What's new

I am addicted to Williams's Quick & Easy Shaving Powder

I seem to have become addicted to Vintage Shaving Powder. I tried some shave powder several months ago and I keep buying it. I saw some on Ebay and decided to try it, I figured what could be the harm in trying some. It is a little different to lather up but it does a descent job.

I currently have 2 cans (1 full, 1 65% full) of Williams's Quick & Easy Shaving Powder, 1 (75% Full) can Rexall Shaving Powder United Drug Co. Boston USA, and 1 (90%) can Colgate Rapid-Shave Powder.

I did not really see anyone talking about these products. I know that they have not been around for decades. When was the last time a company made shaving powder?

I like the stuff and it is fun to use and I can stop any time I want to.
 

Attachments

  • $DSCF2966.jpg
    $DSCF2966.jpg
    32.4 KB · Views: 513
Shaving powder is still available. It's marketed more towards black men to prevent razor bumps from what I gather. Walgreen's & CVS carry it.
 
Shaving powder is still available. It's marketed more towards black men to prevent razor bumps from what I gather. Walgreen's & CVS carry it.

If you are referring to Magic Shaving Powder you are talking about a depilatory. It causes hairs to fall out. No razor needed. Are the powders in the original post something different?
 
If you are referring to Magic Shaving Powder you are talking about a depilatory. It causes hairs to fall out. No razor needed. Are the powders in the original post something different?

The depilitory powder they sell today is not the same. The old powder is like powdered laundry detergent...it's just ground up shaving soap. Williams also used to make cream and liquid shaving soap.
proxy.php
 
The depilitory powder they sell today is not the same. The old powder is like powdered laundry detergent...it's just ground up shaving soap. Williams also used to make cream and liquid shaving soap.
proxy.php

Oh, Okay. I was not aware of that.
 
The back of the label has the directions on it.
1. Wash face thoroughly with soap and water. Leave face wet.
2. Sprinkle Powder on wet brush and lather beard.
3. If too thick, use more water. To thicken add Powder.
To complete a perfect shave. Use Colgate After Shave Lotion and finish with Colgate Talc for Men.

I have done both face and bowl lather with this product.
 

Attachments

  • $DSCF2950.jpg
    $DSCF2950.jpg
    26.2 KB · Views: 428
Coincidentally I was in a West Indian grocery store a couple days ago and they sold shaving powder. The owner said it was good for preventing ingrown hairs and razor bumps. I'm currently going through a pump bottle of KMF (which is dead simple), so the thought of mixing up a powder turned me off.
 
Coincidentally I was in a West Indian grocery store a couple days ago and they sold shaving powder. The owner said it was good for preventing ingrown hairs and razor bumps. I'm currently going through a pump bottle of KMF (which is dead simple), so the thought of mixing up a powder turned me off.

that was probably like this stuff...http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/tags-on-product/B0048ZIFA0

proxy.php


it's not for making lather...it's powdered nair. it burns your hair off chemically. if you used your brush with that you'd have no more bristles!
 
So far I have had the best result lathering up the Colgate. It is a little different technique than with a soap or cream. Since it is a powder it seam to work best if the water is added slowly.
 
The soap maker's handbook of materials, processes and receipts for every description of soap
By Carl Deite, Alwin Engelhardt, F. Wiltner
1912

Shaving soap powders are made as follows: First prepare a good shaving soap in the warm way from, for instance, 500 lbs. of tallow and 100 lbs. of cocoanut oil. Boil the fats with equal parts of caustic soda lye of 25° B. and caustic potash lye of 25° B. to a clear paste and separate the soap with brine. The settled grain is brought into frames and when cold, is cut into bars which are converted into shavings. The latter are thoroughly dried and ground to a fine powder in a mill. This powder is mixed with starch in the proportion of 15 to 20 lbs. of the latter to 100 lbs. of the former. By the addition of starch to the soap powder, a shaving powder is obtained which gives a fine permanent lather. Before mixing the starch with the soap powder it is perfumed, as a rule, with a mixture of lavender oil, thyme oil, caraway oil and fennel oil, an agreeable perfume being composed as follows: Starch 30 lbs., lavender oil 2J ozs., lemon oil and thyme oil each 1J ozs. The starch and perfume are intimately mixed and the whole is passed through a sieve which, however, should not 'be too fine. If the perfume is added to the powdered soap it forms small balls which in spite of all trouble cannot be entirely got rid of and finally remain behind upon the sieve.

A very fine shaving powder with a very durable and pleasant odor is obtained by a mixture of powdered soap 50 lbs., powdered orris root 8 lbs., and almond paste 4 lbs. The whole is intimately mixed and then passed through a sieve.
 
Thank you M80 for the additional information. The shave powders I have no longer have any scent left in them do to the age. Has anyone else used these products lately?
 
Very interesting stuff!!!!

Thanx for posting this fascinating thread! The 'recipe' is fascinating as well. I am a little tempted to try shaving up a couple of cakes of Williams, drying it out and grinding it up, mixing starch in at the identified ratio, and seeing how it goes!! Would be a lot of fun!

thnx!!!
 
Top Bottom