Williams Mug Shaving Soap

[Eben Stone]

A lot of people do have issues with getting a good lather from it.

So I think your technique just happens to match this particular soap.

(Sent from mobile)

I ignored everything I knew about creating lather from hard soaps and watched a few you tube videos of people successfully making lather with it. Then I tried to replicate what they did. The technique is very different compared to what I would do with MdC or other hard soaps. I'm guessing it would be very difficult to use if someone is using the same old technique that works with most other soaps.

 

[VerbaVolant]

This:

I ignored everything I knew about creating lather from hard soaps and watched a few you tube videos of people successfully making lather with it. Then I tried to replicate what they did. The technique is very different compared to what I would do with MdC or other hard soaps. I'm guessing it would be very difficult to use if someone is using the same old technique that works with most other soaps.

 

[FloppyJoe]

I use Williams 3 out of 5 shaves, on average. I love this stuff! Its a great soap and pretty easy to lather. Yes, there are soaps that build denser lather or slicker lather (I am looking at you Panama), but Williams works well, is inexpensive, smells great and is easy to use. I can't recommend it highly enough!

I lather it by filling the mug to about 2" above the top of the puck with hot water. I put the brush in the water and let it sit while I take a shower. About 10 minutes later, I pull out the brush, dump the water and start mixing up the lather. If it is a bit dry, I add 4-5 drops of water, mix some more and repeat until I get the lather the way I want it. I normally do about 2-3 rounds of water drops to get the consistency I want. I also add 4-5 drops and mix up some lather for my subsequent passes.

I use a best badger brush. I find it works better than a super at mixing up the lather. I have a Rooney that is about 15 years old and has broken in nicely.

Lastly, once I am down to a thin wafer, I peel it off the bottom of the mug, put in a new puck of Williams and place the old wafer on top.

Enjoy!

 

[chuckd]

I use Williams 3 out of 5 shaves, on average. I love this stuff! Its a great soap and pretty easy to lather. Yes, there are soaps that build denser lather or slicker lather (I am looking at you Panama), but Williams works well, is inexpensive, smells great and is easy to use. I can't recommend it highly enough!

I lather it by filling the mug to about 2" above the top of the puck with hot water. I put the brush in the water and let it sit while I take a shower. About 10 minutes later, I pull out the brush, dump the water and start mixing up the lather. If it is a bit dry, I add 4-5 drops of water, mix some more and repeat until I get the lather the way I want it. I normally do about 2-3 rounds of water drops to get the consistency I want. I also add 4-5 drops and mix up some lather for my subsequent passes.

I use a best badger brush. I find it works better than a super at mixing up the lather. I have a Rooney that is about 15 years old and has broken in nicely.

Lastly, once I am down to a thin wafer, I peel it off the bottom of the mug, put in a new puck of Williams and place the old wafer on top.

Enjoy!

I agree with the approach of soaking it in hot water and agree with the use of best badger brushes to lather it. I do find that some of my brushes don't work well with Williams - not sure why.

 

[chuckd]

These threads crack me up. When I joined here, I said I was using Williams and lathering it in a mug on top of the soap after soaking it. Had used it for about ten years. All I got were horrified gasps and was admonished to try something better, lol. Now I haven't used it in ten years. I'm happy with my Cella, Proraso Green, and a Taylor cream or two usually on my shelf, but I'll have to try this again, it's been at least 12 years. Funny, I kept saying if you lather it in a mug on top of the soap after soaking it, it's great stuff, and everyone laughed. Now I think that's the preferred method and it's gotten some respect. The wheel turns!

I actually use your technique for many hard soap pucks, not just Williams. It works well for all of them for me.

 

[lancre]

I agree with the approach of soaking it in hot water and agree with the use of best badger brushes to lather it. I do find that some of my brushes don't work well with Williams - not sure why.

+1 on the best badgers, but I also have good luck with my Omega ans especially Semogue boars.

 

[Fred D]

Of course after reading this thread I had to pull out a mug of Williams and had a very nice shave. I haven't been using It very much lately because I'm trying to use up a few other soaps first, and the Tabac and Pre de Provence seem to last forever. I used my Yaqi 2 band and had a terrific shave.

 

[GaryTha]

I use a horsehair brush. I immerse the brush in warm water and just squeeze off a little excess. Then I'm not afraid to use a lot of soap to make the lather. It's not as much as it seems. I'm still on my first puck for the year. I'm guessing about 150 shaves so far. I'm only on my second blade.

 

[ewk]

Omega boar. Gets the job done.

 

[Lazarus Long]

I've been able to get a decent lather from it, and it does feel slick. But for whatever reason, it just doesn't work for me. Bad irritation and razor burn every time I shaved. That's about when I joined this forum, and discovered Tabac and MWF. After discovering those, I felt there was no reason to continue trying to make Williams work.

 

[honeycutt]

I can't seem to find it in my part of the state.

 

[skateblade]

I found that if you treat Williams like a normal soap and come at it with a little too much water in the brush, then it bubbles up very quickly and tends to stay thin for quite a while and requires a good bit of work to have it settled back down into a nice creamy lather. And so I think it kind of fools most people.

(Sent from mobile)

well said !

 

[Trem]

Add these words to the end of your thread title; "is being discontinued". Its been a while since we had one of those.

Ha, nine days later this thread was started...
Where is the Tallow?! - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/where-is-the-tallow.611089/

 

[ewk]

I can't seem to find it in my part of the state.

I rarely see it stocked in stores. I get mine through the Walgreens website with free delivery for pickup.

 

[honeycutt]

I rarely see it stocked in stores. I get mine through the Walgreens website with free delivery for pickup.

Thank you. I'll go over there and get some.

 

[Eben Stone]

After experimenting with Williams a few more times, it turns out my inital success with greating good lather might have been beginner's luck.

I have no problem creating lather with it that is thick and dense, but the slickness just isn't there. If I add more water, in an attempt to improve slickness and also intentionally make it thinner and more runny, then the lather will either dry out on my face (does exactly what the package says it wont do) or it quickly vainshes/dissipates. And by quickly I mean like 20-30 seconds. I can literally watch it vanish.

So for me, there is this sweet spot where the lather is thick and dense and slick, and I've only been able to achive that once. I think I was just lucky and it happend for me on my first try.

Using the same routine, so far I have been unable replicate my initial success. I'm typically adding about 5 drops of water at a time, and apparently going from under hydrated to way over hydrated without realizing it before its too late. Maybe lack of experience or maybe I just suck at making good lather in general.

If you have any suggestions by all means I'm willing to dedicate a few more shaves to try it...

 

[luvmysuper]

I don't do anything special with Williams. I soak my brush long enough to fill the sink, give it a light shake and swirl on the dry puck.
Pick up is a little slower so I swirl a bit longer than some soaps, but not longer than some others.
I face lather on a wetted face with swirling and scrubbing motions, finishing with a painting motion to even things out and shave.
If the second pass is thin, I have taken the brush and used it to scoop the lather off of the puck that was made earlier, but that is not always necessary.

 

[dabrock]

After experimenting with Williams a few more times, it turns out my inital success with greating good lather might have been beginner's luck.

I have no problem creating lather with it that is thick and dense, but the slickness just isn't there. If I add more water, in an attempt to improve slickness and also intentionally make it thinner and more runny, then the lather will either dry out on my face (does exactly what the package says it wont do) or it quickly vainshes/dissipates. And by quickly I mean like 20-30 seconds. I can literally watch it vanish.

So for me, there is this sweet spot where the lather is thick and dense and slick, and I've only been able to achive that once. I think I was just lucky and it happend for me on my first try.

Using the same routine, so far I have been unable replicate my initial success. I'm typically adding about 5 drops of water at a time, and apparently going from under hydrated to way over hydrated without realizing it before its too late. Maybe lack of experience or maybe I just suck at making good lather in general.

If you have any suggestions by all means I'm willing to dedicate a few more shaves to try it...

The main reason I don't use Williams much anymore is because of that inconsistency I've got as well. I can get an amazing lather for several shaves then get a complete dud.

 

[luvmysuper]

I know some folks have trouble with Williams and I believe them. I don't think they are doing anything "wrong".
I also know some folks like Williams and believe they are getting the good lather I am.
I don't think we are doing anything "special". I'm certainly not.
Maybe it's an odd coincidence or possible combination of water chemistry, temperature, brush characteristics, who knows what else.
There must be a reason some can just grab it and go and others can fiddle to exhaustion and not get good results.
I'll be darned if I know why though.

 

[dabrock]

I know some folks have trouble with Williams and I believe them. I don't think they are doing anything "wrong".
I also know some folks like Williams and believe they are getting the good lather I am.
I don't think we are doing anything "special". I'm certainly not.
Maybe it's an odd coincidence or possible combination of water chemistry, temperature, brush characteristics, who knows what else.
There must be a reason some can just grab it and go and others can fiddle to exhaustion and not get good results.
I'll be darned if I know why though.

Some of the factors people have noted, including me, are things such as water hardness and consistency of shaving off the puck. I find that a fresh puck lathers fine, and if I have regularly lathered off of a puck it's fine, but if I let it sit a couple of weeks it doesn't lather very well for a shave or two at least. I have naturally soft water so I don't have any issues there.