I am relatively new to shaving with a puck and/or cream. As I am still finding a good sweet-spot for the cream, I am failing, I believe, when it comes to hard soap. I am committed to PDP No. 63 because I really enjoy the scent and Mrs. Rev579 does too. I am looking for insight and/or tips for this extremely well-milled shaving soap.
Welcome to the den. I have hard water so some soaps and creams just don’t work well for me. Short of installing a softener or using distilled water from a jug, I’ve learned (through trial and error) which products work best for me. Sometimes it can help to put some water on the top of the puck and let it soak for awhile (like while you’re taking your shower).
Tip - take all the tips and try all the tips. Some, all, or none may work. Here's why Their brush may be a different size Their brush may be a different material They may be basing their results on a different soap, never having tried your soap Their water may be harder Their water may be softer. Their idea of a damp brush may be different than yours They may apply more brush pressure on their puck They may apply less brush pressure on their puck Their idea of "a few swirls" may be different than yours Their idea of "a few seconds" may be different than yours Some may say you need to soak your puck Some may say soaking your puck is a waste of time When ever someone says to swirl for six seconds or make eight swirls with the brush, try it, but as I said, you may not get the same results. You have to experiment with what YOU have; learn how to use the tools YOU have. Have fun, but always remember - It's your shave. Enjoy it your way.
I use this soap regularly. I use a boar brush with this one. Soak the brush before loading, shake it out softly. I load aggressively and push into the soap with the brush. You won’t hurt that soap. I don’t use it every day so it dries fully between uses. YMMV if you use it every shave. I bowl lather and finish on the face. I spend longer building the lather with PdP 63, but it is really nice if I work it. Experiment. Find what works for you. It is a great soap with great fragrance. The AS balm is a nice finisher to that shave.
The ASB IS something to look forward to. Have you played with the idea of grating it and using a stick? Would that even work with this stuff? I have read the shave cream doesn't quite lather well. I did have limited success with a synthetic brush, but my boar brushes STILL STINK SO BAD! I actually loaded the boar with the PDP, hoping that would bring some relief to the brush. No Joy. I take it you do not soak the soap prior to the load.
As others have said, what works for me may not work for you, but I like to soak PdP prior to loading. When loading the brush, I work the puck over like it owes me money and is two months later on payment. Really load the brush. Get much more product than you think you need. You can adjust later once you dial it in. BTW, shaving creams lather just fine. I've used several types from Arko, to TOBS, to the TSD Wheat SC, and get great lathers. Any good cream or soap should provide you a decent lather.
I actually haven't tried it, and I just re-read your post. I misread and see your were specifically commenting on the PdP cream. I have seen comments on it that people feel it isn't very economical, and a few about slickness. The economic parts may be understandable, as I can see it wouldn't offer the same value as the soap. I would be curious about the slickness, as I have read a few comments stating the same on the soap. I wouldn't quite put the soap up there with the sickest soaps I have used, but it is plenty slick for me when I get the lather right. As with any other shaving related item, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.
Never thought about grating it. Never will, but you might find that works for you. My synthetic would not be my choice for that soap as it doesn’t have the backbone to work the soap the way i need to. The scent of the brush should improve with the residual fragrance from that soap and use.
My Omega 49 took about 30-40 shaves before the stink was completely gone. Just use it. It'll get softer and less smelly!
When you're first starting out, I always recommend loading for WAY longer than you think you need to. Like 3x longer. Letting water sit on the puck for a few minutes should help, too. Not sure what type of brush you're using, but I always had trouble with boars. After I switched to synthetics, I never seemed to have any issues loading, even from hard pucks like PdP.
My biggest issue when I was new to DE shaving with soaps and a brush was failure to load enough. My second biggest issue was too much water in the brush. You combine those issues and you get lousy lather, if you get any. As others have recommended, load longer than you think you need to with a drier brush than you think you need. As you build lather (either in a bowl or on your face or hand), add a bit of water from time to time by either dipping the tips of the brush into a bowl of warm water or by swishing it under a trickle from the tap. Keep working the lather, adding water, and soon you'll get to a good creamy consistency.
It is easier to add water if your lather is too thick than to fix a lather that is not slick enough to suit your needs. For me, it’s not about how it looks, but how it performs.