The "Bloom" is back baby...

I'm a bloomer -- except with croaps and shaving sticks (although I quite like the idea of standing the stick). I sometimes bloom my softer soaps (Proraso or Cella) although they load quite easily without it. I feel like it adds a bit more product, more easily, and the results are great.

I enjoy the quiet ritual of shaving very much, but if I'm rushed I don't feel like the shave's ruined because I hadn't time to bloom. For me it's a lot like the soaked hot towel applied prior to lathering -- it is very pleasant, but I rarely make the effort. Blooming is largely a habit with me.

A few of soaps I've bloomed when they dry out for around 24 hours they shrink!

I've always soaked my soaps for years. I always get a great lather. It's probably more because I'm used to it really.

I always bloom my hard pucks of soap for 12-15 minutes. It helps with loading the brush and improves my lather creation, because less effort is necessary, which means less 'brush loading damage' to my brushes.

I run my mid hard to soft soaps under the tap for some seconds.

I do the same with my dried out creams.

Another bloomer here, most all medium to hard soaps soak while I shower, though a few paricular ones benefit more than others from the treatment.

Blooming basically only eases loading, I take it. Wonder if one could obtain part of the same effect just by roughing up the surface of the soap a little before loading.?

Interesting thing about a CRSW Vetiver Moderne tub I have. At one point it started cracking and flaking as if the ingredients didn't agree. I thought this possibly related to blooming and/or not letting it dry thoroughly after the shave; OR that I had let it sit without a lid for too long, that it simply was too dry. Still not sure about the reason. But the advice from Larry was to 'fill the tin to the brim with very hot water and allow to sit overnight, drain off and gently smooth the surface with your finger.' Indeed, the soap got back to normal! And I experienced no issue with losing particular ingredients leaching out from that experiment.

TSA on YouTube just posted a video on this subject and about how it's bad to bloom since it can throw the PH off of the soap and he has ended up with black mold in his Soap's before. Might want to check out the video it's decent but of course YMMV

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

TSA on YouTube just posted a video on this subject and about how it's bad to bloom since it can throw the PH off of the soap and he has ended up with black mold in his Soap's before. Might want to check out the video it's decent but of course YMMV

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I've been blooming for years, never had an issue. This is hardly a YMMV issue. TSA must not be letting his soaps dry out after shaving.

It's TSE sorry but it sounds like he does dry them so not sure figured I throw it out there since he said he asked artisans about it and they all suggested not to bloom.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=0K1sgoRZJRg here is the video forgot to include it

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Michelle of Mystic Water Soap actually encourages blooming, although I suppose rather gently:
“Soak your shaving brush in warm water for at least a couple minutes. While your brush is soaking, place a teaspoon or two of water on top of the soap to help soften it.”
http://www.mystic4men.com/

This is the way I bloom all my soaps. I use very little water, it is not hot, and it only sits on the soap for maybe 1–2 minutes.

TSE in his video is displaying RazoRock’s The Dead Sea soap, which I understand is a very soft soap that shouldn’t need blooming in any case. (I do realize that’s just the soap he happened to have at hand.) As for some of the issues he brought up, I think these would be some important questions to ask:
• How hot was the water used?
• How much water was used?
• How long did the water sit on the soap?
• How long was the soap allowed to dry afterward?

I’m not saying blooming can’t cause issues, but I think a lot of them can be avoided by 1) not using extremely hot water, 2) not dumping a load of water on the soap, 3) not blooming for too long, and 4) letting the soap dry out for a sufficient amount of time after the shave.

That last point of course also depends on your humidity conditions — if you’re in the desert, most days a soap will probably be dry within 8–12 hours, somewhere else it could take up to 24.

One thing I do wonder about is soap scent. Since any soap has to sit open and dry after use (even if just a damp brush was used with no bloom), how does this affect a soap’s scent strength in the long run?