About my Shaving Soap
What are the ingredients in your shaving soap?
Tallow, specifically beef tallow, is the first ingredient listed on my labels. Most of my other soaps are vegan or vegetarian, but I use tallow in my shaving soap because it is traditional, and for good reason: it contributes to the dense, slick lather required for shaving. It is a by-product of food production that might otherwise be wasted and has the added benefit of being produced locally. I add organic unrefined shea nut butter, castor oil, palm oil from sustainable sources, avocado oil and stearic acid along with extra glycerin, bentonite clay, aloe vera leaf juice and cruelty-free Tussah silk. Most contain lanolin.
Is your soap triple-milled?
Milling is a mechanical process that grinds soap together with color and fragrance and then compacts it into a very solid form. Hand-made soap like mine can't be milled because of the high natural glycerin content that would gum up the milling rollers. My handmade soap is semi-soft when it is fresh and becomes firmer the longer it cures. In reality, triple-milling is no longer necessarily an indicator of quality ingredients or soap excellence.
How big is your soap and how is it packaged? Do you offer samples?
The soap is molded into 3” diameter pucks that weigh between 4 and 4.5 ounces each, and comes either in a plastic travel tub, shrink-wrapped as a refill, or as a 2 ounce shave stick in a plastic screw-up tube.
I sell samples of shaving soap for $1.50 each. Each sample weighs about .5 oz., and is enough for several shaves.
Is your soap good for sensitive skin?
I have had many customers comment on the excellent skin feel that this soap leaves after the shave. The lather is thick, slick and protective. I formulated it without coconut oil on purpose, because it can be drying for some people when made into soap. I include pure aloe vera gel which is soothing to irritated skin. The unscented version is the best one to choose if you have really sensitive skin: it is infused with organic Calendula flowers and has added sea buckthorn oil. However, you should always check the ingredients of any new product to make sure there is nothing to which you are allergic. And, some of the oils may be produced in facilities that also process nuts so I can’t guarantee that there might not be traces of peanut or other nut oils – please do a patch test on your inner elbow if in doubt.
Is your shaving soap a glycerin soap?
What most people call glycerin soap is “melt & pour” to soap makers: a prepared detergent or soap base clarified with sugar and alcohol that the artisan can melt, scent, and pour into molds. I do not use melt & pour: Mystic Water soap is made the old-fashioned way from scratch, using excellent ingredients: tallow, shea butter, food-grade oils and natural additives to enhance its performance. All soap making produces some glycerin as a natural by-product of the chemical reaction between oils and lye, but I add extra vegetable glycerin to make your lather even more moisturizing. So in a certain sense, Mystic Water can also be considered a “glycerin” soap.
Can I add my own fragrance to your unscented soap?
Yes, you can scent my unscented soap if you like. First, cut it into very small pieces and put them into a Pyrex measuring cup with about one tablespoon of distilled water. Cover the top of the cup with plastic wrap and microwave it in short bursts of decreasing length, i.e. 30 seconds, then 20, then 10, etc. As it begins to melt, keep a close eye on it - if the volume of the soap suddenly starts to rise towards the top of the container, stop the microwave, take the container out and carefully peel off the plastic wrap (watching out for hot steam!), stir the soap and then cover it and microwave it again until it's as soft as custard. It usually foams up a couple of times during the process - just stir it back down but don't overcook it. When it is soft you can add your skin safe cosmetic grade fragrance oils or essential oils (please do your research first because not all essential oils are safe to use). Generally, for one puck of soap, you should use no more than half a teaspoon of fragrance. Do not use aftershave or cologne which contains alcohol. Then spoon the soap into your container and let it cool.