Shaving scuttle

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A shaving scuttle is a shaving tool developed in late 19th century. As hot water was not common in many households, one way to provide hot lather was to use a scuttle. It resembles a teapot with a very wide spout where hot water is poured in, and the unit is brought to the bathroom, and this is where it differs from a shaving mug, which has no spout.

At the top of the scuttle is a soap holder, which, in a traditional scuttle, has drain holes at the bottom, and can only be used with a hard block of shaving soap (rather than soft soap or cream), since the lather would otherwise drain through the holes into the hot water chamber below, however many modern scuttles do not include the holes, and as such, can be used with creams and soft soaps.

In use, the shaving brush is dunked into the wide spout, allowing it to soak into the water and heat up. The soap is placed in the soap holder. When needed, one can take the brush and brush it against the soap, bringing up a layer of lather; excess water is drained back. This allows conservation of water and soap, whilst retaining enough heat to ensure a comfortable, long shave.