Discovering Glycerin

OK so I finally located Glycerin at Walmart. Not the kind for when you're bound up either this was a straight bottle of glycerin found over in the first aid section next to the calamine lotion and stuff. Of course my next stop was a local supermarket that sells Williams. The plan was to add glycerin to the Williams and see how it turned out.

After a couple dozen oysters and some cold Amberbock, I was ready to play. I had about a puck and a half of Williams soap. I pulled out my cheese grater and ended up with a huge bowl of what looked like shredded mozzarella. To the bowl I added about 18 drops or so of glycerin, tossed it with my hands and then put it in a small turrine (custard bowl) and packed it in tight. I shaved this morning but couldn't resist playing with my new creation. So off to the shave cave I went.

WOW, this stuff kicks Williams up to a whole other level. The increase in both slickniss and viscosity are immediately apparent. Can't wait to shave with this stuff for real (I basically lathered up as if I were going to shave but did not.)

Questions on glycerin:
1. Seems like this stuff would be pretty good for a pre-shave oil, anyone try this?

2. Ditto for that final pass Method shaving thing where you just use oil of some sort on your last touch up pass

3. What would happen if I bowl lathered some VDH Deluxe and simply dumped 8-10 drops of glycerin in while I was lathering?

 

As far as VDH deluxe with glycerin... its great..I add about 5-6 drops, or a quick squeeze and it definetly kicks it up a notch, still messing around with how much glycerin to add. Real nice and thick lather, cushions and glides really nice.

I also saw a pump dispenser from Jockey on SRP by way of video on youtube titled "uberlather" or superlather..and he uses a nice liquid soap type dispenser from target that adds a good shot of glycerin..I might pick one of those up. Looks nice and classy on the counter and adds a perfect shot of glycerin.

 

Williams ought to come with it's own bottle of glycerin...it's a solid soap, but sooooo much better with that added kick of slick.

 

I messed with the Williams and the glycerin pretty much as you did. Then I tried just adding it to the top of the puck while bowl lathering. For some reason adding to the puck seemed to get better results for me than adding to my grated stuff. I add 6 drops to the puck when I start lathering. If I go back to the puck for more lather for another pass I add a couple of drops again. It could be that I didn't add enough glycerin to my grated stuff. Either way, IMHO, it sure helps the Williams. As far as using the glycerin as a pre-shave oil, I tried that. It was much too oily for me, and the soap I was using had difficulty cutting through it. Who knows, I may have just used too much.
Good Luck,
Alan

 

Come on people leave the Williams alone sheesh.... It does what it is made to do straight out of the box.

Fuzzy

 

haha but it does it better with a touch of glycerin!:happy102

 

So what I hear everyone saying is that by adding glycerin to the soap either before or on top of the puck it improves the shave.
So exactly what does it do?
Does it make better lather?
Does it make your skin more slippery?
What What What???? I need to know LOL

 

Glycerin is a humectant, which is just a fancy way to say that it absorbs and holds onto water nicely. In concentrated form it's a bit sticky, but when watered down to the right level it's really slippery. It also tends to support lather formation and longevity.

 

Are you guys just buying glycerin suppositories or what are these contained in? I went to Walgreen's and that's all they had. Also, what's the difference between a vegetable glycerin and one derived from fat?... is there a better one?

 

I found this at my local wal-mart

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10417582

 

I found it with the bug bite/itch relief supplies. Like benadryl gel or aloe vera or calamine lotion.

 

Thanks Jamazar, that looks a lot more appropriate.

 

That makes sense to me. Is the Williams cold process type of soap or is it a syndet bar? I've seen pics of it, but not the ingredients.

 

That's the stuff.

 

Okay, bought some today at CVS. What does your guy's glycerin look/feel like? Mine seems more like a sticky jelly than a liquid... sorta' reminds me of KY.

 

Glycerin is a thick and viscous substance, unlike water.

 

Ingredients:
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Cocoate, Water, Glycerin, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Pentasodium Pentatate, Fragrance, Titanium Dioxide

 

Thank you!
It looks like it was originally a tallow based soap, but it got triple milled and added other ingredients. Ok, not cold process soap.

 

All I know is that it has been made a long time and is great stuff right off the puck heh

 

Yup, Williams is great soap. It's fine as is but sometimes I use it as part of an uberlather mix (with sc and 3 drops of glycerin).