I've mixed a number different soaps and creams with soaps it all works..Just don't try to microwave a non "melt and pour" soap, you'll ruin it...In fact it's been my experience that mixing an inexpensive decent soap like Rays of Colorado goat soap or VDH Delux with a more expensive, but harder to lather soap brings out the best of the hard to lather soap and increases your puck size for cheap..
Took a couple of left over pieces of Arko and some small pieces of left over Mystic Water soaps and threwthem in a mug. Squished them down together and lathered up a storm. Actually got a lot of shaves out my FrankenPuck. Dave
You can also take half of a puck of the Van Der Hagen soap and half of a puck or Williams Mug soap to create what is known as the Van Der Williams. It actually works pretty well.
Oh, that was clever You just made that up man, admit it =P I saw a video of a man swirling his brush on some kind of soap and then put in on a colonel conk to add some glyrcerin =)
I might be a purist and I have not been at this as long as most but I get excellent lather with everything from Williams to MWF. I almost exclusively use soaps. I only use creams when I am in the road.
I too am a purist. Just making an observation here but....... Why pay for a "good"soap and mix it with a "cheap" soap because thats the only way you can make lather? Seems like to me the "good" soap is a waste of money and the "cheap" soap is where it's at. You guys all know by now I'm VDH's Biggest fan. If you gotta mix my $2.00 baby with your uber dollar soap just to get a useable result, why waste the money? Now I have "good soaps" myself and some are great and some suck. Not trying to ruffle feathers fellas, just sayin. Nobody kill me!
I'm also a purist in this case. I don't tend to mix soaps at all. There are so many good ones out there. I like to think each soap maker puts out what they consider the best quality soap they can produce, so why mess with the chemistry of their soap. Also, all my soaps are different scents. Scent mixing to me is a no no. But to each there own!
I dont mix soaps. Might mix soaps/creams. I dont mix soaps because i dont want the scents to contaminate each puck. Arko and Proraso red tube is a good combo though. I dont try to make a substandard soap better though.Both are able to stand on their own.But the result is better. Arkos slickness, stability, and ease of lather with Prorasos beard softening and moisturazition and scent.
I see there is a lot of mixed feelings about this. Mixing "expensive" and "cheap" soap is a clever way to get the characteristics of an expensive soap but alot more soap. But i cant help to think that this dilutes the proportions of scent, moisturazition and other properties. My thought was to mix a soap that u use (that doesnt have glycerin) with for example colonel conk, to give it more slickness. I to think that mixing scents is a no no. Hmm, but there must be some scents that Work good together Haven't used arko yet, but i have read about it. Does the citrusy smell work with the sandalwood from proraso? We know you love yourself some van der hagen. I'm curious to try that soap sometime =P I don't think that a soap must be expensive to be good, I think I would love the VDH too. I've seen you lather it. Does it really only cost 2 bucks? Haha that's crazy nice =P
It goes away quickly. Just leave it out of the wrapper and it just smells like Ivory bath soap. When mixed with the Proraso it still smells just like Proraso only weaker.
Absolutely, between 2 and 3 dollars, depends on where you get it. I'm telling you, it realy smells nice. You might hear alot of things about VDH but "it stinks" is somthing I have NEVER heard anyone say. Besides, unless it does stink, isnt dependable easy thick perfect lather the only thing that realy matters? AS and cologne are for scent. The VDH just happens to smell awesome. Where are you? I think What you wouldpay for shipping and 2 pucks of VDH you'll still pay less than buying a "good" puck of soap. I swear if VDH was made in outer Mongolia, costed $24.00 a puck and $15.00 to ship, you would'nt hear about any other soap. I mailed out 3 razors and 2 packs of blades today and found out I can ship 2 pucks of VDH (1 luxury and 1 deluxe) to Denmark from Florida for about $12.00. I'm about to send some that way. Thats STILL cheaper than some soaps. Comes to about $16.00 for 2 pucks of soap that smells awesome and lathers with any water type or temp . Don't get me wrong, there's a few soaps out there I'm dying to try and will (I'm waiting on some Wool Fat as we speak) but if they're more than $3.00 and wear me out trying to make lather, they WILL be PIF'd.
