Dr. Harris - am I doing something wrong?

[bmilcs]

I have about 4 shaves under my belt with Arlington and I'm finding that it isn't protective enough for my headshaves. A layer of slick cushion that I've grown accustomed to isn't present after each stroke. My skin doesnt feel slick and protected like other products in my den but dry and I've tried loading for double the amount I usually do with MWF, tabac, mikes, cella, AoS tallow, etc. I feel something is lacking with this soap. Is this normal? DR Harris has a huge fan base and I assume it's my fault that I'm unable to enjoy it thoroughly.

I've been face and head lathering it like any other soap with my SOC, Pro 49 and 620.

Thanks!

 

[lt114]

Wet the puck while you're in the shower, and load with a fairly dry brush. Harris is pretty thirsty so don't be afraid to incorporate plenty of water. You should get good results.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I've had a bad lather or two with Dr Harris, but 9 times out of 10 it's just dandy.

Wet the puck while your brush is soaking, give the brush a good shake or two before loading and be sure to load nice and heavy. Works for me.

I'd say the big step for me is wetting the puck. It's a VERY waxy puck in my opinion and seems the slough off water readily. Most soaps don't really care much if you wet the puck during prep, but in my experience Dr H is one that does. I expect that if you were willing to bother that milling a puck of Dr H would make it a no-brainer to lather, like tabac.

 

[bmilcs]

My puck had been grated and I've soaked it before each use ;/

It lathers thick and creamy but lacks protection like tabac n the fat. It's not up to my standards I suppose? Lol

 

[kingfisher]

I had a sample once. I thought it tended toward a foamy lather, which I don't like. Mine was clearly a minority view.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I'm not sure what's missing in lather that is thick but lacks "protection", so really, I can't help you here. Kingfisher's problem, Yeah I can understand, and what I posted above was my advice to avoid that. But if you're getting thick lather and you just don't like the shave, then I can't really help you out there. At that point my suspicion would be that there was some element of the shaves other than lather that you aren't taking into account that coincidentally degraded the quality of the shave. The only "bad" thick lather I've ever gotten is lather that isn't hydrated yet. And that wouldn't really be described as thick lather, I'd describe it as a layer of soap.

 

[hillbilly pick]

For head shaving whip up a dry mix lather and bout it on a wet head. There is much more real estate on the head and even more so area that holds water. So each time you lather your head you can rinse and not worry about added moisture. Head shave, dry whip. Face, a bit wetter!

 

[bmilcs]

Alright. I'll give that a shot. Thanks! I usually don't rinse lather off in between passes. I just add a little more water over what's left and then relather over.

 

[brother cavefish]

i have found heads need more water and a great lather massage before the shave begins, i lather about 2 or 3 times before the head is finished the first round , heads are a pain to shave especially with a full head of hair

 

[Reevers]

I've found using anything like Marco's method with Arlington produces thin, airy lather, here's a few pointers I've noticed with my Harris soap...

- Sit my brush in water and then shake a lot of the moisture out before loading with the relatively dry brush.
- I've found also that not as much Harris product is required as with some of my other soaps.
- I hydrate my lather by making sure I have a lot water sitting on my skin (face splashes) just before taking the loaded brush and face/head lathering.
- The usual dipping the tips works if further hydration of the lather is needed.
- If the lather looks a bit flat on my skin, I might add more protective bulk by finishing with plenty of painting strokes (Arlington builds up nicely on my skin this way)

Good luck Bryan!

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

I find that I've loaded enough soap when I start to get some pre-lather on the puck. Really don't use much water and a fairly dry brush. Works well on my dome.

 

[bmilcs]

I think I may be overloading it and subsequently not adding enough water because it had been grated and is easy for my brush to pick up.

Gasps: could it be? An exception to the golden rule?!

 

[bmilcs]

I've soaked the puck now overnight a few times to soften it up a bit. This has done wonders for the fat. I always soak my pucks before use and use a dry brush - squeezed / shook a couple times.

It may just be a ymmv situation; just not protective enough for my ever growing expectations.

 

[Capslock]

I have the same problem with Harris. It forms a great, fluffy lather easily for me, but it lacks the slickness that I'm looking for, and I end up with more cuts and weepers than normal, and a razor that sometimes skips along. I'm thinking of trying some Prorasso pre before I lather up next time to see if that helps. I love the scents, though, so I'll keep trying.

 

[bmilcs]

I have the same problem with Harris. It forms a great, fluffy lather easily for me, but it lacks the slickness that I'm looking for, and I end up with more cuts and weepers than normal, and a razor that sometimes skips along. I'm thinking of trying some Prorasso pre before I lather up next time to see if that helps. I love the scents, though, so I'll keep trying.

Exactly. It appears and feels like amazing lather. When I put the razor to my skin, it doesn't glide effortlessly and causes mild discomfort - I become overly aware of the blade and makes it a worrisome experience.

 

[bassopotamus]

I like Arlington, but performance wise, it seems be a solid B+ with slightly erratic tendencies. I agree with Slice of Life's post above. I get mostly good shaves out of it, but occasionally, it goes wrong, and when it does, it is pretty wrong.

the reference soaps you listed are all pretty outstanding (I don't like Tabac, but Mike's, Cella, and MWF are really good, and AOS Tallow is the single best soap I have ever used). Even at it's best, I've yet to get a shave that is quite as good out of Harris as these others.

 

[bmilcs]

Yes AoS tallow seems incredible. I've only used it once as I've been on an AD spree lately. I'll revisit it tonight. God it's a shame they discontinued it!

I was expecting to be wowed by DR. Harris. Oh well! It's a learning process and someday I'll revisit it. I tend to use very aggressive razors so performance issues are overstated.

 

[jrtaster]

Bryan,
Not to stir the pot, so to speak, but I have read somewhere that grating certain soaps (DR Harris was specifically mentioned) somehow
changes the soap's texture to the point that lather quality is negatively affected. I have never grated a soap, as a matter of some weird personal thing perhaps, so my experience isn't relevant; But given the generally high ratings given to DRH on B&B's soap reviews, perhaps the grating thing may be something to consider.
On the other hand, I subscribe to the school of thought which holds there are certain soaps (MW for me, MWF for plenty of others) which just don't justify a whole lot of extra effort....if you try and try and try and you can't get the thing to work, move it out of your rotation and get back to soaps you know work and like. In other words, for me, it often ISN'T the user but the soap. In your case you seem to have tried a lot of the excellent suggestions offered here and still seem to be disappointed and have now decided to move ahead...good for you! Looks like you have an arsenal of great soaps as alternatives.
jr/John

 

[bmilcs]

Bryan,
Not to stir the pot, so to speak, but I have read somewhere that grating certain soaps (DR Harris was specifically mentioned) somehow
changes the soap's texture to the point that lather quality is negatively affected. I have never grated a soap, as a matter of some weird personal thing perhaps, so my experience isn't relevant; But given the generally high ratings given to DRH on B&B's soap reviews, perhaps the grating thing may be something to consider.
On the other hand, I subscribe to the school of thought which holds there are certain soaps (MW for me, MWF for plenty of others) which just don't justify a whole lot of extra effort....if you try and try and try and you can't get the thing to work, move it out of your rotation and get back to soaps you know work and like. In other words, for me, it often ISN'T the user but the soap. In your case you seem to have tried a lot of the excellent suggestions offered here and still seem to be disappointed and have now decided to move ahead...good for you! Looks like you have an arsenal of great soaps as alternatives.
jr/John

Thanks John. I also went through an entire puck of MW and never go it to work for me either. I was defeated by it. The grating issue is interesting and may well be it. Appreciate it.

 

[PomfretSteve]

I'm with you on the Arlington, I really, really wanted to love this soap but I just like it. Smells fantastic makes pretty lather, but I cannot get as comfortable a shave with it as many other soaps. Not sure why this is considering I also have Windsor, Marlborough, Lavender, and Almond DR Harris soaps and they all provide a much more comfortable shave for me, something about the cushion I think...