Yesterday I joined the Shavers Den and posted my introductory comment on the Newbie Forum. Many thanks for the warm welcome. In my post I mentioned that I have been a wet shaver for 20+ years and that I was looking for unscented soaps. Members kindly suggested a variety of unscented soaps. I have ordered a few and I patiently await their arrival. In my post I also mentioned that I was searching for a new soap because I found the Williams Soap I had been using all these years to be a bit “thin”. Last evening I thought to myself how could this be? The William Soap Company has been in business since 1840 and 175 years is a long time. Could it be that I was missing something? So I went online to the website that knows the answers to everything related to shaving (The Shave Den) and eagerly read postings reviews of Williams Soap. (Remember I am new to the Den…I didn’t have access to all this expertise before yesterday). Some reviewers seemed to agree with my appraisal and in general they found the foam to be “a bit thin”. Others said Williams was a very good soap and that those that found the foam to be “a bit thin” were doing it all wrong! They then proceeded to explain how to build a thick lasting lather by sharing a few simple tips (e.g. more water not less). (I can personally recommend theves2 video “Lathering Williams soap”). Apparently I had been doing it all wrong all these years. How embarrassing! To Williams Shaving Soap users everywhere, whose soap I dismissed as “a bit thin”, I have seen the error of my ways. It just goes to show...you can always learn something new.
Williams Soap was reformulated when it was bought out by Combe. The vintage soap (pre 1980) is sought after by many.
Vintage williams soap is amazing. They changed how it use to be made and it hasnt been the same since.
I see this is a touchy subject. I have no doubt there are better soaps on the market, but for the price...hard to beat Williams....and when it is used correctly (as I have learned).
Amen. I've heard people say, "Just do this, that, and the other thing and you'll get a great lather... most of the time." Like ARGH said, there are far too many soaps out there that whip up a great lather every time without having to fight with it. Besides, I'm not crazy about the skeeter-be-gone / urinal puck scent. But that's me. Enjoy your Williams.
Not touchy at all. You either love Williams or you hate it. It's your shave. Enjoy it your way. And I mean that.
This is, for most users, a love it or hate it product as far as the current version is concerned. The current Williams was the first shaving soap I used. I had no trouble making a good lather with it, but there are other soaps that more strike my fancy. The ones I tend to use the most are not expensive soaps (VDH Luxury, Taconic, Mama Bears, Maggards). I also want to note that there are some far worse than Williams (Herban Cowboy and Bert's Bees for example). I exclude Vintage Williams from the Current Williams because the vintage (though hard to come by and expensive) is an good soap.
dont know if you have tried it or not but VDH luxury is just a little bit more, just as easy to find, and a very very nice soap (YMMV) because i have never tried williams....but, VDH is very easy to lather, is very dense, and smells great
Not touchy at all I have had soaps that were far less desirable than Williams. I wonder if the people making those soaps even shave.
Thanks IDuck (and others) for the opinions/suggestions. While I have been wet shaving for most of my life I have been using a limited number of shave soaps/creams mostly because of a lack of availability and I am limited to using unscented products. While Williams has a slight scent I seem to be able to tolerate it well. Others I can use with no problem are Aveeno Gel (can) and Nivea original in a tube. Since joining the Den (yesterday) is am coming to learn there are many other unscented shaving soap products available...that I can order online. Hopefully over time I can expand my horizons and enjoy other shaving soaps that don't make me unwell from strong scents.