Hard water vs Soft water

[Ralle1900]

hi.
as i still wait for my eqipment to arrive i was wondering what the difference between hard and soft water in terms of wetshaving is.

i live in a hard water zone and want to know if there is anything special i should keep in mind because of that?


thanks in advance

 

[jackmormon]

I live in hard water area also. The only thing I have found that is needed is loading more soap or cream than if I was shaving in a soft water area. Some people will use distilled water for lathering if it is real bad.

 

[SUNA]

Lather, slip, skin tone, skin moisture, etc.

I live in a hard water area and just got a soft water system. The first time you shower with it...you feel like you have been showering in olive oil. Seriously!

 

[SUNA]

My posts:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=155590

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=160095

 

[Catseye]

Wow! Suna read your posts. I've got 35 grain water here in New Mexico so it's above and beyond hard. Today was the best lather I've had yet and I got that by putting my soap mug in the microwave and melting the soap, then dipping my brush into the liquid, then using the lather bowl. It really made a difference. More so than even using distilled water and just trying to load the brush normally. So adding more product definitely helped. As I rinse my brush in tap water, I'm wondering if I need "clean" it in vinegar or maybe add baking soda to my rinse water? Thoughts from all are welcome.

 

[Ralle1900]

is there anything i can do that issnt super expensive?

 

[IronJohn]

I grew up and lived in the mountains of Virginia. The water that flowed into the reservoirs there was as soft as a kiss. I live in the central valley of California now and you can almost hear a metallic "clink" as it strikes the sink.

When I go home I really appreciate the magnificent volumes of lather that seemingly pours out of my brush like rivers of vanilla icing. It's like having some kind of Wonka brush or something. Mama Bear's and Taylor's seem to appreciate the sweet mountain filtered water especially.

I've thought about the distilled water route, but that seems too involved. (A funny term from a classic wet shaver, considering having twenty different shaving creams and three brushes a few too many razors is somehow not too involved already.)

That's just my two cents worth about soft water vs. hard water.

 

[Ralle1900]

well, after some reserch i found out that the hardness of the water in my area is between 12 and 18 dh, whatever that is .
how bad is it?

 

[The Last Chimney]

well, after some reserch i found out that the hardness of the water in my area is between 12 and 18 dh, whatever that is .
how bad is it?

That is definitely on the hard side. Ideally, it should be under 5.

 

[Thebigspendur]

Wow! Suna read your posts. I've got 35 grain water here in New Mexico so it's above and beyond hard. Today was the best lather I've had yet and I got that by putting my soap mug in the microwave and melting the soap, then dipping my brush into the liquid, then using the lather bowl. It really made a difference. More so than even using distilled water and just trying to load the brush normally. So adding more product definitely helped. As I rinse my brush in tap water, I'm wondering if I need "clean" it in vinegar or maybe add baking soda to my rinse water? Thoughts from all are welcome.

I'm not that far from you however adding more product is really not the solution it actually makes a bad situation worse. Most with hard water will find the distilled route is the best and cheapest unless you want to buy a table top distiller which they sell at Sears.

 

[Catseye]

I'm not that far from you however adding more product is really not the solution it actually makes a bad situation worse. Most with hard water will find the distilled route is the best and cheapest unless you want to buy a table top distiller which they sell at Sears.

Thanks for the comments, I guess I need to work on my brush loading then. I'll try it this evening.

 

[Gadzook]

I have hard water and had all kinds of lather problems because of it. I now use a teaspoon or two of plain old, cheap baking soda and mix it in with my sink of hot water. I then let my brush soak in it while I shower. It has absolutely revolutionized my shaving experience. I can even get loads of slick lather with puck of Williams. The baking soda has made all of my soaps/creams better. And you can't beat the price.

 

[Blaireau&Lame]

I have hard water and had all kinds of lather problems because of it. I now use a teaspoon or two of plain old, cheap baking soda and mix it in with my sink of hot water. I then let my brush soak in it while I shower. It has absolutely revolutionized my shaving experience. I can even get loads of slick lather with puck of Williams. The baking soda has made all of my soaps/creams better. And you can't beat the price.

+1. I rinse my face between passes and the difference is significant. With baking soda, the treated water leaves my face feeling slick, while the untreated, hard water leaves it dry.

 

[Steavis]

My water softener gets installed tomorrow. So excited!

 

[Ghostwriter]

I'm going to give the baking soda a try. My water is very hard; last year's report said the TDS was over 430 ppm. I do have problems making a lather, even with distilled water, but that just might be due to inexperience.

 

[SUNA]

I tried baking soda and it was okay...beats hard water by itself.

 

[bluefoxicy]

is there anything i can do that issnt super expensive?

Mix some Washing Soda into the water?