Goodnight Soap: Beginners Question

Shave is finished, cleanup begins. Soap and its container are wet or damp. Now what?

I have done tons of reading here and elsewhere. This question is elementary, but I can't seem to find the answer. Now that I have some pricey soaps, I'd like to store them correctly after usage (while they and the tub are wet). Don't want to accidentally create tubs of liquified glop or dry them out unnecessarily.

The question applies to both tub-hugging soaps as well as loose pucks in tins.

As always, I deeply appreciate your kind mentoring!

The best thing you can do after the shave with the soap is first rinse it out a bit if there’s all kinds of sudsy lather in it if you’ve loaded right from the jar. If there’s not then you can forget this step. Of course wipe the outside of the jar dry. The next and most important thing is to leave the lid off the jar and let the soap dry out for a minimum of 12 hrs. I do 24 hrs to be sure I’ve gotten as much moisture out of the soap. It’s just good soap maintenance.
Also, If soap is very soft I’d advice scooping and bowl lathering else your brush may pick up way to much soap.

Enjoy the journey!

I am big fan of scooping - which does not add moisture to the soap container.  I add the scooped portion to my lather bowl and add moisture there in my lather bowl.  I really like using a plant mister as it is easy to add water and coat a large surface.  Guitar pick, finger and/or spoon can be used for scooping.  It may depend on the soap.  Easier to pass on used soap if it is scooped rather than swirled in the container.  Some have a strong preference for new and or scooped only.  Great question.

Yup, what Frank said: if you load your brush straight from the puck, it's going to leave your soap pretty wet. It needs to dry out. After you're done with your shave, just leave the lid off the jar. If your climate is dry, you can let it rest for twelve hours or so. If you live somewhere damp, a full twenty-four hours is needed. 

What will happen if you skip this step? Well, sometimes nothing. But other times mold will form on the soap. So, if you've got a big collection of soaps, it may be a good idea to check each of them from time to time just to make sure none has turned into a Petri dish.

So tell us TheBurgh, what soaps have you settled on? I'm really curious to see where you've decided to start your shave odyssey from.

So tell us TheBurgh, what soaps have you settled on? I'm really curious to see where you've decided to start your shave odyssey from.

Nice chart! And a nice set of soaps, too. Glad you got some Saponificio Varesino. Tundra Artica is one of my favorites ever. And No. 63 smells like heaven in October. You're off on something really good here. You've selected a lot of soaps that I've never tried. I can't wait to hear your take on them. 

Many, many, many happy shaves await!