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Glycerine soaps and hard water

I have hard water - 17 on the hardness scale. I can't seem to get a moist usable lather from any glycerine soap. The lather goes from dripping to curd-like and dry in the blink of an eye with any brush. Sometimes both states are in the bowl. Creams do the same thing. Is this the water or me? MWF and Cella make excellent lathers. So does Dove hand soap.

Although I've been wet shaving since I started in the last century, I'm far from knowing half of what many here know so please advise away.

It has made for some nice smelling shower soaps.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Use distilled water like suggested with a mister, 1 gallon jug will almost last 1 year for about $1.50 is also my recommendation.
 
You can use a pinch of citric acid to treat your hard water. It's usually sold for home canning. Otherwise, distilled water should work well, as mentioned.
 
Distilled water... why didn't I think of that. I use it in my steam engine model.
My most recent soap is Tactonic that my daughter gave me. Lovely soap and works great in the shower. Put in a tub for saving and produces a dry lather.
Will try the distilled tomorrow.
Thanks.
 
I have water that is even harder than yours, but I have a water softener that removes the calcium and magnesium, so I do not have an issue.

Some soaps are specifically designed for use with hard water. They contain EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) that is a chelating agent that ties up the calcium and magnesium ions before they can react with the fatty acid esters (soaps) to form calcium and magnesium salts that fall out of solution.

Citric acid is also a chelating agent. It can be found in powdered form in your grocery store. If there is a section dedicated to home canning, you will find it there. Look for the mason jars. Otherwise, you might find it with salt and spices or with baking goods. Lemon juice contains citric acid, so it will work as well, but dry citric acid would be more convenient.
 
Outside of the water issue altogether, I believe that glycerin soaps have a different type of lather than tallow or other "hard" soaps. I recently picked up two bars of unscented glycerin soap from my local Publix. Same brand but one bar was old and the other had a sticker saying "now better lather!". Neither of them produced the type of lather that I get from tallow soaps- definitely serviceable but a different feel and look- thinner and slicker- than what I normally use.
 
I have no idea if any of the soaps or creams I have are glycerine based but my water hardness is 18 so similar to the OP and I've never had an issue with any of them. The one soap I remember was absolute garbage for me was many years back, Col. Conk Bay Rum and after a few tries, tossed it.
 
Hi All.
Using distilled water made things better. It will now lather and hold water. Before it always produced a dry ( or too wet) lather.
I'll probably not get glycerine shaving soaps in the future as it's a bit of a nuisance to heat a separate jug of water when you can open a tap. Lots of true soaps out there.
Thanks for the help.
 
After shaving with canned foam/gel using injectors/carts for 40 years, my first 10 years of DE wetshaving I was on well water. I have no idea what the hardness level was, but lathering was the biggest challenge for me. I tried distilled water, microwaving, various bowls and scuttles. It wasn't until I began face lathering that I started getting good lather and shaves, by first putting hot water on the puck to soften it, then splashing that water on my face before lathering the brush.

Keep in mind that not all glycerin soaps are the same. I've had glycerine soaps that were as good as any tallow, and other glycerine soaps that I tossed in the trash after one use.
 
After shaving with canned foam/gel using injectors/carts for 40 years, my first 10 years of DE wetshaving I was on well water. I have no idea what the hardness level was, but lathering was the biggest challenge for me. I tried distilled water, microwaving, various bowls and scuttles. It wasn't until I began face lathering that I started getting good lather and shaves, by first putting hot water on the puck to soften it, then splashing that water on my face before lathering the brush.

Keep in mind that not all glycerin soaps are the same. I've had glycerine soaps that were as good as any tallow, and other glycerine soaps that I tossed in the trash after one use.
That's true of all soaps - some great, some not so. Face lathering is not my favourite method for some reason. Guess I like watching that rich lather build in the bowl. Very handy when traveling though.
Going to try the other puck up north where the water is very soft. Should work well there.
JR
 
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