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CBLindsay's brain droppings
- Thread starter CBLindsay
- Start date
Everyone loves orange on their popcorn!
Tuesday 7/10/18
Straight shave #783
Rather than providing a typical journal entry I think i may just do a pseudo review of the soap I used today. Yesterday I received my order from Sue Bee Shave soaps. I got three scents and test lathered one last night and shaved with one this morning. I am going to hold off calling my "review" a true review and posting it in the review section until I can better evaluate my experience.
Sue Bee doesn't list the ingredients but from what I can gather it is made from a glycerin melt and pour base with added shea butter and bentonite clay. Her soaps come in a BUNCH of scents, most made with fragrance oil but some are made with essential oils. All the ones I ordered are made with fragrance oils. It has been 3 years or so since I first (and last) tried simple melt and pour shave soap. While I found the easy and cheap selection of wonderful sounding scents made them appealing, my experience lathering them made me avoid them. ...and i admit, somewhere in my mind I viewed the low prices as a sign of lesser quality or desirability.
Now, 3 years later I am a different shaver. I can lather better and I shave with a different level of skill, so it was worth returning to the melt and pour world. The Fact that Sue is a vendor here at the TSC naturally spurred my interest, any vendor willing to support OUR mission deserves my reciprocal support in their business. What follows is a summary of my thought as of this morning.
First impression, the website was very difficult for me to use. in some ways it was very easy but when it came to finding more information about the soap I found none. Making the purchase was a bit difficult as her sites merchant process seems outdated. I don't consider this a knock but it is something I would like to see improved. If you have ever purchased from Whipped Dog, it was similar to that. Yes, the sites shipping estimator came in high but Sue was very quick to refund the overage and did so without my asking...clearly she had no intention of overcharging. Again, a difficult website experience is no reason to avoid an artisan (Buying Jabonman/eufros requires the use of google translator, a currency conversion and a couple of emails.)
First impressions of the soap: The soap is very firm in the tub with a surface reminiscent of a "fresh jar of skippy" and doesn't yield under pressure. The scent from each tub was strong enough to enjoy and gave a good hint at what was to come. One of the best features of melt and pour soaps is the variety and strength of scent, they tend to be liek no other.
Loading and lathering: I don't recall if it was Chad or Kj that said this soap benefits from a good bloom but I remembered that advice and bloomed the soap for several minutes before I did anything else. I used the 26mm tuxedo knot set in my shotgun shell handle for the test lather and shave. What struck me most about the loading process was how incredibly hard the surface of the soap was. I loaded with a small amount of water on the surface and a damp brush and quickly got a modest amount of protolather which gave way to a totally dry surface as the protolather was picked up by the brush. In both cases I added a little more water to the surface of the soap and loaded more...just to be sure I didn't have too little product. In retrospect I would continue to lather on the puck while adding water to the surface rather than attempt a bowl lather, I would do the same before face lathering. The next thing that struck me was how thirsty the soap appeared. Bentonite clay (among other things) can make a soap thirsty but i think the glycerine base may also be making the lather thirsty. I mention the thirsty character because I think it looks like it is ready long before it has achieved its best state. Add more water, it wants it.
Type of lather: The lather that is achieved in the bowl is a little different from what is made on the face, but only because getting water into the bowl is easier. The lather is different from the typical "veggie" or tallow based soap in several ways, some are easy to explain and others aren't. The lather isn't particularly fluffy but isn't thick and dense either. Despite appearing to have just a little lather in the brush I was given enough lather for at least 5 passes. The lather respond well to being painted on with aggressive slaps (like Kj does) and get better as a result.
Slip/glide/cushion/residual slickness: When the lather is made well (wet enough) it is quite slippery. Despite its initial slickness it doesn't excel in residual slickness. A word of caution here, post rinse your skin will feel slick to the touch but in isn't actually slick enough to do much with the razor even with water splashed on. I think the cushion/density was deceptive, it looked pretty good but felt like it had too little (hard to describe). With plenty of lather in the brush, putting a little more on to touch up is not a real problem.
Post shave: The added Shea Butter definitely kicks the post shave up a notch. Glycerine type soaps are typically strong post shave performers but the Shea Butter adds a nice touch. As good as the post shave is it might be too much for me. I find the immediate post shave very comforting but long term it seems to have made me a little oily. The strongest feature in the post shave is once again the scent. The scent remains consistent throughout the shave and lingers HOURS into the day. This is a good thing when you like the scent and can pair a good aftershave/cologne with it. Could be an issue if you don't favor the scent.
How was the shave and why am i hesitant to call this a complete review?: Shortly following the first pass i began to feel minor irritation, nothing BIG but it was there. I couldn't tell whether the irritation (not the right word...maybe discomfort) was due to the blade, the fragrance oil or maybe the way the lather did/didn't protect. During and after the shave i struggled to point my finger at what felt off...soap, lather, frag, blade? what is it? The shave wasn't bad, i ended up with a very close and mostly comfortable shave and my face is well conditioned and feels pretty good hours later. The scent is nice (I went with Vetiver today, not your typical vetiver but it is as described) and paired well enough with Royall Vetiver.
I simply can't call this one. Perhaps the answer is to accept that their may be FOUR type of soap rather than only 3. Tallow based, veggie based, cream (can be tallow or veggie) and glycerine melt and pour. And each have their own unique character. Diet coke isn't coke, never was and never will be ...don't compare it to coke compare it to OTHER diet cola's. Make sense?
Straight shave #783
Rather than providing a typical journal entry I think i may just do a pseudo review of the soap I used today. Yesterday I received my order from Sue Bee Shave soaps. I got three scents and test lathered one last night and shaved with one this morning. I am going to hold off calling my "review" a true review and posting it in the review section until I can better evaluate my experience.
Sue Bee doesn't list the ingredients but from what I can gather it is made from a glycerin melt and pour base with added shea butter and bentonite clay. Her soaps come in a BUNCH of scents, most made with fragrance oil but some are made with essential oils. All the ones I ordered are made with fragrance oils. It has been 3 years or so since I first (and last) tried simple melt and pour shave soap. While I found the easy and cheap selection of wonderful sounding scents made them appealing, my experience lathering them made me avoid them. ...and i admit, somewhere in my mind I viewed the low prices as a sign of lesser quality or desirability.
Now, 3 years later I am a different shaver. I can lather better and I shave with a different level of skill, so it was worth returning to the melt and pour world. The Fact that Sue is a vendor here at the TSC naturally spurred my interest, any vendor willing to support OUR mission deserves my reciprocal support in their business. What follows is a summary of my thought as of this morning.
First impression, the website was very difficult for me to use. in some ways it was very easy but when it came to finding more information about the soap I found none. Making the purchase was a bit difficult as her sites merchant process seems outdated. I don't consider this a knock but it is something I would like to see improved. If you have ever purchased from Whipped Dog, it was similar to that. Yes, the sites shipping estimator came in high but Sue was very quick to refund the overage and did so without my asking...clearly she had no intention of overcharging. Again, a difficult website experience is no reason to avoid an artisan (Buying Jabonman/eufros requires the use of google translator, a currency conversion and a couple of emails.)
First impressions of the soap: The soap is very firm in the tub with a surface reminiscent of a "fresh jar of skippy" and doesn't yield under pressure. The scent from each tub was strong enough to enjoy and gave a good hint at what was to come. One of the best features of melt and pour soaps is the variety and strength of scent, they tend to be liek no other.
Loading and lathering: I don't recall if it was Chad or Kj that said this soap benefits from a good bloom but I remembered that advice and bloomed the soap for several minutes before I did anything else. I used the 26mm tuxedo knot set in my shotgun shell handle for the test lather and shave. What struck me most about the loading process was how incredibly hard the surface of the soap was. I loaded with a small amount of water on the surface and a damp brush and quickly got a modest amount of protolather which gave way to a totally dry surface as the protolather was picked up by the brush. In both cases I added a little more water to the surface of the soap and loaded more...just to be sure I didn't have too little product. In retrospect I would continue to lather on the puck while adding water to the surface rather than attempt a bowl lather, I would do the same before face lathering. The next thing that struck me was how thirsty the soap appeared. Bentonite clay (among other things) can make a soap thirsty but i think the glycerine base may also be making the lather thirsty. I mention the thirsty character because I think it looks like it is ready long before it has achieved its best state. Add more water, it wants it.
Type of lather: The lather that is achieved in the bowl is a little different from what is made on the face, but only because getting water into the bowl is easier. The lather is different from the typical "veggie" or tallow based soap in several ways, some are easy to explain and others aren't. The lather isn't particularly fluffy but isn't thick and dense either. Despite appearing to have just a little lather in the brush I was given enough lather for at least 5 passes. The lather respond well to being painted on with aggressive slaps (like Kj does) and get better as a result.
Slip/glide/cushion/residual slickness: When the lather is made well (wet enough) it is quite slippery. Despite its initial slickness it doesn't excel in residual slickness. A word of caution here, post rinse your skin will feel slick to the touch but in isn't actually slick enough to do much with the razor even with water splashed on. I think the cushion/density was deceptive, it looked pretty good but felt like it had too little (hard to describe). With plenty of lather in the brush, putting a little more on to touch up is not a real problem.
Post shave: The added Shea Butter definitely kicks the post shave up a notch. Glycerine type soaps are typically strong post shave performers but the Shea Butter adds a nice touch. As good as the post shave is it might be too much for me. I find the immediate post shave very comforting but long term it seems to have made me a little oily. The strongest feature in the post shave is once again the scent. The scent remains consistent throughout the shave and lingers HOURS into the day. This is a good thing when you like the scent and can pair a good aftershave/cologne with it. Could be an issue if you don't favor the scent.
How was the shave and why am i hesitant to call this a complete review?: Shortly following the first pass i began to feel minor irritation, nothing BIG but it was there. I couldn't tell whether the irritation (not the right word...maybe discomfort) was due to the blade, the fragrance oil or maybe the way the lather did/didn't protect. During and after the shave i struggled to point my finger at what felt off...soap, lather, frag, blade? what is it? The shave wasn't bad, i ended up with a very close and mostly comfortable shave and my face is well conditioned and feels pretty good hours later. The scent is nice (I went with Vetiver today, not your typical vetiver but it is as described) and paired well enough with Royall Vetiver.
I simply can't call this one. Perhaps the answer is to accept that their may be FOUR type of soap rather than only 3. Tallow based, veggie based, cream (can be tallow or veggie) and glycerine melt and pour. And each have their own unique character. Diet coke isn't coke, never was and never will be ...don't compare it to coke compare it to OTHER diet cola's. Make sense?
It’s so hot in my house that a half eaten jar of skippy (the Costco size) melted leaving the top smooth like it is when it’s new. It was cool but definitely a sign I should buy a bigger AC
Chris I think you are pretty darn close to the Honey Bee and really any Glycerin Melt and Pour soap. I think the trick here is that most people don't load enough soap and they don't add enough water. I will be curious to see what happens as you continue to use them and see if you crack the code. I am sure you will. Maybe the Soapy Scientist (you) needs to make a melt and pour soap to fully crack the code. If anyone could make an elite melt and pour soap it has to be you!
Ive done it but I called it CBL preshave. Hillbilly Mojito was a favorite among some of the cadre but I think I sent you a rosemary and pine. I used my Williams knock off formula and melt and pour glycerin. ....go heavy on the Tallow part and you have a damn fine shave soap. Use a little less and it’s a preshave. My initial intent was to test the theory then make my own melt and pour base ...WRONG, making that stuff in a residential laboratory is not going to happen. Buy the base from bulk appothicary And save your sanity.
Want a super secret soap formula you can dupe at home? Buy 2 pucks Williams and one large bar of Pears glycerin soap with Mint (it’ll cost you about three bucks for all of it if you can find the pears at your local dollar tree) if you don’t find the one with mint get the other kind. Grate the Williams up super fine, put it in a small pot and cover it with Pinaud Lime Sec (an once or two will do the trick). Turn on the heat and stir more ...add more lime sec as needed to keep the soap wet. Keep the heat low Jack, it won’t melt so don’t even try. All you can hope for is getting some of it dissolved and making a little stronger smelling lime sec. chop up the Pears soap, add to the pan and increase the heat until it melts. Stir as you go and keep the mixture on the low heat until It looks pretty well mixed. You will pour that hot mess into a mug that has a ziplock baggy stuck in it and tap it on the counter to get the air out. Viola, hillbilly mojito preshave. I made mine with freshly cooked CBL Williams knock off so it dissolved better in the lime sec but this will give you good results.
Use Pears, not plain ol glycerin soap, it will feel better. You could also use a nutrogena facial soap. Pears has rosin in it, that will make the soap harder so it lasts longer They are one big chemical soup but it’s no worse than the stuff they put in ice cream.
I also tried my hand at making CLEAR Tallow soap. This is tough, I give major props to those who make a clear Tallow shave soap. This stuff is in no way a melt and pour but it looks similar.
It was when trying to make a clear soap that I learned how to make bio-desiel. For the record, Walt confirmed that a little bio-desiel in your shave soap won’t kill you.
On another note...
I think I figured out what was confusing me about the shave withSueBee soap. The soap and lather feel very slick when you feel with your fingers but the glide of the razor does not match the perceived slickness. Yes the lather is slicker than snail turds but only at that interface between lather and water. For maximum slickness and glide you need the lather to be very wet. Once the lather is scraped away by the blade the slickness is gone because the water is gone Touch that spot with a wet finger and it will feel slick...touch it with a dry blade and there won’t be any slickness. Leave your face dry for a few seconds longer than you normally might and your skin starts to feel a little tighter/dryer...rinse and it’s slick to the touch. So my fingers were telling me one thing while my blade was telling me another. Does that make sense or did I just confuse myself again?
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Chris I don't know why scientifically but I've experienced that same thing with soaps before. Dry = razor drag, wet finger instant slick. Makes sense to me
Chris...your posts are more on the educational side...and I appreciate that. I have added Sue's soaps to buy as I kind have done what you did. I pretty much ignored the glycerin based soaps as I equate them to my early failings. Thanks for the pseudo review.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
So right about the educational aspect of these videos and it moved me too look at glycerin based soaps again too. Have an order on the way from Sue myself. Just got the ship notification.
Whether you can make the best lather or not, you will appreciate the scent strength.
Monday 7/16/18
Straight Shave #786
I spent much of last week on vacation so I only shaved a couple times. This morning I shaved off a multi day fuzzy face with the Feather SS and pro-guard blade. The Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations "premium" somali rose provide a very slick surface which lead to a very wonderful shave which was topped off with several vasilli's of one of my newer frags, Perry Ellis saffron rose oud.
Not much can be said about the LNHC somali rose that hasn't already been said by others. I find the scent to be on the subtle side but I was able to detect what smelled to me like the spicy notes in the D.R. Harris Sandalwood ...love it.
I do have a couple tales to tell about my vacation but those will come a little bit later.
Straight Shave #786
I spent much of last week on vacation so I only shaved a couple times. This morning I shaved off a multi day fuzzy face with the Feather SS and pro-guard blade. The Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations "premium" somali rose provide a very slick surface which lead to a very wonderful shave which was topped off with several vasilli's of one of my newer frags, Perry Ellis saffron rose oud.
Not much can be said about the LNHC somali rose that hasn't already been said by others. I find the scent to be on the subtle side but I was able to detect what smelled to me like the spicy notes in the D.R. Harris Sandalwood ...love it.
I do have a couple tales to tell about my vacation but those will come a little bit later.