Williams Soap, is it me or what?

[Mikeyk]

Man, I just can't get this stuff to lather up enough to not dry out on my face before I'm done with the morning's shave. I even milled the stuff into a bowl and swirled the brush til I got dizzy. Same feeble, thin, lather.

Should I just toss the stuff and open my new puck of Tabac, or can I try some other angle to get the stuff to work better?

Thanks

 

[deshaveman]

Yes toss the puck and every other cream or soap you have and crack open that Tabac! Seriously! Once you lather up that Tabac you will know what good lather looks, smells, and feels like. Once you experience the awesomeness that is Tabac you will get jittery just thinking of using anything else.

Sorry, sorry...I'm a bit of a zealot, I know. But, yes, it's not you....many, many others can't lather Williams to save their lives. There's no reason you should suffer like you are when you have a delicious puck of Tabac just waiting to be gently massaged by your brush into a slick, protective lather that will result in the closest, most transcendent shave you have every had.



ALL HAIL TABAC!

 

[Seraphim]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=945696&postcount=21

Tabac is very nice...

 

[arcman]

The consensus on getting Williams to work seems to be to soak the everyloving crap out of it in some very hot water. Williams is a tough soap that doesn't dissolve easily, so the longer you stick it in a hot water bath the easier it will be to load up the brush with soap, which is the problem most people run in to. A lot of guys stick it in a mug, fill it w/ hot water before taking a shower and dump it when they're finished. By then it should've softened up nicely. It dissolves much faster this way but c'mon, this is Williams, no one in their right mind cares how long it lasts.

 

[lamaman3]

Tabac is like cheating...The other night I swirled my new B&B LE 2008 around on Tabac - within seconds lather was exploding left and right - lather so thick it was like foamy from a can and so hydrated it feels milky!

 

[sklegg]

You can work William's Mug Soap until you get a good lather but the astringent odor and gummy texture just aren't worth the effort.

 

[Trius]

The consensus on getting Williams to work seems to be to soak the everyloving crap out of it in some very hot water. Williams is a tough soap that doesn't dissolve easily, so the longer you stick it in a hot water bath the easier it will be to load up the brush with soap, which is the problem most people run in to. A lot of guys stick it in a mug, fill it w/ hot water before taking a shower and dump it when they're finished. By then it should've softened up nicely. It dissolves much faster this way but c'mon, this is Williams, no one in their right mind cares how long it lasts.

Exactly ... soak the bugger with boiling water until it cries uncle. This also enhances the Eau de Citronella component enough to clear out all the mosquitoes in a Manitoba heat wave after a week's worth of rain.

 

[Chevyguy]

Man, I just can't get this stuff to lather up enough to not dry out on my face before I'm done with the morning's shave. I even milled the stuff into a bowl and swirled the brush til I got dizzy. Same feeble, thin, lather.

Should I just toss the stuff and open my new puck of Tabac, or can I try some other angle to get the stuff to work better?

Thanks

Sounds like you had too much water in your brush. I soak my brush (pure badger) and then I wring it out lightly once and then I load my brush right out of the ziploc container. It lathers right up in my bowl. I do add 4 drops of glycerine to my bowl and that gives my razor more glide and keeps the williams from drying out my skin during the winter. Don't toss it.

Clayton

 

[zirk208]

I tried lathering up some Williams today with ho-hum results. It was very lght, airy, and bubbly (my Classic Shaving sandalwood is the same way). Not thick like my Tabac. I tried adding more water, lathering longer, etc without luck. I think I'll try the hot water pre-shower trick tomorrow and see how it turns out. If all else fails it only cost $1.19.

Side Note: I bought a spare puck to use in the shower for a face soap and it took me a day or two to realize what that scent was. Now I can't use it without thinking about camping, bug repellant, and tiki torches.

 

[guitarslinger]

yep, it sucks.

Try some P.160 if you want something that works as well as Tabac, IMO.

I also love Tabac, btw.

 

[SilverKarn]

Well, everytime i use Williams i get nice slick lather, lather so slick i can do 2 passes without re-lathering my face.

Tabac on the other hand, i ALWAYS get a couple nicks/cuts, i dont know what it is about Tabac, but i guess i gotta keep playing around with it.

 

[MAK]

Try the Tabac

 

[expatCanuck]

Yes toss the puck and every other cream or soap you have and crack open that Tabac! Seriously! Once you lather up that Tabac you will know what good lather looks, smells, and feels like. ...
Sorry, sorry...I'm a bit of a zealot...

D'ya think?
Certainly it's legion by now that Tabac's scent is hardly enjoyed by all.

As regards the OP, if you read the Williams reviews, you'll see that its lathering abilities are hardly a given.

Honeybee Spa, Saint Charles Shave, Mama Bear, The Gentlemen's Quarterly -- all finely crafted alternatives.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Maybe that's why Williams was 59 cents at Shop Rite this week. I'm a shave geek. I check the shave aisles out now wherever I go, just in case I find something new.

 

[GarageBoy]

Wait, do you guys hit soaps with a wet brush (shake out the drips) or a drier brush (shaken til the brush feels dry) to load with soap?

 

[Seraphim]

Wait, do you guys hit soaps with a wet brush (shake out the drips) or a drier brush (shaken til the brush feels dry) to load with soap?

Shake it rigorously. If it is tioo wet it begins to lather instead of continuing to load up.

 

[expatCanuck]

Yep. Slightly damp. Most of the water gone.
And, of course, different brands of soap will vary.

I've read that Williams tends to want more water
(if not to load up, at least to develop the lather).

 

[Ltltony]

You get what you pay for in this case.

 

[Ramaniac]

I like to cover the top with water and do a prep or shower. Then I use my brush (boar) tilting the coffee cup to the side. I do not pour the water into the lather mug. After I load it up I move to the mug and work a great lather.

I really like Williams, and for a $1.50, it is a great bargin. I even dropped my brush in a sink of water and it did not hurt the lather making capability. It took me 3 shaving sessions to get my $18 dollar CE Nomad to get the lather like Williams. Williams also makes my face feel soft and clean.

 

[Disburden]

ALL HAIL TABAC!

Seriously.............

....All...
..Hail...
Tabac.....