DIYers - Has anyone ever successfully duplicated Williams Shaving Sticks?

[dcobranchi]

I shaved this morning with my favorite vintage soap: Williams Shaving Stick. It's pink in color and rose scented. Smells seriously terrific. I only use it a couple of times a year, since I'll likely never find another one. Which leads me to the title of the thread. Does anyone have a recipe for a stick that they think reasonably matches Williams? I'd really like to try my hand at making some sticks. I'm a chemist IRL, so would feel pretty comfortable working with the strong bases.


dcobranchi

P.S. Apologies if this is covered already in a thread somewhere. I searched best I could and didn't find anything relevant.

 

[jmattmiller]

I'm afraid I've never tried Williams. My wife has done quite well at cloning soaps in the past, but it's about a three month process at least, and it helps to have an original on hand to compare the prototypes with. Otherwise we both tend to improperly recall nuances in scent and lather that are incorrect.

I recommend hot process soapmaking when you experiment in order to cut down on curing times. She does cold process mostly, but I haven't got the patience for it.

I wish you luck, and I hope you keep us updated.

 

[dcobranchi]

The Wiki has a list of the pre-1977 ingredients. No percentages, of course. And it's for the puck. The stick is still soft some 40 years later, so I'm guessing the KOH and NaOH are reversed in the stick. But that's a SWAG.