Heat and Soaps

Was wondering if any of you guys avoid ordering soaps during the summer months. I just received a couple soaps that had literally been liquefied from the heat out here in the Inland Valley in California. The soaps had only been in the mailbox for a little over an hour as I am always working when the mail arrives.

I have had this happen in the past and putting the soap in the refrigerator usually works but have had a couple soaps that just never seemed to recover from getting melted like that.

So usually I try not to order any soaps during the hot months unless its a seasonal or limited release.

HEAT? I tried walking down to the post office today. I was about to dogleg down the main BLVD not far from Gareth and Moustache and my legs went out from under me. I'm wearing a kefir, rucksack loaded with 3 frozen bottles of water, one in hand and it wasn't enough. Syrian liquorstore owner ushered me inside unknotting my headgear and unbuttoning my shirt. He smelled the OUD in the kefir and a momentary look of homesickness escaped before having his son drive me home. I showered and decided to clean up a hurried predawn 2 pass shave. My MWF is cracked like dropped porcelain, which I have avoided with that splendid container I value highly. As a cautionary move I put my soap collection into a tupperwear box and popped it in the fridge.
This is definitely a consideration for the future. I realized my soaps tend to heavier scents and I need some classic summer scent; which I'll order after this heatwave is over.

In Arizona with some soaps it is a problem but not with others. Regardless I've gotten in the habit of refrigerating soaps that arrive in the hottest part of summer.

I don't order or send soaps to friends during summer months. I think we can make it without buying a soap for 2-3 months. Or maybe not?
I participated in a passaround last year, Phoenix & Beau Obsidian, which not only arrived liquefied, but it had acquired a strange ammonia smell as well. Refrigerating it didn't help, the soap had been destroyed.

It is with reckless abandon that I keep ordering soaps year-round. Lately our temperatures have been around 40–45° C or 105–115° F during the day. I recently retrieved from the mailbox a soap that upon opening was like hot porridge. It recovered within 24 hours in room temperature. No issues with it.

A couple of years ago I did receive another soap that arrived in almost complete liquid state, and I never found its scent to be what everyone else seemed to be talking about, although its performance was great.

It might be good to exercise some caution, but on the other hand, I think many of our fine artisans would really hate it if people stopped buying their products for a quarter of the year…

I participated in a passaround last year, Phoenix & Beau Obsidian, which not only arrived liquefied, but it had acquired a strange ammonia smell as well. Refrigerating it didn't help, the soap had been destroyed.

That ammonia scent may not have been (just) the heat, but possibly an issue in the soap making and curing process. I got Phoenix and Beau’s Star Noir last year, and had to air the jar for about two months to get the ammonia smell out of the way. Kerry has since taken steps to eliminate that problem with their soaps.

It is with reckless abandon that I keep ordering soaps year-round. Lately our temperatures have been around 40–45° C or 105–115° F during the day. I recently retrieved from the mailbox a soap that upon opening was like hot porridge. It recovered within 24 hours in room temperature. No issues with it.

A couple of years ago I did receive another soap that arrived in almost complete liquid state, and I never found its scent to be what everyone else seemed to be talking about, although its performance was great.

It might be good to exercise some caution, but on the other hand, I think many of our fine artisans would really hate it if people stopped buying their products for a quarter of the year…

I participated in a passaround last year, Phoenix & Beau Obsidian, which not only arrived liquefied, but it had acquired a strange ammonia smell as well. Refrigerating it didn't help, the soap had been destroyed.

That ammonia scent may not have been (just) the heat, but possibly an issue in the soap making and curing process. I got Phoenix and Beau’s Star Noir last year, and had to air the jar for about two months to get the ammonia smell out of the way. Kerry has since taken steps to eliminate that problem with their soaps.

I know this P&B issue and I was one of the first who experienced this...

The problem is that the soap left England in great condition, so extreme temperatures during shipping created that problem, where the soap became... cream. Otherwise, even with the less than effective curing process, the soap would have no problem.

I usually consider environment well after I order something. The soaps I use, veggie and tallow, neither are high on the glycerine or aqua chart. I think this has prevented me from ever having an issue. I think back in the B&M white label days, some of his soaps got soft, but never liquefied. The worst was the original Arctique soap. But it stayed a cream even when 75 deg indoors. After that I think he changed the formulation and my next tub was as solid as the rest of his soaps.

I remember someone posted here about ordering Soap of the Gods (or something like that) and he faulted the soaper for sending his soap in hot conditions thereby degrading the pretty dalop designs in the tub. I have no pity. If the consumer is cognizant of heat affecting their soaps, why order in the heat of summer, then blame the soaper for ill-effects?

Short Story Kav moment---
When I was stationed at Nellis in Vegas, we were forced to go to a Unit level safety briefing. In the military they call it the 101 critical days of summer and it starts on Memorial day. As I was sitting there on the metal fold up chair waiting for my crew to arrive, my buddy walked down the aisle and as he turned to sit next to me he stumbled and put his hand out behind himself to break his fall into the seat. It was a harmless flop. But he complained that his hand hurt. The next morning he had a blister over his entire palm with about a quarter inch of water in it. He got that burn in the fraction of a second it took to brace himself to sit. The moral of the story is that it doesnt take long for heat to have an adverse effect on things. I know some people follow their packages religiously on line, but sometimes these packages sit for hours in a big brown truck, or go to sub zero temps in the cargo hold of a plane, sometimes withing hours of each other.

Sometimes my memory surprises even me. I dont want to say I am never mistaken, but here is the thread I spoke of. The thread was started exaclty one yr ago today. (excluding leap days, years, minutes and seconds for those that want to correct me) Then closed by admin at op request. Oasis, I think you will find reading through this closed thread most of the remarks will be the same for your thread as almost the same circumstances apply.

https://damnfineshave.com/thread-a-reall...er-service

We could always ship soaps in Styrofoam containers with blue ice packs like those Kansas city beef companies. I can see it know ' honey, these hamburgers smell like sandalwood.'

I don't avoid it and I live in louisiana where the temp bumps 100 or over in the summer. I just got a tub a B&M Arctique yesterday that had been sitting in the mailbox for about 5 hours before I got home and it was melted and runny. Set it in a cool room and checked two hours later and it was firming up.

On a side note but relevant, someone asked B&M about his soaps and the heat and he advised to put them in a cool room and let them cool off slowly, rather than popping into the fridge. Stated that ice crystals might form and cause problems.