Problems in Lather Land

[steamroller of funk]

Ok im really new to all this but am already running into problems. So after being entranced by Issac's romantisism of wet shaving i thought i would dabble in it. So i went and bought a brush and some Williams shave soap from Wal-mart and stole a coffee mug from the kitchen. I dashed to the nearest bathroom sink prepped up and much to my dismay i could not make a good lather. Now i know that isnt the best foot to start on but i want to make sure i wasnt deceived about how great it is before i drop hard earned money on the good stuff. after doing some net research i found that hard water makes it very hard to lather up. I live in a town that has very hard water. Im wondering if there is anything i can to to remedy this or am i boned. Is it the walmart hardware of natures software that is the problem??

[Scorpio]

go back to walmart buy agallon of bottled water for less than a dollar and try again. I started with that same set up years ago with good results. you are using hot water right? also soak the soap by pouring hot water in the cup and soak the brush in another cup of hot water.

Raf

[steamroller of funk]

I was thinking of doing that but seemed like a bother but i quess its a labor of love right? just nuke up some spring water? and that should be good? Im sure the products are not helping

[Baloosh]

If you have extremely hard water, you'll need to use quite a bit more soap (or cream if you try creams) to offset the hardness of your water. Try getting LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of soap (thick, thick soap paste) on your brush before you begin making the lather. See if that works for you.

[steamroller of funk]

i do have extremely hard water, i want to try creams im just waiting for my pay pal to get running so's i can order some, in the mean time isaac is sending me some things a de some blades and what not else... btw how do different blades offer different shaves? what are some good starters?

[IsaacRN]

As you know im more of a straight user, but with the DE's its all trial and error. People just basically just try the different blade and see what works better for them.

[sparky5693]

i do have extremely hard water, i want to try creams im just waiting for my pay pal to get running so's i can order some, in the mean time isaac is sending me some things a de some blades and what not else... btw how do different blades offer different shaves? what are some good starters?

Some blades are sharper than others. Some blades are more harsh to the skin than others (these don't always go hand in hand). The best bade seems to be dependent on your individual technique. I would highly recommend you give "sharp" (that's the brand name) blades a try. They are very forgiving, and very inexpensive. What razor are you using?

[crackstar]

Bobby, if not for the Sharps, I'd have serious problems in shaving. It's because of these blades that not only are my shaves much, much better now, but also, my skin is in a million times better shape than ever, ever before.

[IsaacRN]

Bobby...he has no DE. Im gonna send him a black tip superspeed that Joe gave me on Monday and some Derby/Sharp blades.

[Leisureguy]

Rather than spring water, which might be hard, I'd suggest distilled water that is sold cheaply in gallons for use in steam irons and the like. The drugstore will have it. That should make an *enormous* difference if you have hard water.

Shaving cream will give you a lot of good lather. One that's proven popular with newbies is Taylor of Old Bond Street avocado.

Different blades offer very different shaving experiences, and the same blade will strike different shavers very differently: for a given blade, one shaver might say it's harsh and dull, another that it's smooth and sharp. Seriously. Enormous differences in reaction. So the solution has been to get a blade sampler pack so that you can try different blades and pick based on your own personal experience. You can get them from RazorandBrush (http://www.razorandbrush.com/Sampler.html) and WestCoastShaving (http://www.westcoastshaving.com). (In the UK, from Connaught (http://www.suffolkspares.co.uk/samplepack.html).) The best bet is to find a blade that seems to do a reasonably good job, and then stick with that brand for a month or two before you do more exploring. That lets you master your shaving technique and minimizes the variables.

Ask questions as they occur to you. We're here to help. :)

[ptyrider]

Williams shave soap . . . could not make a good lather.

Yep, Williams ain't the easiest to lather up. Some people have success with face lathering Williams. Other report success by first soaking the top of the puck with water for, say, 10 minutes before using it. One person has claimed that soaking the whole puck for a day or so helps a lot. Another said that melting Williams (via candle warmer for example) or drilling holes in it and mixing it with a glycerin soap does the trick.

Many folks mix Williams with a shaving cream for superlather. For example, add a shot of Kiss My Face to the lathering bowl before lathering with Williams. A few drops of rich shampoo works well, too. Or, a shot of Dr. Bronner's.

You should thoroughly saturate (more than with higher quality soaps) your relatively dry brush with Williams before going to your lather bowl or face to make the lather, gradually adding water. See some of the soap lathering tutorials . . . .

The other frequent complaint about Williams is that it doesn't lubricate well or dries out quickly. If that seems a problem for you, then it can be remedied via the cream or shampoo, or by adding a shot of glycerin or olive oil.

Williams can perform quite well, actually. Don't give up on it yet.

[steamroller of funk]

tanks for all the good tips gonna try the distilled water

[IsaacRN]

I would possibly just heat the distilled a bit if you want that nice warm lather.

[TraderJoe]

Welcome to the Shave Den, "steamroller" :eatdrink004

I am really into this thread right now:

http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3070

Follow the steps mentioned in the pre-shave routine (beginning with post #10), and you'll be GTG