I've lately been shaving with Williams soap. The scent is ok and the lather is decent, but I've noticed that it doesn't really have quite the slip I'm looking for. Being involved in soap and cosmetic experimentation, I have a bottle of pure glycerin sitting around. During my first pass this morning I noticed the Williams was starting to dry out on my face (I guess the humidity is low today) and get a bit draggy. I grabbed my glycerin and poured a bit into the lather bowl. I re-lathered the soap and my god what a smooth creamy lather it became. The lather got shinier and the bubbles finer. I got a pretty good shave out of that (my technique still stinks though.) In my opinion, if Williams made a higher end soap with some glycerin in it, it could be a really fantastic soap. (Though it certainly wouldn't cost $1.50 )
Work on technique. There is NOTHING wrong with Williams.. all that is user error. Really that stuff is great and I get it for $1.25 a puck.
Hehe, I'm certainly not dissing Williams. Its a fine product, especially for the price. I'm just saying that it has the potential to be even better.
there was a thread by Eagle somewhere. He was talking about adding glycerin to soaps to make them slicker. I have never tried that. But as cheap as the glycerin is you could do it and still have good cheap lather.
After looking at the package again, williams does have some glycerin in it, which is pretty uncommon among inexpensive soaps. A little extra glycerin can do a lot, and I suppose it really doesn't take much of it per shave.
soak the soap in some water before you do your thing. that sometimes helps.also whilst lathering use a bit more water than you would normally use with other soaps. a nice stiff brush usually works best with this soap. doing these should eliminate the need for glycerine
I don't understand what you mean. VDH is a glycerin based soap, and it's barely more expensive than Williams. The most expenisve soaps are all tallow based, not glycerin based. I think you might be confusing the two?
I have nothing against Williams, fine soap for the dollars but not really pleased with the scent. For my dollars there are other soaps with better scents then Williams. I am working on a puck of Col Conk bay rum and its got a great subtle scent. I am thinking of ordering a tub of tabac to try out. Does anyone sell soap samples? Something like a 1/4 puck for 1/4 the price.
This is a common misconception, actually. Natural soaps (the homemade kind) tend to contain a fair amount of glycerin. The fats and oils used in soaps are comprised of triglycerides, which are a glycerin molecule bonded to three fatty acids. When the lye is added, the fatty acids are reacted and the glycerin is left behind. The vast majority of soaps on the market (bar soaps especially) are tallow based (it's cheap), but contain no glycerin because the oils are hydrolyzed before saponification and the glycerin is removed and sold. Williams, for example, is made with tallow and glycerin. What we know as "glycerin soap" is a normal soap, often with extra glycerin added, but the clear nature of the soap comes from an alcohol treatment (which I don't really understand the process of.) Tallow has a good fatty acid profile for the kind of bubbles and cleansing level we desire in a shaving soap. The fine soaps are fine, not because of the tallow, but because of the other things they add. They only use tallow because it is one of only a few good bases for the soap. Also, the only VDH I've used is the "Deluxe" which is part soap, part synthetic, and no glycerin. I haven't found VDH glycerin around here yet. I'm working on my lathering technique, and it is getting better by the day. I do intend to make my own shaving soaps and I may make another experimental batch this weekend. I need to try to find some bentonite clay. I can't find it in the local soap supply shops, but I hear the homebrew stores often have the stuff (it's too bad I only have half of my homebrew equipment anymore.) I do need to try out Tabac or Irisch Moos, as I gather those are some of the best lathering soaps. One of these days I'll try to track down a puck of Cade, as it has been recommended to me a few times. And if there's another huge deal on MWF like the one I missed, let me know! [edited for clarity]
Williams Soap Kroger sells Williams soap here in Atlanta for $0.98. Great deal, and if you read what they(Williams) say, they tell you to use plenty of hot water. A stiff boar brush I think works best with it as well, but it is good soap regardless of what it has in it. It is what I was raised on, though there are some that I like better. My favorite is the Art of Shaving sandalwood, but I do not like the cost. It is good that it lasts a long time. When I travel, I take Williams with me, and stuff it into one of the coffe mugs in my room. For the cost, I just leave it, if I stay in one place for 3 or 4 days. The VDH boar brush is a little rough, but makes a very cost effective travel brush, that you can replace if it is lost on a trip. Will N.
I really like the Williams scent, but I feel like it dries out my skin more than other soaps. I'm waiting on some Mama Bear traveling tubs to come in an order I recently placed and plan on milling my VDH and Williams into. Can anyone suggest something to add to the milled Williams to make it a little more moisturizing?
I had problems with Williams and lathering it up......PRACTICE and it'll work out just fine. Once you get it going, it works!
I try so hard, to get good lather, but it will not deliver, so I take showers with it. Thanks God for that, it smell nice, and is good to wash myself with.
I've used Williams on and off for years. Once you get used to its idiosyncrasies, it's really good stuff.
I add glycerine as well to help out the shave but lately I have been using it by itself. Its performance seem to get better for some reason after milling it down? I strictly face lather also now with it which seems to work better also. The only soap that I have to add alot of glycerine to is the C&E soaps because they just suck that bad.
