Buy a food dehydrator from the paid promos on tv. They will throw in a set of knives absolutely free for you to keep, and then return the dehydrator and get your money back.

Then, use the knife to cut the soap. Darn thing goes through an aluminum can, then a nail, then is still sharp enough to cut a tomato without smashing the skin. This should mimimize your flaking problem.

You're welcome.

It worked, it worked! Nuke it for a minute and use dental floss! I have been soap cuttin' for about an hour now. Hell, I'm cuttin' soap that don't even need it!
Never again will I have soap that does not fit the box or hand.
When I can, I buy Lush Soap. www.lush.com they sell it by the gram in big, irregular chunks. It's handmade and the Fig is the best soap I have ever used. I also buy Perlier Honey (the dreaded BIG bars) and in a pinch I will buy Burt's Bee's Baby Bee.
I used to use L'Occitane Honey Shea Butter soap but they discontinued it.
I just love honey infused products!
Thanks for all the great help!

Two things to try....
I make soap and so my soap is softer because it hasn't dried completely yet so this may not work. I use a large cheese slicer. The kind with a tray/plate - not a handheld. It works great for me - similar to the floss/string idea.

Nuking it might help, hot knife too. The other option is to grate the whole thing with a cheese grater and then mold the shaving with damp hands into a smaller bar. Easy to do, messy but easy.

Another option (hate this one) is to grate it down and then put in a pot and add water. Slowly heat the water and melt the soap. Then poor into molds and let dry. Slow and tedious and won't be very pretty but if you did a few bars at a time, might last a while.

This has been a fun one to read! Thanks and good luck - hate those big bars!

Tx,
when you run out of big bars and Lush, look into Mistral soaps. They have honey ones, they have all kinds! and they are normal sizes and normal prices(well, normal for fancy schmancy soap:)

I've learned more about soap, cutting soap, nuking soap, LUSH soaps, and Ashville NC soaps that I ever even thought I wanted to know!!

But it was FUN!!

My monkey taught me the trick with the dental floss.

This sounds like a question for a prison inmate or ex-con.

Nothing like a good Soap Opera.

I checked the Lush web site and the only U.S. store is in San Francisco - in the dreaded Union Square area ;-)

I prefer to stay in the Embarcadero area myself...
All kidding aside, you should try Lush products. They are wonderful. I buy them in Canada or online if it is winter, most of their products can't take the extreme heat of shipping during summer months to Texas!

Do monkeys use soap?

Monkeys do not use soap but are very clever with using unusual tools. You know -wet blades of grass to catch ants etc.

Lush really does have it's only U.S. store in SF, at 240 Powell St. I will check it out next time I'm downtown.

how unfortunate the one armed mountain climber from colorado didnt post here first.

Ahhh, Lush. I understand perfectly now.

My friend works at that store and sometimes I get samples, whee!

The store is great, but VERY potent smelling, I can only stay in it for a little while, I just buy my bath bombs and get out. Of course luckily for me, the Goldrush Bar is right across the street...

i did see a monkey washing his hand with a small bar of soap on the last plane trip i took - he was quite concerned with hygiene... next time i'll ask him where he got the smaller bar -

I think he got it in San Jose - he would never shop in ... well, you know where!