and I truly hope that he does and that he is well - and if he is still interested in making shaving soap, I hope to persuade him to produce a goodly supply for my personal use!

- Murray

Murray, Tim is doing well, still making soap (I just started trying his rose soap and it is exceptional) and might be poking his head in here soon.

[levente]

Gents,

I'm a little late to this party, but I, too, was one of Tim's testers, and found that even my least favorite of his experimental formulations are very good, and the best of the lot are simply superb, as good or better than anything else I've ever tried. Tim's soaps are the first to make me think I could live without my top-shelf British shave creams if it ever came to that. I will also echo Chris' endorsement of Tim's new rose shave soap. Happily, Tim has accepted my offer to become one of his first customers, and I am eagerly awaiting new product. And while scent may be subjective, Tim has a highly discerning nose, so his soaps will benefit from that as well.

A great thread, by the way, one which the moderators should seriously consider making a "sticky."

Regards,
Basil

[dosco]

I gave a 100g piece to one of my wife's co-workers ... I think he's planning on trying it after Christmas.

I gave 100g pieces to my brothers-in-law, and the last piece is going out today.

Time for another batch ... I'm considering making a larger order of base ingredients for the next batch so I can have 1 unscented batch and 1 scented batch. I'm also considering a change to the manufacturing procedure ... I'm thinking that I want *only* coconut oil as the remaining fat after saponification is complete, so I'll make "1 batch" that will start with all of the hydroxide; then add the stearic, tallow, and castor and let "cook" for awhile; and then finish with addition of the coconut oil.

Glad to hear Tim is still whittling away at it.

Cheers-
Dave

[bernards66]

Basil, Good to hear from you. Yes, I could certainly get by with Dr. Moss' soap ( and based on comments here I assume with Tim's as well ) if I had to forgo the top shelf English creams. I still prefer the creams due to the scents and I find them somewhat easier, less messy, to use but the lather and shave itself was just about as good with this stuff. I really doubted that it was doable but I was clearly mistaken.
Regards,
Gordon

[fallingwickets]

Tim's new rose shave soap. Happily, Tim has accepted my offer to become one of his first customers

I wanna be a customer too



clive

wondering where secret shop is located

[drmoss_ca]

I've got bacon fat saved up for a special edition for you, Clive.

Chris

[fallingwickets]

[Squire]

Oh I can see where this is going, in future when we refer to the fat around here we may have to qualify.

[dosco]

Is anyone out there using a preservative in their soapmaking?

I ask because I've noted that if the soaps get warm (storage, travel, etc.) they tend to develop a "funky" smell that I suspect (but am unsure) is the unsaponified SF going rancid. I'm also getting ready to make the next batch and would like to incorporate a preservative if it is feasible.

The funk doesn't impact the lather or shave quality, but it is annoying.

At Essential Depot they sell Vitamin E oil as a "preservative." I suppose that would work but was wondering what else is out there.

Regards-
Dave

[drmoss_ca]

I'm not using anything. Of course, after using MWF, funky means nothing to me!

Chris

[TRBeck]

Not using anything, vitamin E is an antioxidant, so it will prevent oxidation of super fat. There are other preservatives, but there isn't much else that should go "off" in the soap.

[levente]

Basil, Good to hear from you. Yes, I could certainly get by with Dr. Moss' soap ( and based on comments here I assume with Tim's as well ) if I had to forgo the top shelf English creams. I still prefer the creams due to the scents and I find them somewhat easier, less messy, to use but the lather and shave itself was just about as good with this stuff. I really doubted that it was doable but I was clearly mistaken.
Regards,
Gordon

Thanks, Gordon. Now, mind you, I didn't actually say that I would give up my British creams, variety being the spice of life and all that, but for the last couple of months I have been shaving exclusively with soaps, mostly Tim's, and have not felt shortchanged in any way. One thing I really appreciate about Tim's soaps is that they do not use bentonite clay or similar additives, and are formulated more along the lines of Harris and comparable soaps. I haven't had any adverse reaction to clay in other soaps that use it, but I have heard that it can be problematic for some, so all the better that it be left out.

Happy New Year to all.

Regards.
Basil

[dosco]

Not using anything, vitamin E is an antioxidant, so it will prevent oxidation of super fat. There are other preservatives, but there isn't much else that should go "off" in the soap.

Thanks.

Question for you ... I was re-reading this thread from the beginning and I noted something you said ... along the lines of "hydrogenated beef tallow is high in stearic acid (when compared to non-hydrogenated beef tallow)."

What is the breakdown of fatty acids in hydrogenated beef tallow? I was casting around the internet (started with SoapCalc) and couldn't find very much.

Do you have that info?

I'm probably going to reformulate my soap ... I didn't really like 50 coconut:50 stearic and I'd like to formulate something with tallow, so I'm wondering how much tallow to trade for coconut.

(I may just cut my tallow % in half and replace it with coconut ... but I was wondering what the impact is regarding the fatty acid profile).

Regards-
Dave

[drmoss_ca]

I made a hand soap for the wife that had no lard in it, just coconut oil and stearic acid, plus the small quantities of castor oil and lanolin I usually use. Barely lathers at all. Very disappointing. There's a bit more to this than meets the eye.

Chris

[drmoss_ca]

Six pound batch of shaving soap today. It's now cooling in the molds.



Chris

[brothers]

I presume you're not planning to use all of this yourself! What's the plan, if I may ask?