Skidding & Williams Mug Shaving Soap

[Jaybird180]

I apologize for the inflammatory title, as I know there are arguments for and against Williams, but I need to weigh in on this before asking a pertinent question.

Firstly- I'm relatively new to wetshaving.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=92406

Secondly, I thought I pop into CVS lastnight and pickup some new shaving cream as the few I have at the moment are not quite what I'm looking for.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1348704&postcount=25

Only thing I could find decent was the Williams. Yesterday, before my expedition, I read a little about using it and some of the opinions and thought for a little over 1 US dollar, I'd try it.

I got great results with producing lather with it. I soaked it in my plastic bowl in warm water and the bowl in the sink also with warm water while showering lastnight. I emptied the water and the soap was soft and impressionable. In retrospect I could have used less water and kept this "grey" water.

I used my AoS badger brush to create the lather and applied it using the brush and then massaged using my fingers as per Kyle's Prep. Since I'd just emerged from the shower (and baybee was waiting) I thought I'd dispense with the warm towel treatment and proceeded to load a new Gillette 7'Oclock SS blade in my LORD DE.

I could barely feel the blade as I desired to only do 1 light pass, as I'd shaved 2 nights prior. I just wanted to take the edge off.

It looked pretty good, but somehow I found myself applying more lather to clean up a bit (remember baybee is waiting). So I cut it short (time wise I mean).

Anyhow, as I was shaving, I noticed the razor slip and grip a little. Is this likely due to the lather not being slick enough, dry skin, or improper technique?

 

[SavantStrike]

You mentioned skipping the hot towel treatment. Do you normally do a hot towel treatment after a shower, or do you normally do a hot towel treatment and a shave before ever stepping into the shower?

I have found that shaving straight after a shower is not as enjoyable for me, and that after a shower my face is drier during shaving than it is if I simply went with a hot towel shave. YMMV on that one. Frankly at that point in time it is splitting hairs, but it can make a noticable difference for us obsessive compulsives.

Beyond variation in the toweling technique, did you do anything else differently aside from the new soap? If the answer is no then either you experienced some good old fashioned user error, or the lather was different and therefore the shave felt different.

Give it a few more times with the Williams and you may find the grippiness goes away. I haven't had the pleasure of using any of the stuff yet so I can't advise you further.

 

[Jaybird180]

I've slow-walked myself into the entire process and I've only once done the hot towel treatment. I typically shave after a shower and tend to use Nutrogena Pre-shave face wash and/or (another product -?-brain fart) during the shower.

 

[SiBurning]

The skipping could be because the lather's too dry or airy. But if you have to ask, I'd wager it's your technique. I just tried William's again tonight. Previously, I wouldn't lather it because I find it works much better just rubbing it directly on m wet face without making lather. Tonight, I face lathered, as I would with anything else. The first pass, it really didn't take well to water, preferring to bubble before becoming meringue. For the second pass, I cleaned the brush and scrubbed heavily at the bar, just barely making a cream out of what was on the brush, and wetting the brush just a bit to get a wetter lather. Bubbles started forming, but I held them in check. After the second pass, I switched to a cream. While Williams is perfectly serviceable, it's about the worst useful soap out there. If you have to use it, try keeping the lather down, or skipping the later altogether. Meanwhile, get yourself something better, which is almost anything people recommend around here.

Just to confirm what you saw, the blade was skipping along my face due to dry lather, and the shave wasn't as comfortable as it could have been due to lack of other ingredients, like protective stuff and moisturizers. I could stop the skipping by wetting the lather further, but it's hard to stop Williams from bubbling first. Hard, but not impossible by any means.

One more thought, or rather opinion, since you'll hear other people say otherwise. A really good soap or cream isn't as expensive as it looks because you can use a lot less of it. I'm constantly surprised how little of the Penhaligon's cream it takes to get three good passes. Of course, you don't have to spend that much for a good cream or soap.

Offhand, I'd guess Williams is only half as expensive as the Kent soap when you account for how much you need. Of course, YMMV.

 

[Jaybird180]

I used the Williams lastnight and poured most of the water off before soaking the bar and STILL had too much water. It lathered up easy. I also used a hot towel and didn't shower before.

The shave was slick and I could barely feel the blade. Evidence of cut hair was upon rinsing the blade in the basin between strokes.

I can't say it was the smoothest I've had, but it's not terrible. It definately requires relathering between passes. I thought I could just clean up a bit after the 4th pass, and it was a "no go" on the dry shaving.

 

[kzoo1]

From another thread...but still poignant here:

EXCELLENT point. It is really amusing how many wet shavers invariably find fault with the tools as opposed to the technique and/or environmental elements..

 

[SiBurning]

It's easier and faster to replace the tools than learn better technique. I joke around that I could probably shave with a splinter off a 2x4 (and end up looking like my avatar) but why bother when there are better ways? Newbies don't need the complication of questioning whether its their technique or they're using a more difficult product. Give them a consistent, easy to use product, and there's no more question. Neither Williams nor MWF are good for newbies because they can both be inconsistent.

 

[Jaybird180]

hmmm.........good point and the heart of it I agree with.

So in essence you're saying that I should buy a tube of that green stuff?...er...I mean stuff in the green & white tube?

 

[SiBurning]

::shrug::

Colonel conk's glycerin soap, Proraso cream, and a decent tallow soap like DR Harris would be a good sampler set that a lot of people might agree with.

 

[Jaybird180]

Where to buy? I haven't found at retail...nevermind...I just heard about a shop local. I will try them. Thanks a bunch.