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Hard water and shaving

Anyone have hard water? I keep finding that my water is adding to some shaving woes...at least that is my hypothesis. I seem to be getting very little slip from products...and I find that it dries on my face too fast. I could add enough water to my brush that I have soap flying everywhere...3 minutes later it starts drying on my face.
 
I have the same problem. I've found that using more product is a huge help. Also, some products work better than others with hard water. Creams are generally easier, but I've recently had luck with La Toja, AOS and Proraso soaps. It took me a long time to get success with soap. If you keep at it you'll get it.

Ben
 
Hi SUNA,
Hard water can be harsh to brush...think of it like your hair, residues will start building on it. Rinsing the brush extensively is very important in preventing buildup, which will compromise lather quality.

I had started a thread talking about keeping lather warm. In using my Sunbeam Hot Pot Express, I use purified water exclusively (in the pot and when soaking the brush in warm water). This is much much easier on the brush.

Part of the problem with hard water is the Ca deposits (same as soap scum in your shower)...you ill want to clean your brush using Borax and/or vinegar every few months or so. Some people have less of a problem.

just my 2 cents,
Robert
 
I have fairly hard water, which means extra product and longer lather mixing times. Although the cost is fairly significant, there might be some justification in purchasing a water softening system. The high mineral content also affects my photochemicals so I have purchased distilled water, which can be had fairly cheap. You don't need much for your brush.
 
I find that adding a small amount of Bicarbinate of Soda to the water is effective at softening it, I get a much better lather as a result - cheap and easy!
 
Even better...buying a soft water system. Gets installed in a few weeks. :lol:

$$ but true! My daughter's house has a system and I have never had a shave as good as I go there. Shave heaven! ) I would move in with her but the work commute between Indiana and Georgia is kinda long!

Using more product and adding a little more water gets me by.
 
I live in a very hard water area you may have heard of the white cliffs of Dover flipping great big lumps of chalk that make up a large part of the south of England so hard water is a fact of life for most of us. I have no problems making a lather you just need to be a bit more energetic making it and be prepared to whip it back up again for the next pass. As for drying out the skin yes it is a problem everybody uses moisturiser after a bath or shower and thats not just the women. E45 is a good one but anything unscented will do.
Water softeners work but you would not want to drink the water that comes out of one too much salt.
 
Water softeners work but you would not want to drink the water that comes out of one too much salt.

As part of the installation they bypass the outside taps and the cold water tap at the kitchen sink so it is straight from the city. A nice chlorine smelling blend! :thumbdown As for drinking water...we only drink bottled spring water.

There's actually not that much salt in soft water. Salt water brine is only used for cleaning the resin beads in the tank. So the only salt ingested is from residual deposits. An extra flushing cycle during regeneration usually gets rid of any extra salt brine.

I sure hope a soft water system helps!
 
I find that adding a small amount of Bicarbinate of Soda to the water is effective at softening it, I get a much better lather as a result - cheap and easy!

+1.

In the beginning, I probably spent two months researching why my lather never looked like the tutorials or Mantic's vids. When I found that my area has a water hardness of 313ppm (considered pretty hard), it was a good bet that my water was the culprit. Ideally, to soften water, you should add washing soda (sodium carbonate), which is common in laundry detergent. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult to find (supposedly, pool supply stores carry it), and I'm not keen on putting something that shouldn't be ingested that close to my mouth. Thankfully, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) works well enough, is cheap, and is readily available at grocery stores.

Also, to maintain the efficacy of your brush, regularly clean it with dish detergent and white vinegar (or borax)--just check the wiki. I do it once a month.
 
People make the claim that water softeners give you salt overload however the truth is you get way less than the MDA of salt even if you drink loads of water. On the alternative you can use KCl instead.
 
The biggest by far improvement to my shaving was installing a water softener. I use less product, my razor is spotless after a quick shake, my brush stays cleaner longer, and my skin feels better. There are other benefits to the houshold appliances....but I am only impressed by the better quality of shaves.:lol:
 
The biggest by far improvement to my shaving was installing a water softener. I use less product, my razor is spotless after a quick shake, my brush stays cleaner longer, and my skin feels better. There are other benefits to the houshold appliances....but I am only impressed by the better quality of shaves.:lol:

You lucky shaver you! At my daughter's house (mentioned earlier), I could not feel the razor against my skin! I only knew it was touching by seeing the lather disappear. That was a surreal experience.

Early-on I used backing soda (that's where my forum name came from) and certain brands of bottled water. However, over time (3 months) my lather building skills improved to the point that they became unnecessary. Loading extra soap/cream and getting/keeping it wet throughout the shave did the trick.
 
The biggest by far improvement to my shaving was installing a water softener. I use less product, my razor is spotless after a quick shake, my brush stays cleaner longer, and my skin feels better. There are other benefits to the houshold appliances....but I am only impressed by the better quality of shaves.:lol:

Hi Brian,
What kind of water softener did you install? How is the maintenance?

Cheers,
Robert
 
I find that adding a small amount of Bicarbinate of Soda to the water is effective at softening it, I get a much better lather as a result - cheap and easy!


That seems to help with my water, too. But I am not sure if there is science to verify this cause and effect. I keep some baking soda in a salt shaker and sprinkle a little in my razor and brush water.
 
Robert, I installed a GE unit that came from Home Depot. The only thing I have to do for maintaince is add salt. I was lucky and my house was pre-plumbed with a soft water loop. All I had to do was solder 2 male adapters, attach the flex lines, and a drain line.
 
Thanks Brian,
That sounds easy enough. I have been looking at the GE system too. Does that affect the flow of water in any way (i.e., slow flow etc...)? I am also thinking about attaching a RO system in series with this...since softening and purifying are different stages of the process. But, that's just a theory at this stage.


Cheers,
Robert

Robert, I installed a GE unit that came from Home Depot. The only thing I have to do for maintaince is add salt. I was lucky and my house was pre-plumbed with a soft water loop. All I had to do was solder 2 male adapters, attach the flex lines, and a drain line.
 
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