Posted by Tegan James on 01-09-2019
While you can get a nice clean shave with a razor, soap and water there's more to the process of shaving -- it's an art, really. Yes, you can get by in a pinch with a dry shave and no soap (but Ouch!), but you can also whip up a few ingredients for a moisturizing DIY homemade shave soap that provides a rich lather for a smooth experience.
Whether you choose to buy shave soaps online, in-store or create your own, the next things to consider are packaging and storage for your shave soaps. There's a variety of options out there, but you've come to the right place if you're looking for durable, high quality, lightweight containers from ParkwayJars.com!
Below you'll find answers to many of the most Frequently Asked Questions when it comes to Shave Soap. You'll also find links and a video with instructions on how to whip up a creamy, slick protective lather with either a dry or wet brush. For portable storage containers that are unbreakable and won't mark up your counters with metal rings, you'll find the most commonly purchased containers and screw-top lids in the shave soap industry from Parkway Plastics Inc.!
VIEW ALL SHAVE SOAP CONTAINERS
Thick Wall 100mm 6oz - Regular Wall 100mm 6oz - Regular Wall: 89mm - 4 oz
Smooth Cap - For 89mm Shave Soap Containers
Smooth Cap - For 100mm Shave Soap Containers
CAN YOU SHAVE WITHOUT SOAP
In short, CAN you shave without soap? Yes. SHOULD you shave without soap? No.
Shaving without soap, a dry shave can cause things like high risk of severe skin irritation, razor burn, cuts caused by shaving, and ingrown hairs.
CAN YOU SHAVE WITH BODY SOAP BAR
While not necessarily recommended, there are alternative products you can use versus a dry shave. You can use conditioner, body soap, or even just water to shave, but you run the risk of drying out your skin; it's important to moisturize your skin when you're finished shaving.
WHAT IS SHAVING SOAP / WHAT IS SHAVE SOAP
Shaving soap is a hard bar of soap that gets whipped into a lather with a shaving brush.
The lather coats the face during shaving, and provides protection and lubrication for the razor.
WHY USE SHAVE SOAP
Shaving soap softens and lifts the beard for a close and comfortable shave.
Shaving soap offers extra protection to the skin from irritation and razor burn.
A good quality shaving soap leaves the skin feeling ultra smooth and conditioned.
IS SHAVING SOAP BETTER THAN CREAM
"The advantages of shaving soap: shaving soaps usually offer a bit more of a stiffer, fluffy lather, which creates a larger “cushion” between the razor and your face.
They are also usually slicker, which makes them slide faster and more easily across the skin. Shaving soaps also give you a lot more control." (https://www.gentlemanhq.com/shaving-cream-vs-soap/)
CAN YOU WASH WITH SHAVE SOAP
"Not all shaving soap is not meant to clean. It's designed to be slick and allow a razor to glide across the skin.
Shaving soap does not have the same ingredients as actual cleaning soaps that help loosen and wash away dirt and oils."
(https://www.fragrantica.com/)
CAN YOU MELT SHAVE SOAP
If your shave bowl or container is too big for your soap, you can melt the soap so it will spread out to touch the sides, which will make lathering your brush much easier, instead of the bar moving about in the bowl.
While you can melt your soap in the microwave, you run the risk of your soap foaming out and becoming brittle and flaky. A better option for melting your soap is using the stove-top because you can keep an eye on it and remove it from the heat when it's it's ready.
VIEW ALL SHAVE SOAP CONTAINERS
Customer Test: Melt Soap in Parkway Jar in the Microwave
Parkway customer, Dave B., tested the 8oz thick wall jars in the microwave. "I nuked a 5 oz puck of glycerin base shave soap no lid or paper towel to cover, into your 8 oz thick wall jar set oven on melt, set to marshmallow shortest time less than 5 secs melted soap. The jar did not warp, not even hot to the touch, but I did not cook in jar so you can soften soaps in your jars, I don’t know about a tallow base soap."
Note: Parkway recommends testing all products to ensure compatibility.
HOW TO MELT SHAVING SOAP USING STOVETOP
You will need:
Refill Soap Puck
Bowl that fits in your palm
Pot for boiling the water
-Place soap puck in your bowl and be sure there's enough lip.
-Put enough water in your pot to cover your bowl halfway up.
-Set your pot over medium heat.
-In a few minutes, the water in the pot will begin to boil and the soap will begin
melting and conforming to shape of the bowl.
-Once it's fully melted, remove from heat and allow your soap to cool.
-Allow the soap bowl to sit for 2 days to solidify in its new form.
(VIDEO: http://www.menssoap.com)
HOW DOES SHAVE SOAP WORK
A few tips from Gentleman's Gazette website:
"The traditional shaving soap is lathered up with a shaving brush in a container – a mug, bowl, deep dish, and a jar or directly from a stick."
-Wet your brush under running hot water or fill up your sink with hot water and leave the brush in the water for at least a minute.
-Make sure the brush bristles have soaked up the hot water. The point is to retain the moisture in the brush so that it gets directly to your face to soften your beard hairs and open pores. So, don‘t tap too much excess water off the brush.
-Lather up the soap using circular motions directly in the container. At first, the bubbles will appear large, but as you keep going, they will increase in number and become smaller and smaller until you can barely see them at all. After 25 seconds, you should have achieved a thick, warm lather.
-Apply and massage the warm lather with the soaped brush evenly across your face in circular motions. This will also increase the density of the lather, soften your whiskers, and allow them to stand up, allowing the razor to sit close to the base of the hair follicle. The longer you whisk, the richer the lather, the smoother the shave and the more your skin will be protected.
-Adding a touch more hot water will normally provide re-lathering for second or third passes, if required, without using more soap.
-Empty excess water from the soap container and leave it open so it can air-dry.
(https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/shaving-soap-guide/)
HOW MUCH SHAVE SOAP TO USE
You want to get enough soap on your brush so that it's a thick paste. This could take 20-30 seconds depending on whether you're using a dry (damp) brush or a wet brush.
There's a helpful video tutorial here - 'Lathering Tutorial - How to Lather a Shaving Soap'-
HOW TO MAKE SHAVE SOAP
To make a homemade DIY Natural Bar Shave Soap Recipe, this is an easy way to modify a regular bar soap to make it more shave-friendly.
It is a little time consuming, but these bar soaps last a long time:
-Shaving Soap Ingredients
1 bar of natural, handcrafted soap (store bought regular soaps don’t work!)
1 TBSP olive or almond oil or aloe vera gel
1-2 TBSP white clay, french clay, kaolin, or cosmetic clay
-Shaving Soap Instructions
Grate soap and on low heat, melt soap down with oil or aloe vera. It will take a while, so be patient and stir often.
Once melted, stir in the cosmetic clay (this makes a richer lather and is great for the skin).
Pour into molds (I use cardboard) or old mugs and let set for several days until it re-hardens. Will last months and will cure more over time, making it longer lasting.
HOW TO STORE SHAVE SOAP
There are many ways to store shave soap including glass or ceramic bowls (although breakable and heavy); a mug (no lid for portability); metal or tin cans (dentable; likely to leave a ring on your counter) - and then there's Parkway's lightweight, durable plastic containers and screw-top lids that are perfect for storing, traveling or displaying on your counter. These high-quality containers are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles and can be customized to match your logo or company colors.
Parkway's containers and screw-top lids commonly used for packaging and storing shave soap are:
Regular Wall: 100mm - 6 oz
Color: White Polypropylene, or Clarified
(Containers and caps sold separately at ParkwayJars.com)
Photo Below: (Left) Regular Wall Clarified container with smooth black cap; (Right) Regular Wall White container with smooth white cap
Thick Wall: 100mm - 6oz
Color: White Polypropylene, or Clarified
(Containers and caps sold separately at ParkwayJars.com)
Photo Below: (Left) Thick Wall White container with smooth white cap; (Right) Thick Wall Clarified container with smooth black cap
Smooth Cap - For 100mm Jars
Color: White, Black, Natural (same as Clarified)
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COMING UP ... Answers to these Shave Soap FAQs
How long does shave soap last
How to use shave soap without a brush
How to put shave soap in mug
How to use shave soap in wooden bowl
How to bloom shave soap
How to use proraso shave soap
How to use glycerin shave soap
How to shave with soap and water
What shaving soap to use
What shaving soap to buy
What shaving soap is the best
What is cream shave soap
What is the slickest shave soap
Where to buy shave soap
Which shaving soap is best
What shaving soap to use
what shaving soap to buy