This morning I decided to go back to my puck of Williams shave soap for a reminder of what it shaved like.
Using a badger brush, I chose to make, not a deep lather, but rather a flatter, richer lather similar to what I've become accustomed to using my own proprietary formulations. It's been a while since I've used the Williams soap, and I was surprised by how its lather seemed initially weak and frothy. As I added more soap to the brush to make the lather more creamy, I continued to be disappointed by the character of the lather, which I would describe as not as rich and creamy as that to which I've become accustomed.
Undaunted, I face lathered for a bit, and completed the process by "painting" the lather to a flat, opaque layer. It seemed too "soapy" however -- not creamy enough. So I rubbed my fingers in the lather to get a sense of its slipperiness, its potential lubricating power.
Long story short: I rinsed the lather off my face and brush, put the Williams away, and pulled out my shave soap #10A.
Ahhhhhhh . . . the familiar rich creaminess. The slick, flat, opaque layer on my beard, and the slippery feel of the smooth, just-shaved skin prior to the water rinse: there's no substitute for a really good shave soap.
After the shave with my slant razor, I realized that I won't be going back to Williams except under dire emergency conditions when I have no other alternative.
Which leads to a thought for new double-edge-razor users: along with a good razor (but not necessarily expensive), one of the first investments should probably be in a high-quality shave soap.
What do you think?
Happy shaving!
Using a badger brush, I chose to make, not a deep lather, but rather a flatter, richer lather similar to what I've become accustomed to using my own proprietary formulations. It's been a while since I've used the Williams soap, and I was surprised by how its lather seemed initially weak and frothy. As I added more soap to the brush to make the lather more creamy, I continued to be disappointed by the character of the lather, which I would describe as not as rich and creamy as that to which I've become accustomed.
Undaunted, I face lathered for a bit, and completed the process by "painting" the lather to a flat, opaque layer. It seemed too "soapy" however -- not creamy enough. So I rubbed my fingers in the lather to get a sense of its slipperiness, its potential lubricating power.
Long story short: I rinsed the lather off my face and brush, put the Williams away, and pulled out my shave soap #10A.
Ahhhhhhh . . . the familiar rich creaminess. The slick, flat, opaque layer on my beard, and the slippery feel of the smooth, just-shaved skin prior to the water rinse: there's no substitute for a really good shave soap.
After the shave with my slant razor, I realized that I won't be going back to Williams except under dire emergency conditions when I have no other alternative.
Which leads to a thought for new double-edge-razor users: along with a good razor (but not necessarily expensive), one of the first investments should probably be in a high-quality shave soap.
What do you think?
Happy shaving!
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