- Thread starter
- #21
i guess one of the things I have discovered is the soap can be really slick, but with the salts, it dries the skin out a bit too much.
I was tempted to try that one, and still might do it. But Williams is $1.12, the price of Yardley, so sometimes I question what in the world is going through my head.
i guess one of the things I have discovered is the soap can be really slick, but with the salts, it dries the skin out a bit too much.
While Williams is a two ounce puck, Yardley is $1.32 for 4.25 oz, so it is cheaper. Plus, I find that Yardley has better slickness than Williams. So no matter how much you like Williams, Yardley is still worth trying. I admit, however, that Yardley does not come up to the standards of my best soaps, whether traditional like MWF and Tabac or artisan.
Bentonite clay is sometimes added to shave soaps, so when I saw this Yardley bar, I picked it up. Thought it made a fair shave soap:
View attachment 1042079
I don't know. I used a synth with black fibers, so I didn't notice. But it did stain a washcloth.
I already had a fresh blade loaded in the Bullet Tip so thats what I used. I could have just as easily used the MMOC, possibly even easier.
Bullet Tip/PTFE 1
Brush: None.
Soap....
I wet my face thoroughly with warm water, my usual preshave prep. Then I squeezed out about a quarter size blob on my fingers and slowly wiped it over my face and neck mixing it with the water but not creating any froth. Anyone thats used this soap knows how slippery it is in your hands. Mixed with a little bit of water its even slipperier.
First pass N>S, easy peasy. No fuss, long incredibly smooth strokes from the top of my cheek to the base of my neck. Blade feel was obvious. I noticed by the time I got to the left side of my face I was using the razor as steeply as I do with the MMOC on shave 8. Very steep, to get the most blade feel I can have and using more pressure too. I finished that pass and smirked.
I felt around before starting my second pass and found I had a nice and very comfortable first pass. My skin was mostly dry, the blade didnt leave much behind. I knew the soap wasnt gone so I wet my hand and rubbed my face again lightly until the slickness woke up and stopped again just as foam was starting to be created.
Second pass S>N. More of the same insane slickness. Zero cushion. Imagine slippery water. I shaved all areas S>N then started buffing around my chin and sides of my mouth. It was so slick and so easy it defies description.
Finished that pass, I felt around again not sure if there would be enough soap to wake back up, there wasnt. I doled out a dime size dollop and wiped it over my face the same as before then started ATG from my jawline down. No issues whatsoever, not even over my swirls.
I finished with a nice BBS over all areas except along my left side jawline and right under my chin. Its borderline BBS but not quite. The blade feel is so pronounced I must have dropped the angle where I can feel it the most.
I had to wet a hand towel and wipe my face twice to get the residual soap off. I had light redness left side swirl but no irritation at all anywhere else.
Post shave feel is not the best but thats understandable. Now 20 minutes later, its not so bad at all. My skin is cool, comfortable, supple and just feels clean.
I could very easily use this soap again. I think using a soap thats so thin, offers no cushion at all yet is so slick its actually very protective, is an excellent teacher of technique. I'm pretty confident with my GEM razors and usually shave with abandon. After the first 1/2 a stroke, I was shaving with even less worry.