Ancient Mystery Soap Stick Revival

[rocketman]

All this talk of vintage soaps had really got my interest peaked. I picked up a 1921 Gillette Traveler set complete with brush and soap stick a while ago, but had just picked out the soap stick (the foil was reacting with the brass in the gillette soap cylinder so it had to go) and put it aside. It was pretty ugly really, kinda brownish and a little shrunken - but almost 90% of the stick remained.

I think it was the braveness exhibited on this site by Etoyoc when he broke out one of those Colgate pucks of his that really got me going.

I got out the potato peeler and took off a layer from the whole thing - kinda like peeling, well, a potato! The old foil was pretty stuck on and heaven knows what was adhering to the outer skin of the soap. Once that was done, I grated it up and pressed it into a spare Old Spice mug I have kicking around. It had retained some moisture or something akin to moisture and compressed very nicely into the mug.

The smell was pretty yucky really. A little like stale vomit. Yummmm! Looking good so far. Did I really want to do this?? Were there maybe rancid oils and foreign legion bugs I really didn't want to lick from my lips?

Oh well. Never one to use proper caution, I gave it a go. It was a fair bit of work to get a lather out of it - but a lather I did get!! And, it was really quite a terrific lather. It was a great consistency - not fluffy like a glycerin cream, but more like a dense whipped dairy cream. Nice and thick and slicker than snot! It was a great shave! (Oh yeah, I sprayed a little Bay Rum into it first to help out my nose.) The after feeling is quite nice too - a little like the Williams after glow suggesting that it may be a tallow based soap.

Well there ya have it. My first vintage soap shave. All in all, a successful venture - with a nice mug of Mystery Soap to use whenever I am in the mood!!

Viva La Crazy Shavers!!

[etoyoc]

Well done! Are there any of us that can think of vomit without thinking of that awful stuff they used on the school bus. Well, I guess those of us that never rode a bus... Bad bad memories and the smell won't leave my nose now. ugh.

Glad it worked out for you!.... shame about the smell though ;D

[wchnu]

That's the spirit.. Onward. viva la revolution.

Fuzzy

[mbwhoosh]

Congrats on your successful vintage lather ;D

I too have tested the limits of my mysophobia(germaphobia) and used a mystery shave stick I got in a razor lot sale. It was wrapped in foil that looked as worn as papyrus. The soap was a little dusty but in good shape actually.

Like you I shaved the outer layer off so it at least appeared sanitary and tried lathering with it. The stick had long sense lost its scent so no puke smell thankfully. It took alot of water to get the lather going (made sense since this thing had had dried out long ago) but once it got going it produced a nice slick lather. Not too much cushion as it wouldn't fluff up (probably should have soaked the stick first) but really slick and gave plenty of protection from the blade.

From what I have heard from soap makers is that the life span of the soap depends on what kind it is. Creams and soft soaps like "cells" usually only last 1-3 years before they separate and become useless. Glycerin soaps, tripled milled, and lye soaps though can last decades and still produce lather the same as the day they were made however the scent will usually have lessened if not disappeared entirely.

[rocketman]

Thanx for all the comments! It was worth it.

etoyoc - I must have rode on different buses as a kid. Sounds like your school bus janitor must have had a sense of humor!!

monsieur whoosh - great to hear about your soapy experience - but you really missed out on the smell part though!! hehe!

Now another thing to add to my endless quest for odd crap at the thrift stores - stinky old used after shave pucks! Well, maybe not too many. In fact, maybe only nos or mint unused ones. Yeah - thats it.