Is this like a pre-treat for an Arko shave?
williams mug soap
- Thread starter Guitar10
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Williams really is one of the greatest soaps ever made. I have 30-40 soaps in my den, many very expensive. And I still reach for the Williams most of the time.
Soak a brand new puck for 24 hours to "season" it. It will soak up a lot of water. Then each time you shave, soak it for a few minutes (I do it while I'm showering). The soap will lather incredibly easy, and the lather will be thick and stable. Its that easy.
Soak a brand new puck for 24 hours to "season" it. It will soak up a lot of water. Then each time you shave, soak it for a few minutes (I do it while I'm showering). The soap will lather incredibly easy, and the lather will be thick and stable. Its that easy.
I find certain type brushes work better with Williams than others. I can get a very nice Williams lather with a just about any natural hair brush BUT the absolute best Williams lather happens (for me) when I use a Plisson/L'Occitane synthetic brush. Rich, smooth, creamy, you name it, that brush does it with Williams.
I also found this helpful. You may also need to repeat the 24 hour soak occasionally depending on how often you use it. I haven't used mine in a month or so, and I could tell just by picking up the mug that it needed a good soak before using it again.
You might consider a more aggressive razor if you need 10 passes.
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- #26
LOL, it was just to say that when i mix my lather in my bowl i have plenty for my 3 pass + touch up.I also found this helpful. You may also need to repeat the 24 hour soak occasionally depending on how often you use it. I haven't used mine in a month or so, and I could tell just by picking up the mug that it needed a good soak before using it again.
You might consider a more aggressive razor if you need 10 passes.
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- #27
I found my badger brush work the best whit that soap, but i do have a syntech that works pretty good to
LOL, it was just to say that when i mix my lather in my bowl i have plenty for my 3 pass + touch up.
I know, but I've always wanted an excuse to use that emoticon.
Williams didn't require all that prep before they cheapened the recipe. I guess I'm old and frank enough to say if they want my business they can go back to the product they had for 160+ years. I don't understand this obsession with a product that quit on the consumer years ago.
It takes longer to describe what to do with Williams, than it does to actually do it. It's really not a lot of work. And I love using it because it is super cheap and works awesomely.
I agree that in the end it's not THAT bad. The soap works fine for me, and yes there is a little extra whipping time involved, but nothing too horrible. The only difference between using Williams and other soaps for me is that I make Williams a little wetter. No big deal really.
I have a sentimental attachment to Williams...been using it for decades, like the fragrance -- and the slickness.
That said, it is a "high maintenance" member of my rotation -- especially since I started using Tabac as my ED soap...totally different league! I will keep Williams around...but I sadly disagree: IMHO it is a "lot of work" to get a good lather with Williams. However, when it is good, it is very good.
All the "work" in Williams should be spent in letting the puck soak and get properly hydrated, before you begin. It really takes no more work or effort to lather Williams than from others soaps, if the puck is properly hydrated first. I've made several videos to show this.
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- #34
Totally agreed on that that soap need lots of water, and it's not that hard to make it work.
OK...maybe. But it's hard to compare WMS with Cella or Tabac, both of which seem to produce good lather as soon as the brush moves on the surface....
And if being "properly hydrated" means a 24-hour soak, that would IMHO be considered "a lot of work" and "high maintenance."
Again...I like Williams...and I will continue to explore (ultra)hydration to get a really good lather.
I used Williams for years (before I really got into "traditional wetshaving"), with thin, soapy lather and it did OK...the slickness is always there, even if one has to re-lather many times during a shave. Now that I've seen/experienced really good lathers, I will work to elevate Williams to its best level. But a 24-hour soak is not going to happen with me.
I get it, you shouldn't need to do anything to a soap to get it to work. But when you get Williams dialed in and see the amazing lather that can result from a $1 puck, you see why the "effort" is worth it.
Hmmm...I don't recall saying that...please don't make extreme inferences from what I said.
What I did say that I was going to continue to work with Williams to improve my lathering experiences. I just don't want to do a 24-hour soak.
What I do (now...I may adjust...work in progress) is fill the bowl with the Williams puck in it to the top (submerging the puck) with hot water. The water sits there while I get ready to shower, while I shower, while I towel off, while I get the rest of the shaving prep (pre-shave, brush soak) and other post-shower stuff. Then I pour off the water, shake pretty much all the water from my (best badger) brush and load the brush as heavy as I can, for about a minute (or more... depending) then face lather, adding water to adjust/improve the lather.
That's pretty much the same that I do for any hard soap, except I don't submerge them in water, just a Tbsp or so of hot water on top of the puck. Since I generally use Williams no more frequently than weekly (Wednesday of course), I recognize that it may de-hydrate a bit. I store it (like my other hard soaps) in an open bowl...hmmm..this just occurred to me:
Question for you: should I cover the Williams between shaves to keep the moisture in? I'm thinking that may be helpful...thoughts?
That was a statement in general, a matter of fact from my viewpoint. It was not made in reference to anything you said.
Just picked up some of this tonight and did a mug lather....I guess it had to be loaded a little bit longer with a little but more water but...didn't really have an issue...Not sure where all the frustration lies? Smells pleasant and is cheap - Works for me!
I once used up a whole puck trying to like Williams but no love. There is just much easier, better smelling and performing soaps out there that lather with none of the hassle or time wasting Williams presents.
