At least your basketball player looks better with HIS nuthin but net than the NBA players you see today who stuff the ball and look like they are stuck in the air as a result of doing so.

No, they sip Rye. Or, Tequila. Just like you "real men"

Some interesting points here with regard to water.

Personally, I think a lot of the issue with so-called "underperforming" and/or "difficult" soaps and the need for things like sousing comes from the fact that many of us do not use a single soap daily as would have been the case in the past. When a soap is used, even if it is not soused, it is going to absorb and retain a certain amount of water. With daily use, a level of hydration and softness would be achieved. When the soap is not used daily, it dries out and never achieves an optimal hydration.

I wish I had enough understanding of soap chemistry to understand how to measure the water absorbency of a soap. I suspect that it would be interesting to see whether part of the difference between classic and modern Williams has to do with absorbency.

Y'all still bloomin'? Yer gonna start pollinatin'!!! Please don't post no pitchers.

You may well be right, John. What you are referring to is called “water activity” and we measure it in our lab. When some food products get too high in water activity (say cake icing or pastry filling, for example) they can lose their shelf stability and become more conducive to bacterial and pathogenic growth. You can offset this by PH, (which may make this a non issue for shaving soap; I don’t know). Anyway, that’s some of the basis for my paranoia around excessive sousing. - I know... I’m a bigger food geek than I am a shave geek.

That is a veddy good reason to smile....even if it is bloomed.

Prolly from a little glass with a umbrelle in it.

Tesla knew. It's why most people don't know him.


(Really good stuff about microbes in water, well stated.)

If the blade is sharp and the skills are true, one can comfortably shave with nothing other than cold water.

My mantra:

"I am unconcerned with how others prepare their soap."

People should share whatever has worked for them. I don't bloom, but only because I tried for a while and decided it didn't do much for my results. But, whatever, that's just my experience. Teach your way, enjoy your methods.

BTW... Synthetic brushes are superior to every other natural material available. Let's start a thread on that. Sound like fun?

Bourbon or Tennessee. Beer is for kids, and breakfast, too.

There will be a shaving with Fuzzy video on that soon actually.

I only whine about Williams Bloomers.... The rest just kinda get caught up in the mix.

I get it. I wanna go all Ricki Lake on @Edison Carter about Barbasol sometimes too. He's also part of the chain of events that created this thread. Ah, the circle of life on TSD.

Makes the nights go by around these parts. Good warm Summer like nights...with skeeters and snakes and stuff out romeing around.

Is this for real? Community relations ice cream trucks? I think I just drove my palm straight through my face into the back of my skull.

Police are suppose to be nice you know.....

ROTFL!

Interesting points @BaylorGator & @John Ruschmeyer

Reminds me that of the 3 components of lather (soap,water,air) the water would be the greatest variable. Mostly in pH level, total dissolved solids, and types of dissolved solids. While municipal water supplies are treated for microbial items the other are likely totally determined by the water source.

The ground water here is typically acidic with pH levels in the 5's. Tears right through copper pipe and water heaters.
So typically you neutralize with soda ash injectors, or calcite/magnesium tanks. If you use a tank like I do, then you live with hard water (high dissolved solids) or then run through a water softener.

What does this mean?
Fully treated, soap/detergent requirements are lower.
pH neutralized this way makes lathering any soap a chore.
Raw ground water is only marginally better.

Right now with fully treated water, I don't need more than a small splash of water in my beloved Stirling to get where I want to go. Without the water softener, it'd be a chore, even with Stirling. And you just might find me completely submerging shaving soap in a mug if hot water to.

I'm going to make a revolutionary statement here as it applies to lather.........
Technique Trumps Tools!
Figure out how to get the lather the way you want it and stop whining because you feel so offended that someone is treading on your hallowed turf cause they don't want do it your way!

I like my synthetic, I like my badger, I haven't tried others but might.

Do we really NEED a brush?

Williams works great in hard water by the way. No need to bloom it even then...just saying.

It's traditional wet shaving.... Duhhh yes you need a brush.

Me likey this statement.