I have a few questions about hard soaps.
1. Is it acceptable to use the same badger brush for both soaps and creams? Will this affect the way the brush works with either product?
2. I'm most experienced with creams. I can make a rich meringue like lather with them easily but soap lather seems to be thinner and more bubbly. Is this normal? I haven't really mastered soap lathering yet. My only real soap is an Ogalla Bay Rum shave stick that I melted into a container. I'm thinking of picking up a C&E soap at the local mall soon.
3. The reason for question 1 is this. I live in a very hard water area. According to the city our water is somewhere around 18. A water softener is not an option as I live in an apartment but I think the building has one. I occasionally see a salt truck outside the building. I just don't know how well it works. All the faucets and the coffee maker always have scale build up so I doubt it does much at all. I have always had good results from creams. I don't get a lot of soap residue buildup on my razor or brush with creams but soaps seem to leave residue more readily. Is this normal in your experience?
Also, when I've used my badger brush on soap and then gone back to cream with it the cream seemed to leave instant heavy residue on everything. It was as though the soap residue interacted negatively with the cream. After cleaning all my gear in vinegar and water solution this problem would often go away. I'm not 100% sure that the soap and the cream interacted to cause this. Is this sort of reaction to be expected in your experience?
It's possible that our city's water quality changes from time to time. The city says that our water hardness can range from 18-24!!!! Water quality is the main topic of local politics around here. I can see a spike of harder water causing the instant residue build up. I just can't figure it out.
Anyhow, any help you can give would be appreciated.
For the record I have a Kent boar brush and a C&E pure badger. The boar I usually use for soaps but I like my badger and the lather it produces seems to be more dense.
1. Is it acceptable to use the same badger brush for both soaps and creams? Will this affect the way the brush works with either product?
2. I'm most experienced with creams. I can make a rich meringue like lather with them easily but soap lather seems to be thinner and more bubbly. Is this normal? I haven't really mastered soap lathering yet. My only real soap is an Ogalla Bay Rum shave stick that I melted into a container. I'm thinking of picking up a C&E soap at the local mall soon.
3. The reason for question 1 is this. I live in a very hard water area. According to the city our water is somewhere around 18. A water softener is not an option as I live in an apartment but I think the building has one. I occasionally see a salt truck outside the building. I just don't know how well it works. All the faucets and the coffee maker always have scale build up so I doubt it does much at all. I have always had good results from creams. I don't get a lot of soap residue buildup on my razor or brush with creams but soaps seem to leave residue more readily. Is this normal in your experience?
Also, when I've used my badger brush on soap and then gone back to cream with it the cream seemed to leave instant heavy residue on everything. It was as though the soap residue interacted negatively with the cream. After cleaning all my gear in vinegar and water solution this problem would often go away. I'm not 100% sure that the soap and the cream interacted to cause this. Is this sort of reaction to be expected in your experience?
It's possible that our city's water quality changes from time to time. The city says that our water hardness can range from 18-24!!!! Water quality is the main topic of local politics around here. I can see a spike of harder water causing the instant residue build up. I just can't figure it out.
Anyhow, any help you can give would be appreciated.
For the record I have a Kent boar brush and a C&E pure badger. The boar I usually use for soaps but I like my badger and the lather it produces seems to be more dense.