Soft vs. hard water

[Antares600]

Anyone else notice a vast difference between shaving with soft & hard water?

I've noticed that the softer the water, the more comfortable and closer the shave, regardless of the tools used.

 

[dpmtherrien]

Yes, soft water does result in a better shave. Better lather too.

 

[TallyShave]

I have a different opinion on water. I travel a lot for work and shave is all sorts of water. While soft water makes it easier to lather and requires less product, at the end of the day I can get pretty much the same lather and the same shave in any water. It takes a little adjustment, and maybe all the travel helps me with those adjustments, but I personally think water quality is completely overblown around here.

 

[Foyle]

I've had both hard and soft water. Soft water is far better, but I can get a good lather and a good shave from either. Soft water makes loading soap onto the brush easier, the lather slicker, and keeps soap scum from building up on the razor and brush as badly.

 

[jtb]

I live in Phoenix, so I only experience soft water when I travel. I have to use less product and the lather is much slicker.

 

[fivespdcat]

I travel a lot too and do notice the water. Soft water makes shaving better. I get a closer shave with less irritation, better lather ad better feeling skin.

 

[Sunflake]

I just installed a water softener in my house and it was night and day different in lather and quantity of product used. After I rinsed the lather off of my face when I was done shaving, The leftover slickness on my face was unbelievable. I can say without a doubt it does make slicker lather.

 

[John Von Wuggz]

I noticed this right away and it irritated me enough to have a water treatment system installed. Besides making my shaves better I have noticed improvements in shower quality, coffee and tea quality, and even the laundry cycles.

 

[Wetshavingswede]

Oh yes, notice the instructions on laundry products? They often state almost twice the amount of product needed in hard water areas.

It's not surprising that one has to load a lot more product when shaving in the same conditions.

 

[hedonist222]

Like night and day if you have hard water.

Not only does it require less effort for the lather to burst into meringue-goodness.

The razor glides over your face whereas with hard water it feels like its dragging across your face.

I only use distilled water.

My Chubby 3 manchurian, chubby 2 two band & m&f 2xl have never touched non-distilled water.

 

[tomcj2]

I live in an area with naturally soft water but nevertheless I bought a softener at a charity auction 10 years ago. I had intended to move a couple of years after I bought it. The move never happened. I got tired moving the thing around my garage so I hooked it up. What a difference! Clothes wash cleaner with less detergent, there is never a buildup of soap scum on shower stalls, the glassware doesn't have spots. Lather is a snap tp whip up, and there is never a buildup on my brushes.

 

[kenac]

its just a matter of lather, with hard water its harder to get bubbles. i dont think you can get a closer shave with soft water.
scientifically, shaving with soft or hard dont make a difference IF the preparation is the same.

 

[NSmalls]

I also experienced a huge difference. I have hard water at my house and it ended up breaking two Keurig machines. So I started buying bulk Poland spring which I also use for shaving and I get a much better lather.

 

[tacchini]

when i lived east of london we had hard water, it was brutal, shaving, washing hair, what a differance with normal water, you could not even get a decant cup of tea, anything this water was used for furred up with white limescale.

 

[MaxP]

I have a water softner. And I wouldn't be without it.

Occasionally I fail to watch the salt level. If it runs out, the water goes 'hard'. The difference is immediate and unsatisfactory.

When we travel, its easy to tell if the water is un-softened. SWMBO notices right away in the shampooing of her hair.

Given, a choice, I'll opt for soft water. Always.

 

[brooks_bro]

We just installed a water softener. All said and done the total damage was around $700, but that was for a fairly nice Kenmore unit. I could have easily done this for $500.

What a night and day difference. Laundry comes out better. You use less soap, water tastes better, your skin feels softer, your shave lather is better, and you get no calcium build up on your fixtures. considering the amount of money people throw at this shaving hobby, $500 for a water softener is nothing and will make your experience extremely more enjoyable.

 

[SEnSE]

I have a different opinion on water. I travel a lot for work and shave is all sorts of water. While soft water makes it easier to lather and requires less product, at the end of the day I can get pretty much the same lather and the same shave in any water. It takes a little adjustment, and maybe all the travel helps me with those adjustments, but I personally think water quality is completely overblown around here.

Ron Burgundy speaks the truth!

 

[fsturnz]

I have pretty hard water where I live, and I've had a hard time learning to find the right lather from my soaps...and hence, not a very close shave without irritation. I've read enough here to help me understand that the hard water definitely has a lot to do with it. I have yet to try shaving with bottled water, but I'm thinking seriously of trying it on the weekend when I have more time to prep. If that does it, and my technique is not at fault...it's a water softener for me after everything I've read here.

 

[Mr5x5]

Williams works better for me with soft water but I can use it either way. A gallon of distilled water under the sink is a cheap investment if your water is giving you problems.

 

[alpster]

It's been scientifically proven that ALL soap will make more and better lather much quicker in softer water. I tried to make this point in another thread and got spanked for using a little hyperbole to make the point. BTW, as stated, this point is not subject to opinion or individual experience. It is science, and a fact. Google it, you will find endless articles and scientific journals to prove it. Here's just one .....

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/soft-hard-water-d_835.html

Ronnie