Who Still Uses Williams Shaving Soap? What Have you Settled on as a Replacement? Thoughts on other Commercial Shaving Soaps as Alternatives?

[Juanmosey]

Cooling Shave Bar

Plastic-free Cooling Shave Bar crafted with cooling peppermint, soothing arnica and moisturizing sunflower seed oil. Vegan, cruelty free and crafted in the USA. Let's Raise the Bar!

pachasoap.com

 

[FarmerTan]

Arko pucks are better in every tangible way.

A verified genius of the highest order!

 

[FarmerTan]

I too used Williams mug soap for many years, and was taken by surprise when I found Amazon charging $42 (!) for a single puck. I rapidly figured out that Williams as a company no longer existed, and I would have to go elsewhere to shave my face.

Reading on this forum, I decided to try Arko shaving sticks. These work well, and this morning I tried a new wrinkle with them: when after about a week or so the stick gets short enough, I drop it into my shaving mug with enough hot water to cover it, and use it as if it were a Williams puck… That is, by massaging it with a wet shaving brush and then applying the resulting lather to my face.

Feels like old times! Plus, I love the scent of the Arko shaving soap. I know that others don't like its scent, but I find it just right.

Thanks for everyone on this form for helping me get out of a jam.

Another genius!

 

[FarmerTan]

I purchased a few pucks of Williams mug. When I heard it was being discontinued.

But I have never shaved with it. Maybe one of these days I’ll give it a try.

I do the same with my Arko sticks.

When they get too short to rub on my face. It goes to the Old Spice mug to be finished off.

Like you @Lane101 I have Turkish shave sticks in my rotation Arko, Derby and Jikoryen.

Like the Razorock WTP soaps a lot

As well as Italian croaps like Vitos & Cella

Have a good supply of them to last me for years.

While I have more expensive shave soaps in my den. The 3 types seem to get the most use from me.

My recommendation: treat the Williams as puck and rub it on your face and then lather!

 

[Lane101]

Cooling Shave Bar

Plastic-free Cooling Shave Bar crafted with cooling peppermint, soothing arnica and moisturizing sunflower seed oil. Vegan, cruelty free and crafted in the USA. Let's Raise the Bar!

pachasoap.com

How does this soap work for you? Looks like it's brushless.

Most unusual set of ingredients. Unclear what the saponify with.

Behentrimonium Chloride, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Coco-Glucoside, Menthol, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Camphor, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Fragrance (Plant-based), Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide, Mixed Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

 

[GaryTha]

I'm down to 26 pucks I bought before the price went up. Williams works well for me.

I also have about 24 sticks of ARKO.

 

[GaryTha]

Arko pucks are better in every tangible way.

It's the intangibles that matter most. That's why I worship Williams and only venerate ARKO.

 

[GaryTha]

People who don't understand Williams probably won't like ARKO, which is slightly inferior (but smells better).

 

[Juanmosey]

How does this soap work for you? Looks like it's brushless.

Most unusual set of ingredients. Unclear what the saponify with.

Behentrimonium Chloride, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Coco-Glucoside, Menthol, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Camphor, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Fragrance (Plant-based), Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide, Mixed Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Honestly never used it. I like creams.

 

[Lane101]

Honestly never used it. I like creams.

Now I get it, the goal of your OP was to be humorous.

Suspect that they called it a Shave Bar because it is not even soap - per my earlier post there was nothing in the ingredients to saponify the items listed

 

[Juanmosey]

Now I get it, the goal of your OP was to be humorous.

Suspect that they called it a Shave Bar because it is not even soap - per my earlier post there was nothing in the ingredients to saponify the items listed

I just thought it be something worth trying. Nothing more.

 

[Juanmosey]

Now I get it, the goal of your OP was to be humorous.

Suspect that they called it a Shave Bar because it is not even soap - per my earlier post there was nothing in the ingredients to saponify the items listed

One review confirms what you say. I understand now. Thanks for pointing that out. Sorry, I not much of a chemist.

 

[George NJ USA]

Hi George, Welcome to B&B, I see you just joined less than an hour ago and this is your first post!

Many former Williams users have moved to Arko as it is the best available tallow based alternative at a similar price point. It makes excellent lather and like you I also enjoy the scent. Razorock What-the-Puck soaps (100 gram puck currently on sale at Italian Barber for $2.99 each) are another good alternative. These are hard non-tallow french milled pucks.

Arko sticks are not as hard as Williams. If warmed just a little you can mold them into a puck size (there is a video out there on this - link below). One can also put a stick in a zip lock bag and let it warm in hot water. Many of us just mold the sticks into a puck using body heat from our hands to improve malleability - this is my approach. You can also slice the sticks and just press the slices into your mug or bowl.

Regarding Williams it is not worth $42. Looked at Ebay and I suspect the pucks are selling for closer to $15 - $25, still way to much. One B&B member recently purchased 5 pucks for $20 each. Until it was discontinued over two years ago it was nice to have access to Williams at our local supermarket for 99 cents per puck. The soap works well and was great value at that price. I also liked to use it as an ingredient for some custom blends.

Let us know what else you use when shaving such as your razor(s), brush(es) and blades and how they work for you. Our forums also have lots of great ideas on how to optimize your shaves.


Link to video on molding an Arko Stick:

Lane: Thanks for taking the time to welcome me to B&B! My razor is a Dorco bought cheap on Amazon, also their blades and a truly ancient plastic brush I bought I know not where perhaps 50 years ago. It still works though.
I'm pretty happy with my shaves as they are, and as long as I can get supplies, I'm content where I am. Thanks especially also for the video showing how to shape Arko sticks! No limit to the ingenuity of males faced with a conundrum!

 

[George NJ USA]

Lane: Thanks for taking the time to welcome me to B&B! My razor is a Dorco bought cheap on Amazon, also their blades and a truly ancient plastic brush I bought I know not where perhaps 50 years ago. It still works though.
I'm pretty happy with my shaves as they are, and as long as I can get supplies, I'm content where I am. Thanks especially also for the video showing how to shape Arko sticks! No limit to the ingenuity of males faced with a conundrum!

Lane: please reply saying more about your "custom blends"? Would love to hear.

 

[Lane101]

Lane: please reply saying more about your "custom blends"? Would love to hear.

Hi George, Have a look at post #9 on the linked thread below where I wrote about this. This post also includes a link to a number of my earlier posts that include details on formulation and the exact blending process.

Link to thread on blending shaving soaps (see 5th bullet on my latest custom soap blend):

Dove as a shaving soap?

Hey everyone, I'm just wondering have any of you here tried to get the Dove 3 in 1 body, face and shave bar to lather well? Does the soap hydrate as well as others out there does or does it dry out the skin like you'd expect something like irish spring deodorant bar would cause?

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