The perfect bushcraft soap

[Mirius]

Nothing I've been able to put my finger on no, Red. I reckon I inherited it from my mother who couldn't even wear make up. I do know that anything from Nivea, even their sensitive skin products brings me out in a rash.

As an aside I use the Body Shop shaving cream. It'll lather a bit if you use a brush, but as they say it's the quality of the soap not the amount of lather that makes a good shave. It's also good enough that I can get a couple of months out of a mach 3 blade, which is good considering the price of the things.

 

[British Red]

I can certainly make soap softer or harder - that's achieved by playing with the fat bases. For a really hard soap animal fats work well although it can be achieved with some odder vegetable fats too. I might run up a batch of coconut and cocoa butter soap for the sensitive skin types - thats hard but creamy. Would make a good shaving soap I think. Would also suit suit sensitive skin in either unscented or careful choice of eseential oils

Red

 

[firebreather]

As an aside I use the Body Shop shaving cream. It'll lather a bit if you use a brush, but as they say it's the quality of the soap not the amount of lather that makes a good shave. It's also good enough that I can get a couple of months out of a mach 3 blade, which is good considering the price of the things.

A couple of months............ i used to get 1 shave out of them so i have gone back to an old fashioned double edged safety razor and with them I get about 3 or 4 shaves from each blade. Just got to work up the courage to use a cut throat then I will never have to buy another blade again.
Saying that i have a beard as strong as a bears backside. So i go thru any razor in no time.

Greg

 

[stotRE]

Red.

Could you make an edible soap,maybe something fruity or nutty?

Could it be melted down,added to food to increase its vitamins,protein,carbohydrate count?

Or could it be used as a tinder,i.e. by scraping off a few shavings,something that would take a spark from a firesteel.

What about a bar of soap with a wick inside,half soap half candle?

Could it be made of something to purify water?

Or used as a snow marker?

 

[British Red]

Good questions stu - err no to the edible, I can make the oils burn but once saponification has occured it won't burn, I can put a wick in - soap on a rope I'll call it! Purify water no, contaminate yes...snow marker...yep - don't eat the yellow snow though

 

[Mirius]

A couple of months............ i used to get 1 shave out of them so i have gone back to an old fashioned double edged safety razor and with them I get about 3 or 4 shaves from each blade. Just got to work up the courage to use a cut throat then I will never have to buy another blade again.
Saying that i have a beard as strong as a bears backside. So i go thru any razor in no time.

Greg

<grins> that is most peoples reaction. I think I got about three months out of the last one. OK I don't have a really heavy beard, but the secret is all in the preparation. If I shave in the evening (after having shaved in the morning) the blade is too blunt - but in the morning when I've showered and such beforehand then it's just fine.

Some may remember the old pyramid thing that was supposed to keep the blades sharp. My experience is that you'll get an initial degradation in sharpness of the blade after the first few shaves but after that it doesn't really get any blunter.

 

[Steve R]

Red,

Have you tried contacting sallyinwales?

Here
http://www.bushcraftliving.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1243&highlight=soap

she states she has a lot of old time recipes.(She is on BCUK)

Just a thought, if you two got your heads together, who knows what might turn up.

 

[FGYT]

if your going the ethical route and from your first post you are

then i would rule out Coconut etc unless you can get a reliable UK grown source
and any thing else that needs to be shipped half way round the world
ie all ingredents grown and processesd as little as possible in UK
if you follow me

ive used soap with oatmeal type stuff in it which definatly scrubs well

you could do a double sided bar like a wet stone smooth on one side Crunchy on the other

ATB

Duncan

 

[British Red]

I like the idea of a double sided bar Dunc - I've done those before and may well do one with a "loofah" side (real ground loofah on one side of the soap).

I hear your point on the coconut oil. Thats a dilemma for me to be honest. I always buy organic products where possible and from small suppliers rather than megacorp. However I'm all in favour of trading with emerging economies and that does require some form of shipping (albeit not air freight). I understand the "green" implications of importation, but equaly I think withdrawing all trade from fragile economies reliant on foreign trade has its own ethical implications. No reason I couldn't do an entirely UK based product though - worth thinking about certainly - cheers fellah.

Good point with "Sally in Wales" Steve - I'm okay with recipes though thankfully (spent some time learning the properties of the various ingredients so I can now mix and match - although there is always more to learn)

Cheers for the input all

Red

 

[EdS]

for me:
low impact multi use. I use a lot of hand made soap.

As said needs to be able to wash body, hair and clothes plus useable as a shaving soap as I often use a straight razor.
Ideally it should be able to get at least engine oil out or reduced (I take the Landy out a fair bit), remove fruit staining etc. Plus have a good smell so you feel you are clean and have antiseptic & replellent properties. And if it could remove slug slime.

Had a few come close but not 100&#37;.

If you need a victim that can really put it to the test I'll volunteer. Believe me I get dirty just getting out of bed. Seening as I work with waste and drains and go into the woods (to get fuel) most days it'll be a challenge

 

[British Red]

Sounds ideal Ed . Okay thats two testers for my mad experiments. Thanks guys!

Red

 

[Matt Weir]

Soap - I wish

After having the eyes zapped I can't wash my face for 2 weeks. Having a shower is fun and all I can do to my face is use a damp cloth but nowhere near my eyes except for cotton buds very carefully around them

AHHhh soap and a good wash. Just over a week to go

 

[FGYT]

we got a bar of Gardeners Soap a while back made at Trevarno gardens

it contains Honey to remove ground in Dirt

oat bran for exfoliation

and Sweet orange, Tee Tree and Citronella for Refreashing, anti Bac and deodorising

also has Thyme, Marjoram , calendula

looks like a lump of Lard with burnt bits in

http://www.trevarnoskincare.co.uk/products/natural-soap.php


ATB

Duncan

 

[shep]

If all the ingredients work in combination, you're going to end up with an insect repellant, scent-masking, antiseptic, grease-cutting, exfoliant, shave-foaming, eco-friendly bushcraft uber-soap.:wow1:

Definitely count me in as guineapig, or first customer.

 

[Nat]

Here's a possible spanner in the works for you Red.

Every single sensitive skin soap, shower gel etc i've used aggrivates my excema. Now it's not major, and i know i have sensitive skin, not even the doctors can figure out what it is exactly that cause's it or sets it off (although it could be a combination of soap detergent+soap+shower gel+shampoo.

So something natural (i refuse to believe it's natural products that cause it), is good for the environment, doesn't contain anything that is produced in a culture where sweat shops are employed, and is good for the skin.
Also masks the human scent for tracking, gives a good lather, good for shaving, hair and getting oil and grease out

I've probably repeated half of what everyone else has said but hey ho.

Did i say good for excema :You_Rock_

 

[British Red]

shep,

Not sure I'll do them all in one soap . But insect repellant, antiseptic, exfoliant, shavefoaming eco-friendly I can do . Scent masking I think would need to be a specialist product. Grease cutting might be a different one too - I'm thinking of doing a sort of "Foresters soap". If it can get rid of pine sap it'll shift most things.

I also like the idea of the honey ingredient (ta Dunc) - I'll probably do a honey and beeswax based one for fun at some point.

Not really planning to sell the stuff though - you'd be amazed what you have to go through to put a new product on the market (even a home made soap). As usual with all this stuff though, nothing prevents the exchange of gifts though does it?

Red


Nat, I'll try and work up a "sensitive skin" bar at some point since there seems some interest - I rather suspect it will be a trial and error thing though and that what works fine for one person may not be fine for another. Still, we can only try!

Red

 

[JonnyP]

Can I have a soap that turns me luminous please Red, so that I can scare everyone in the woods at night...........

 

[British Red]

Just checking for sources of uranium online for you Jon.


Hang on - have to go - there appears to be a group of blokes in sunglasses knocking on the door

Red

 

[Toddy]

This sounds like fun Nice one Red.

Okay, my preferences
Almond and jojoba and rosehip or blackcurrant seed oils
Oatrmeal, the fine stuff sieved from oats that we use for babies porage.
Bergaptene free bergamot e.o.
Scots pine e.o.

Red if you're up for this I'll happily provide the makings

Is Shea butter to be avoided? I'm not fond of coconut and I like the way the shea butter feels on my skin.
What about jojoba ?

atb,
Toddy

 

[Nat]

Just checking for sources of uranium online for you Jon.


Hang on - have to go - there appears to be a group of blokes in sunglasses knocking on the door

Red

That'll be Bob Peck and Joe Don Baker looking for it.

Oops, that was plutonium, dam!