Some of my creams and soaps have been clogging up my razor recently. I find this really weird because I never had problems with this before. Like my Palmolive Stick was clogging up on me along with Proraso White. Any theories as to why this is just happening now after several flawless uses?

This is kind of a shot in the dark for me but I'll give it a whirl. Do you have hard water? If so, there could be a fine film of Limestone building up on your razor that may be causing more friction between your guard and baseplate, picking up soap and residue while shaving. This could have a cumulative adding up to effect to the point of clogging. Also, conversely, if your water is very soft there could be a possibilty of a fine film of salt that is forming on your razor and could be causing buildup.

Also, if you have a heavy beard, you could be scratching the metal on the razor just simply from normal use. This is very evident if you have ever bought an old used Gem or Everready Razor. The scoring of the metal could be catching micro fragments of residue that could build up in time. Perhaps a thorough cleaning of your razor and some finishing polish may help to alleviate some of these problems.

This is approaching the problem from the razor standpoint. I have never used any of the soaps/creams that you are using. Perhaps the overall temp changes and humidity changes could be affecting the consistency of your soaps/creams. Since we live not too far away, you know what I mean about the fluctuating temps in the central/west central part of Illinois. It could be the humidity as well. Also, it could be the blade. Have you changed to another type of blade? Good luck and I help some of this helps .

Have you changed lathering styles lately, such as going from bowl to face lathering? If so you might not have added enough water and it's too concentrated? This is just a stab in the dark.

Not enough water in the lather seems to do that to me. Although I've found the TSD soap I've been using never seems to give me that problem. It rinses much easier and cleaner than any of the other stuff I've tried so far.

I have the hardest water you could get. I don't know what is going on because in the past I've never had a problem with rinsing my razors after each pass. Sometimes I have to unscrew my razor and break the "No Wiping the Blade" rule. It's a pain. This not enough water thing has been frustrating me too. I can't seem to keep my neck hydrated and the lather has always been drying up.

I've got really hard water too. When I'm bowl lathering, I usually add water until the lather has peaks but soft ones. If they're really stiff peaks, I'll get razor clog so I add water until the peaks soften up. The TSD soap has been pretty awesome though. I've just been face lathering it and never have a problem rinsing it out.

If it's drying up on your neck you haven't added enough water to the mix. If your bowl lathering keep adding a bit of water every minute or so until you see light reflecting off of your lather. It should have a reflective sheen.

It's B.S. because even when I face lather, I add water and keep spreading the lather around on my neck; but it's still drying up.

Sorry bro, I don't know what to tell you because if it dries out= not enough moisture. I switched to distilled water when I was about 6 months into this and it made a world of difference, so much so that I haven't used the tap since, except to wash and rinse my face.

I'll figure this out eventually. Like I said, I've just started having problems with lather drying up. I do everything the same as I've done it all along and it still is no dice.

On Clogging -- it's probably a combination of things since you haven't made any big changes. I can't speak on the mechanics of face shaving (not a dude ), but I do know soap. With your hard water, your hardware is prone to build up just like the soap scum on a shower door. You won't generally see the scum, but if you push your fingernail firmly along an interior surface of the razor (w/o blade), you may see a translucent film build on your nail.

You may need to occasionally clean the razor head with a tooth brush & dilute vinegar (or scrubbing bubbles). Rinse thoroughly with hot water & dry thoroughly. You can get a big bottle of distilled white vinegar for a dollar.

Rinsing -- Another thing to consider is how you rinse your razor during the shave. I recall something on Mantic's blog about how the "wet & flick" method may not clear the razor as well as dipping in water, swirling & allowing the water to drain off. As a shower shaver, I can't speak on the best rinse method, but having soap buildup on the razor will make any method less effective.

On Lather dry out -- "uberlathering" may help. When building your lather, add a small amount glycerin, which is a humectant. Since you're also dealing with clogging problems, start with just a pea-sized amount. Anytime you add glycerin, you need to up your water a little as well. Glycerin will be cheaper in the pharmacy section of a store vs. the grocery section.

Where exactly can I find glycerin? I looked in pharmacies and other places but couldn't find any. I'll also have to pick up some more scrubbing bubbles. That stuff works like a boss.

As for rinsing, I just leave the faucet running and hold the razor under the water until it is cleared. I used to fill the sink up, but that seems pretty nasty considering me and three other people spit into that sink.

In drugstores, glycerin will often be with OTC skin creams or laxatives. I would just ask in the pharmacy area. Here's what the CVS brand looks like. Try to get it on the ground, since glycerin's slippery & often leaks in transit.


http://m.cvs.com/mt/www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVS-Pure-Glycerin-USP?skuId=483707

Thanks a lot. I'll look tomorrow.

Hope it helps. Play around with the amounts when you get a chance. Some people swear by using a few drops, others are very heavy handed.

If you want to try the swirl method, you could use a bowl of warm water. My BF uses a handled soup bowl for rinsing, but he does it mainly to conserve water.

I fill up the sink with hot water and put my shave bowl in it to keep it hot, and I dip and vigorously swish my razor head to clean between strokes. I clean the sink out really good when I'm done and the wife never has complained

Answer: get a Gem Clog-Proof....then you don't have to deal with it...

Indeed!

I have had a similar problem recently, but I am sure of my problem with clogging. I had a puck of vintage Williams and I dropped it in the middle of my melted VDH soap when I began to think about refilling my VDH. Since adding the Williams, the blade gap gets clogged with each pass. I have to run it under running hot water to clear the gap. Not a big problem, but I don't have that issue with just plain VDH.

Oh Van der Williams, that fickle fiend!
Have you ever used vintage Williams by itself? I'm wondering if you had any clogging with the old Williams or if the problem is unique to the hybrid.

Did you use the opaque pinkish VDH or the clear amber VDH? I'm getting ideas for the soapboratory-- frankensoaps!