Shaving Soap Container Question

What is your opinion on fine shaving creams and hard soaps? Do you like Trumpers, Coates, Taylors, Truefitt & Hill? Post your reviews and opinions here!
rickshah
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Shaving Soap Container Question

Post by rickshah »

Hi folks,

This is a bit of a stupid question- but I just wanted to throw it out.

Is there a preferred material for a shaving soap container- in regards to maximizing the lifetime of the soap?

I just got a gift of a luxury triple-milled soap and don't want to use a container that will will cause excessive soap slime or something like that which would affect the longevity of the soap.

Am I thinking too far into this? Is anything ok? Glass/Wood/Metal/etc? Really snug?

Edit: Additionally- what do you guys do with your soaps after using them? Do you wipe the water off of their surfaces or just leave them to dry on their own?

Thanks,
Rick
Leisureguy

Post by Leisureguy »

Any container will do, I think. I don't rinse or wipe of the soap after use, just let it dry. For some soaps I've used the little 1-cup plastic storage containers you can buy at the drugstore or supermarket. They seem to work reasonably well. Some like the Anchor-Hocking 1-cup glass containers with lid.
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jvan
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Post by jvan »

I'm of the school that uses a seperate bowl for mixing and another for storage. This eliminates the puck having to sit in a wet environment. For storage purposes I use my empty cream pots. Works for me.
John V
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rustyblade
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Post by rustyblade »

Image
Image[/code]
Richard
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Big Swifty
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Post by Big Swifty »

Richard,
that's cool how you put those original labels on the lids on your containers. 8)
~Steve

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rustyblade
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Post by rustyblade »

Big Swifty wrote:Richard,
that's cool how you put those original labels on the lids on your containers. 8)
I learned from the best.

:lol:

Image
Richard
kirkawall
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Post by kirkawall »

Big Swifty wrote:Richard,
that's cool how you put those original labels on the lids on your containers. 8)
It's a great touch. How do you get them off? Fingernail? Steam? I've been using onion soup bowls but you can only fit so many on a shelf.

k
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Gatorade
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Post by Gatorade »

rustyblade wrote:
Big Swifty wrote:Richard,
that's cool how you put those original labels on the lids on your containers. 8)
I learned from the best.

:lol:

Image
How did I know just by reading the topic that this would make it's way into the conversation. :lol: :wink:

I have gotten pretty close to finishing off the Lime Conk, then I will have to rotate to the Almond Conk after that! In case anyone is wondering about how to get a really cool soap container like that one, here is the thread.
--Charlie
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2clfrwrds
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Post by 2clfrwrds »

jvan wrote:For storage purposes I use my empty cream pots.
Sorry, John, I don't understand this. Where would an SMF member find an empty cream pot? On my shelf, I have 6 half full (or, since I'm an optimist with shave soaps to store, "half empty") pots of cream. That's as far as I ever get before I need to try a new flavor.

--Glenn
notthesharpest
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Post by notthesharpest »

Do make sure that whatever container you use has no sharp cutting edges inside. One member here got some plastic containers with a harsh seam inside, and that scratched the hair off his brush.
Steve
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Post by Steve »

I use large Corning soup mugs with plastic lids. They seem to work very well! Here's the link to them on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/CorningWare-Frenc ... 075&sr=8-1

Steve
salbev
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Post by salbev »

Gatorade wrote: In case anyone is wondering about how to get a really cool soap container like that one, here is the thread.
the Duke's response is priceless...

"Charlie, Yeah, I'm afraid you've finally flipped off the trolley tracks, with this one."

LOL!!

but seriously Richard, how do you get those labels so neat on the plastic tops? i tried once and it didn't work out too well. yours look perfect. you didn't send away for labels, too, now...did...you...? :shock:
Gareth
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Post by Gareth »

This is a topic I have been thinking about too.

I want to buy several soaps in the next few weeks but I'm not sure if I should pay more and get them in the classy wooden bowls or simply buy a cheaper refill and try and find something to put them in. Do many of you do this, rather than paying extra for the bowl?

I've found some decent plastic 'tupperware' dishes in Tesco that will do fine, but I've heard you need to melt the soap into the dish. Is there a specific method of doing this? I don't want to risk damaging the soap.

Thanks
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rustyblade
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Post by rustyblade »

salbev wrote:
Gatorade wrote: In case anyone is wondering about how to get a really cool soap container like that one, here is the thread.
the Duke's response is priceless...

"Charlie, Yeah, I'm afraid you've finally flipped off the trolley tracks, with this one."

LOL!!

but seriously Richard, how do you get those labels so neat on the plastic tops? i tried once and it didn't work out too well. yours look perfect. you didn't send away for labels, too, now...did...you...? :shock:
I had my wife cut them out from the boxes. You have to involve the other half in this strange hobby sometimes.

It makes them feel loved. :lol:
Richard
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Gatorade
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Post by Gatorade »

rustyblade wrote:
salbev wrote:
Gatorade wrote: In case anyone is wondering about how to get a really cool soap container like that one, here is the thread.
the Duke's response is priceless...

"Charlie, Yeah, I'm afraid you've finally flipped off the trolley tracks, with this one."

LOL!!

but seriously Richard, how do you get those labels so neat on the plastic tops? i tried once and it didn't work out too well. yours look perfect. you didn't send away for labels, too, now...did...you...? :shock:
I had my wife cut them out from the boxes. You have to involve the other half in this strange hobby sometimes.

It makes them feel loved. :lol:
I thought about that but the Conk comes in a plastic box and it was impossible to get the label off without destroying it.

Here are a couple bowls you can find on ebay:

Image$11.99


Image$7.50

Image
$6.50


Image
$7.49


They all seem pretty similar and if I am not mistaken Sue uses one of those types for her soaps as well.
--Charlie
Image
AACJ wrote:Two words:

Duct Tape
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Zaniix
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Post by Zaniix »

go to Walmart and buy a 3 pack of Anchor-Hocking 1-cup glass containers with lid.

You can melt soaps into them, use them for lathering creams, use them as a container to hold soaps. They are cheap, easy to find and work well.
Chris
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Post by levente »

Gareth Probert wrote:This is a topic I have been thinking about too.

I want to buy several soaps in the next few weeks but I'm not sure if I should pay more and get them in the classy wooden bowls or simply buy a cheaper refill and try and find something to put them in. Do many of you do this, rather than paying extra for the bowl?

I've found some decent plastic 'tupperware' dishes in Tesco that will do fine, but I've heard you need to melt the soap into the dish. Is there a specific method of doing this? I don't want to risk damaging the soap.

Thanks
Gareth,

If you are talking about traditional English (or German) triple milled soaps, DO NOT melt them. The melting point and burning point are almost the same, and you will invariably damage the soap. If it is a cold pour glycerine soap, some gentle heating, either over the stove or in the microwave, works just fine. I find it is much cheaper to buy the refill and find a suitable container for them. I am also someone who has been doing this long enough that I have a few containers from soaps I have finished, so I don't have to spend time these days searching for containers.

Regards,
Basil
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jvan
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Post by jvan »

Glenn, my empty pots go back a couple of years. What with all the formulation changes it will be a long while before I ever empty another old style Taylor's or Coates pot.
John V
"What one relishes, nourishes"

Benjamin Franklin
salbev
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Post by salbev »

rustyblade wrote:I had my wife cut them out from the boxes. You have to involve the other half in this strange hobby sometimes.

It makes them feel loved. :lol:
of course! a positively win-win situation if i've ever seen one.
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jww
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Post by jww »

My first forray into shaving soap was in 1979 when I exclusively used Kanøn shaving soap.

http://www.kanonformen.com/default.asp?langue=e

It came in a nice wooden bowl made out of teak. 5 years ago, Alas - I disposed of the bowl as the water had taken it's toll on the wood, and it looked pretty sad. They no longer appear to cater to the wet-shaving crowd, moving on to produce products for electric shavers. I sure wish that I had simply cleaned it up and refinished it.

Gareth - another option for soaps is to pick up a couple of scuttles. Drop through any market in the UK, and eventually you'll find one or two (or more) on a jumble table. I recently picked up one made by Burliegh and another by James Kent for £4 & £5 respectively - and excellent buy. My wife was gracious enough to clean them up for me when we returned home to Ottawa after our trip. They currently are sitting on display in my office awaiting the purchase of scuttle-sized soaps (another thread I started a week or so back).

I really gotta take some pics and post them - maybe I'll get some time later today to do so.
Wendell

Resident Wool Fat Evangelist & anglophile. Have you hugged a sheep today?
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