MWF/Williams - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - A guide to better lather!

[Luc]

I will try to show what Good, Bad and Ugly lather looks like using MWF and Williams. This thread is not intended to be a tutorial on how to make lather. All the tutorials are currently available here: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers

This thread should help you diagnose how to make better lather and recognize bad lather. Keep in mind that I'm no expert in the lather department but I usually get decent lather.

I did 3 batches of lather with both soaps.

The first batch is too much water: The Bad
The second batch is too dry: The Ugly
The last batch will be to good lather: The Good.

Let's get started. Tools for today:

1x Wilkinson Sword Bristle brush
1x Lather bowl (1" deep x 3" diameter)
1x MWF Soap (in the German army butter container / Center-bottom)
1x Williams soap (in the mug / Middle-right)
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106854&stc=1&d=1275716442

Everything was soaked in warm water for 3-5 minutes between each batch. I used the bristle brush as most newbie will use a boar/bristle brush. This is a very cheap brush, less than $5.

MWF - The Bad
Starting with a lot of water
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106866&stc=1&d=1275717212

Right away, after a 20 seconds charge on the soap, you can see how big the bubbles are
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106867&stc=1&d=1275717491

Even the soap has big bubbles!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106868&stc=1&d=1275717589

The end result after 3 minutes of mixing. The bubbles are still quite big!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106869&stc=1&d=1275717664

The lather won't provide much protection...
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106870&stc=1&d=1275717977

MWF - The Ugly
Dry lather is another common problem

The soap and brush are very dry. I squeezed out all the water from the brush before I charged it. The soap was soaked in water and then turned upside down to get rid of the water.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106871&stc=1&d=1275718041

After 1 minute of mixing and it's not coming together...
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106872&stc=1&d=1275718161

2 more minutes of mixing, still not good!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106873&stc=1&d=1275718245

The lather seems a bit better than the wet one, very small bubbles however, this is everything, included the lather squeezed out of the brush! Barely enough for 1 pass... It's a very very thick lather.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106874&stc=1&d=1275718324

MWF - The Good
Good batch of MWF

Here, I half squeezed my brush. I left a tiny bit of water in the bowl before I started (1/4 of a teaspoon). I had around 1 tablespoon of hot water poured on top of the soap. It still need to be mixed a bit!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106875&stc=1&d=1275718432

This lather is much better, more dense, more lather, small bubbles!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106876&stc=1&d=1275718502

If I blow some air between my fingers, that stalactite of lather will remain there, it won't break/fall/be blown away!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106877&stc=1&d=1275718664

Williams - The Bad
Too much water again...

Just like MWF, huge bubbles!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106878&stc=1&d=1275718748

As you can see, lot of lather but again, huge bubbles!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106879&stc=1&d=1275718824

Williams - The Ugly
Dry lather

Same than MWF, I made sure that my bowl was dry and I squeezed all the water out of the brush. I charged the brush on a wet soap (poured some water on it and turned it upside down)
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106880&stc=1&d=1275718910

Compared to MWF, much more lather, very tiny bubbles but still, not enough lather!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106881&stc=1&d=1275719008

Williams - The Good
Good Williams, good lather!

Here, I tried to capture how much water I have in my bowl, around 1/4 teaspoon, maybe 1/2 teaspoon top.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106882&stc=1&d=1275719064

I still have some bubbles but I need to work it a bit
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106883&stc=1&d=1275719127

That lather is better and now look a bit dry
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106884&stc=1&d=1275719199

I added a bit more water (a few drops using my fingers) and here's the result!
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106885&stc=1&d=1275719298

Again, close up of the lather, if I blow some air between my fingers, the lather doesn't fly away
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=106886&stc=1&d=1275719407


Tips and tricks!


Try to make a few bowls of lather when you have time, not when you need it.
If you can't get the lather right, try to do a batch by using less water and add water little by little. It's easier to fix lather when it's too dry than too wet
If it's runny or too dry, it might still work, we all have different taste in how we like the lather
Williams need less water than MWF...

[Pumpkin]

Luc, another excellent "tutorial"....having a side by side comparison of too much/little water really shows the differences.:thumbup:

When I started with DE's and "real" shaving the other tutorials certainly helped but this would have speeded up the process of finding my water:soap ratios a bit.

[rickboone1]

Good post and findings. I have found using Williams w/ room temp to cool water helps build the lather better.

[HokieGeek]

This is pretty awesome. I'm currently focusing on my lathering technique, so I'll probably refer to this a few times! Thanks Luc!

[bladeruner]

Great post Jeremy. :thumbup1:

[Don]

Thanks Luc! :thumbup1:

[michiganlover]

Thanks Luc! :thumbup1:

+1

Thanks for putting this tutorial together Luc. :thumbup1::tongue_sm

[Deltaboy]

Nothing like Pictures!!!!:thumbup:

[hypo_style]

Great post!
BTW, nice lather bowl! Where did you get it, if I may ask?

[Luc]

Thanks gents!!



Great post!
BTW, nice lather bowl! Where did you get it, if I may ask?

It was one of those liquidation shelves... I bought it at a store named House (http://www.house.com.au/) in Melbourne CBD. I think I paid them $0.75 each, I bought the whole stock (5 bowls). Only 3 are still alive...

[cymric]

It's not clearly visible with 'good' MWF lather, but it still has a fine bubbly structure. (Look closely at the length of the index finger.) And it is that structure which relegates it to levels of mediocrity with me. When rubbed between the fingers you feel the soap is actually nice and smooth, indicating a good amount of soap and inviting a good shave, but when applied to my stubble I liken what happens next to sticking hundreds of pins into as many balloons: all bubbles burst and/or coalesce. Within a minute or two the lather is a dry, crackling, scaly mass without any shaveworthy qualities whatsoever.

I want lathers to be smooth solid masses of whipped cream-like appearance. I can coax such a lather from MWF, but then it's far too wet and cannot hold together well. If MWF were to change its recipe that such a lather would result with a modest amount of water I would probably hoard it like there was no tomorrow.

[Topgumby]

Great post. I think a lot of new folks get fooled by "The Ugly" once they've been burned by "The Bad".

Also, with some soaps, I notice I'll get better results if I tend towards lather that may not be picture perfect, but the resulting "flawed" lather shaves well. PC soaps shave better for me when they are slightly too dry to make photogenic lather.

It's that old YMMV thing.

[michiganlover]

It's not clearly visible with 'good' MWF lather, but it still has a fine bubbly structure.

I can achieve a bubble lather like that with the current production Williams as well. I have never considered such a lather to be anywhere near adequate for shaving.

I always thought I must be doing something wrong, as I don't get the rich, creamy, dense lather I can get from most other products.

Based upon this thread, it would appear that maybe that bubbly lather is as good as it gets for modern day Williams.

[fidjit]

Someone's been a busy boy :biggrin1:

Fantastic tutorial Luc...well done ! :thumbup:

( Now get outside..... :lol: )

[Luc]

It's not clearly visible with 'good' MWF lather, but it still has a fine bubbly structure. (Look closely at the length of the index finger.) And it is that structure which relegates it to levels of mediocrity with me. When rubbed between the fingers you feel the soap is actually nice and smooth, indicating a good amount of soap and inviting a good shave, but when applied to my stubble I liken what happens next to sticking hundreds of pins into as many balloons: all bubbles burst and/or coalesce. Within a minute or two the lather is a dry, crackling, scaly mass without any shaveworthy qualities whatsoever.

I want lathers to be smooth solid masses of whipped cream-like appearance. I can coax such a lather from MWF, but then it's far too wet and cannot hold together well. If MWF were to change its recipe that such a lather would result with a modest amount of water I would probably hoard it like there was no tomorrow.


I can achieve a bubble lather like that with the current production Williams as well. I have never considered such a lather to be anywhere near adequate for shaving.

I always thought I must be doing something wrong, as I don't get the rich, creamy, dense lather I can get from most other products.

Based upon this thread, it would appear that maybe that bubbly lather is as good as it gets for modern day Williams.

I could always try to make some more lather this week and take a closer picture but I don't think that MWF/Williams lather is bad at all.

Unless I'm missing both points, let me know how it should look like as I don't see any problem with the two "good" lather. I use them both like that... Unless we have different tastes in lather...

[pauls51]

Fantastic comparisons there Luc.. Good work :thumbup:

[SliceOfLife]

I can get better lather than that appears to be out of Williams if I put in the effort, but it is more effort than it is worth for me. My lather looks like "the ugly" but more voluminous, which makes me suspect the main difference is that I use more soap than you when I lather Williams.

The MWF lather looks like what I'm used to from it. It maxes out for me in the same area as a quality clear soap. And Clear soaps win on the scent factor. Really the only soaps I still own and use are Clear soaps (Mama B, Kells O... the other good ones I've yet to try), Vintage Williams, Vintage Old Spice, Charismata, Tabac, and IM. Safari stays in the rotation just because I have so damn much of it. :lol:

I may be forgetting a couple, but those are the ones that spring to mind.

[cymric]

I could always try to make some more lather this week and take a closer picture but I don't think that MWF/Williams lather is bad at all. Unless I'm missing both points, let me know how it should look like as I don't see any problem with the two "good" lather. I use them both like that... Unless we have different tastes in lather...
That last line is in a manner of speaking the point, although it's not a matter of taste as we all know and use it on this forum. It's not like there should be a little more water, or a little less; no, the very structure of good MWF lather appears to be incompatible with my face (and that of others). I do not have an adequate physical explanation for it, but strongly believe that the answer lies in its bubbly texture, even if the bubbles are very small.

A second point would be, given your offer to take more images, that if a more compatible structure were to be coaxed from MWF, namely a solid mass of firm white matter, without any bubbles visible, however tiny—say what you would get from Tabac, or Taylor cream, or basically 95% of all soaps and creams I've tried to date—then it still doesn't work with me because such a structure is too wet and cannot hold together if not stirred and agitated all the time.

I very much appreciate you taking the time to make the images for it will help others realise that MWF lather looks a bit different than what they might be used to, and therefore I don't think taking other images is worthwhile because I don't think one can shave with the resulting lather.

[michiganlover]

Unless I'm missing both points, let me know how it should look like as I don't see any problem with the two "good" lather. I use them both like that... Unless we have different tastes in lather...

Luc, I think your photos are fine.

I was always under the impression that I should be expecting a lather from modern Williams that looked similar to the creamy, thick, goodness of Tabac. When I instead got the lather with small bubbles in it, as shown in your photos, I assumed I was doing something wrong.

I was always waiting for someone to post a photo of Williams lather that would wow me, and convince me I should work harder to make modern Williams work; mostly I saw photos of lather similar to yours.

Apparently the lather from modern Williams doesn't get any better than your pictures show: and I have never personally considered that bubbly lather to be good enough to shave with, hence my intense hatred for the current version of Williams Mug Soap (made deeper by my understanding of how good the soap once was).

If the bubbly lather works great for you, and others on the board, that's wonderful; but for me I don't consider it good enough. :tongue_sm

[Luc]

That last line is in a manner of speaking the point, although it's not a matter of taste as we all know and use it on this forum. It's not like there should be a little more water, or a little less; no, the very structure of good MWF lather appears to be incompatible with my face (and that of others). I do not have an adequate physical explanation for it, but strongly believe that the answer lies in its bubbly texture, even if the bubbles are very small.

A second point would be, given your offer to take more images, that if a more compatible structure were to be coaxed from MWF, namely a solid mass of firm white matter, without any bubbles visible, however tiny—say what you would get from Tabac, or Taylor cream, or basically 95% of all soaps and creams I've tried to date—then it still doesn't work with me because such a structure is too wet and cannot hold together if not stirred and agitated all the time.

I very much appreciate you taking the time to make the images for it will help others realise that MWF lather looks a bit different than what they might be used to, and therefore I don't think taking other images is worthwhile because I don't think one can shave with the resulting lather.


Luc, I think your photos are fine.

I was always under the impression that I should be expecting a lather from modern Williams that looked similar to the creamy, thick, goodness of Tabac. When I instead got the lather with small bubbles in it, as shown in your photos, I assumed I was doing something wrong.

I was always waiting for someone to post a photo of Williams lather that would wow me, and convince me I should work harder to make modern Williams work; mostly I saw photos of lather similar to yours.

Apparently the lather from modern Williams doesn't get any better than your pictures show: and I have never personally considered that bubbly lather to be good enough to shave with, hence my intense hatred for the current version of Williams Mug Soap (made deeper by my understanding of how good the soap once was).

If the bubbly lather works great for you, and others on the board, that's wonderful; but for me I don't consider it good enough. :tongue_sm

All good, thanks for the input!:thumbup1:

[cymric]

A second point would be, given your offer to take more images, that if a more compatible structure were to be coaxed from MWF, namely a solid mass of firm white matter, without any bubbles visible, however tiny—say what you would get from Tabac, or Taylor cream, or basically 95% of all soaps and creams I've tried to date—then it still doesn't work with me because such a structure is too wet and cannot hold together if not stirred and agitated all the time.
I remembered that some people speak very highly of a 'superlather' of MWF and Musgo Real. Figuring it would make a worthwhile experiment, I loaded up on a puck of MWF with a boar brush, then built further in a bowl without adding water just yet. I got the usual 'crispy' foam I've come to associate with MWF. That foam felt very thick when I rubbed some between my fingers: you ought to see a whitish sheen over your fingertips, and friction should within moments make more rubbing difficult. Then I added about half a pea's worth of Musgo cream to the mix, really not much at all even when considering the fact that Musgo is very concentrated to begin with. I added a few droplets of water, began building, and added more water as I saw fit. The resulting lather was precisely what I would want to shave with. Very cushiony, stable as hell, and very slick to boot. There were still a few bubbles visible, but overall the lather was a drastic improvement over pure MWF.

[Luc]

I remembered that some people speak very highly of a 'superlather' of MWF and Musgo Real. Figuring it would make a worthwhile experiment, I loaded up on a puck of MWF with a boar brush, then built further in a bowl without adding water just yet. I got the usual 'crispy' foam I've come to associate with MWF. That foam felt very thick when I rubbed some between my fingers: you ought to see a whitish sheen over your fingertips, and friction should within moments make more rubbing difficult. Then I added about half a pea's worth of Musgo cream to the mix, really not much at all even when considering the fact that Musgo is very concentrated to begin with. I added a few droplets of water, began building, and added more water as I saw fit. The resulting lather was precisely what I would want to shave with. Very cushiony, stable as hell, and very slick to boot. There were still a few bubbles visible, but overall the lather was a drastic improvement over pure MWF.

Can you take some pictures?

[jwcarlson]

It's interesting that some folks have trouble with MWF. The city softens our water here (not sure how soft it actually is upon delivery) but I have no problem producing great lather with MWF every time I use it. It has been between MWF and Arko recently with MWF getting the edge. I get very creamy cushioning lather from MWF, I keep it on the dry side, for instance, any little bits of excess lather I didn't get rinsed off after the first pass will be "dry" by the time I relather. I also keep it dry enough to need to be recharged with a few drops of water before re-lathering. By my third and usually final pass I have gradually worked to (by design) a more wet, thinner lather. Seems to be working so far! Might have to take pictures some evening. I generally take the wet until proven dry approach to lathering soap.

I have my own theory that guys who struggle with soaps aren't loading up the brush enough to begin with. Then when they have great success with "super lather"... soap + cream, they are having that success because they simply started with too little product to start. I've got loading my brush up with MWF down to a science. Used to really scrub it with the brush and probably was doing some damage to it. But now I use very little pressure and take a little time... get the amount of water correct and I really don't have much "slag" (wasted soap sloshing up from the tub)... actually, I have it to where I don't even get any soap on the outside of my kingsley bowl at all now and the soap is almost even with the top.

[cymric]

I have my own theory that guys who struggle with soaps aren't loading up the brush enough to begin with.
And your theory would be falsified immediately. Oh, there are undoubtedly people who don't load up sufficiently, but as I said when I rub the 'crisp' lather between my fingers it is soapy as hell to the point of becoming unpleasant. It's not like the bubbles disappear and you're left with a few drops of water. So I strongly doubt I'm not loading up enough.


Then when they have great success with "super lather"... soap + cream, they are having that success because they simply started with too little product to start.
Nope; the amount of cream I added for my experiment is way too small for that. I didn't need to add cream to make more lather; I needed to add cream to change the properties of the lather so that it could form smaller bubbles. I know Musgo very well—I could make sufficient lather for about half a pass with the amount I used. But what I had in my bowl was sufficient for three to four royal passes, so that had to be mostly MWF. It had just turned into a form I appreciate much more.


But now I use very little pressure and take a little time... get the amount of water correct and I really don't have much "slag" (wasted soap sloshing up from the tub)... actually, I have it to where I don't even get any soap on the outside of my kingsley bowl at all now and the soap is almost even with the top.
Yup, sounds familiar. MWF may be a hard and gritty soap, but it does dissolve well. The problem I have is not in loading MWF; it's in not being able to shave pleasantly with what results for some reason or another.

I'll see if I can make a few pictures.

[Emmett]

Try to make a few bowls of lather when you have time, not when you need it.
If you can't get the lather right, try to do a batch by using less water and add water little by little. It's easier to fix lather when it's too dry than too wet



QFT! :thumbup1:

Practice, practice, practice.

[Gallo]

Luc,
very nice tutorial. Thank you.

I've just ordered a MWF in a bowl a week ago and is to arrive sooner or later. However, as a noob in this art, I walked the line from bad to good lather with a widely available and inexpensive brazilian shaving soap called "Granado". I have not reached lather heaven with it, but could produce proper lather to shave with.

[Luc]

Luc,
very nice tutorial. Thank you.

I've just ordered a MWF in a bowl a week ago and is to arrive sooner or later. However, as a noob in this art, I walked the line from bad to good lather with a widely available and inexpensive brazilian shaving soap called "Granado". I have not reached lather heaven with it, but could produce proper lather to shave with.

That's good, practice with it before your next shave, it should help! :thumbup1:

[HokieGeek]

Thanks for this tutorial, Luc. Based on your input, I face-lathered with my new puck of MWF yesterday and got nice, rich, fluffy lather and had enough on the brush to easily last me 4 passes. Excellent!

[VT_Hokie]

Thanks Luc, I was never able to crack it with my floppy silvertip, but hopefully my SOC boar will do the trick!

[Luc]

Thanks Luc, I was never able to crack it with my floppy silvertip, but hopefully my SOC boar will do the trick!

You do not need a boar to get good lather. You should be able to get a decent result with a silvertip.

[Gatsby]

Looks like Sticky material to me--especially because these two soaps are often used by beginners.
But, more important, just a solid tutorial on what you want out of a great lather.

Bravo!:thumbup1:

[HokieGeek]

Looks like Sticky material to me--especially because these two soaps are often used by beginners.
But, more important, just a solid tutorial on what you want out of a great lather.

Bravo!:thumbup1:

+1 on the sticky. trying out williams tonight. keeping this page open for pointers.

[Carlo A]

Bravo Luc!

Thanks for going out of your way and buying the wilkinson brush.
I needed to see that!

Cheers

[bladeruner]

Just wanted to bump this up since there have been some questions about lathering these two lately(buy when isn't there right?). And I agree this should be a sticky.

[dfollett_98]

Luc:

Thank you for your efforts. It was very instructive and a great visual for this newbie.

Don

[Drybonz]

Luc, I just found this thread. Thanks for the great pictorial.

I have my first puck of MWF on the way, so I have been browsing over the threads.

Thanks, man. :thumbup1:

[gubes]

Thank you very much for this tutorial and the pictures! I am a very new adventurer in these lands and had no idea I had picked one of the toughest to lather soaps for my first.

Good thing I promised myself not to shave with a DE until I perfected my lather... I've been practicing (a great way to break in my recently purchased Omega Professional), and my main suspicion after seeing your photos is that I have too much water in the brush when I go to charge up. I eventually end up with what looks like a lot of pretty decent lather in the bowl, but once I start applying to my face it seems to disappear.

Well even with this subpar lather, I've had two of the best shaves of my life with my M3... with an old blade no less! Very encouraging indeed.

[sfcablecar]

Good job Soapmeister! :thumbup:

[Luc]

Thank you very much for this tutorial and the pictures! I am a very new adventurer in these lands and had no idea I had picked one of the toughest to lather soaps for my first.

Good thing I promised myself not to shave with a DE until I perfected my lather... I've been practicing (a great way to break in my recently purchased Omega Professional), and my main suspicion after seeing your photos is that I have too much water in the brush when I go to charge up. I eventually end up with what looks like a lot of pretty decent lather in the bowl, but once I start applying to my face it seems to disappear.

Well even with this subpar lather, I've had two of the best shaves of my life with my M3... with an old blade no less! Very encouraging indeed.

If the lather disappear, you are not using enough product. Charge your brush more! :001_smile

[damooshki]

Charge your brush more! :001_smile

How can you expect to receive payment from a brush?:laugh:

[rajagra]

How can you expect to receive payment from a brush?:laugh:

They sometimes leave tips! :lol:

[oc_in_fw]

Well even with this subpar lather, I've had two of the best shaves of my life with my M3... with an old blade no less! Very encouraging indeed.
Until my first DE razor arrives, I have been concentrating on good prep. Even with an old cart, my shave are much better and irritation free. I don't miss the canned crap.

[gubes]

Charge your brush more! :001_smile

I did it, and it worked! I lathered Williams! It was amazing, like rubbing clouds made of angels' breath on my face. :thumbup:

The lather was so good, in fact, I worked up enough courage to try my first DE shave tonight. I was overly cautious, and my first pass did basically nothing. Then I increased the angle of attack a bit, and boy did that beard get reduced. It was like I could hear every hair being sliced off.

One weird thing I noticed was that the head of the razor had a tendency to stick to my wet skin rather than slide across. Not the blade or safety edges, but the rounded top piece. Any other Merkur owners or otherwise have that issue? Recommendations?

[Laney1566]

Your skin will become tacky if you go over the same area without re-lathering.
I use short strokes slightly overlapped. Then I re-lather and go a different direction. The fastest way to get cut is starting a stroke on tacky skin that has no soap left on it.

[telleuno]

Luc,
very nice tutorial. Thank you.

I've just ordered a MWF in a bowl a week ago and is to arrive sooner or later. However, as a noob in this art, I walked the line from bad to good lather with a widely available and inexpensive brazilian shaving soap called "Granado". I have not reached lather heaven with it, but could produce proper lather to shave with.

Granado makes good and nice smelling lather. Of course it won´t lather like crazy, as Godrej Shaving Round, you´ll have to work on it, but once you did, it is more than satisfactory. Btw. I wouldn´t call Granado soap widely available. Aside from Granado pharmacy on Haddock Lobo, I was unable to find it anywhere. Granado´' after-shave balm is a true winner, if you haven´t tried it yet.

[masonjarjar]

Here's a tip for using Williams.. if you like Proraso.. Load your brush with Williams. Then apply a tiny dab of Proraso (I'm sure this would work with other creams) into the heart of the brush, and then face-lather. I tell you I've been getting the best shaves in years with this combo. Plenty in the brush for 3 passes and touch ups. Give it a shot. Actually I did the same thing with VDH Deluxe and Godrej and got awesome results as well..

[packersfan117]

Great post! As a newcomer to wet shaving, I didn't realize until now that I was doing it incorrectly. I loved the pictures showing the common mistakes.

[Allison's Anarchy]

I tried lathering Williams a little more than a month ago when I started wetshaving and failed miserably. I tried this a few mintues ago and achieved a luscious lather.

Thank you for the lather tutorials Luc. Invaluable help for novices.

[AABCDS]

I think Bruce from Bruce on Shaving.com (http://www.bruceonshaving.com/2010/07/23/mitchells-wool-fat-shaving-soap/) sums up MWF well with this quote:

The thing about MWF is that it doesn’t do what other soaps do, it acts almost as if it is a living thing. Use it on consecutive days and it gets better and better, as if it appreciates the attention. Leave it for a week and it will have a sulk and try and give you a bad time. Left for a while it becomes a loner, forming a hard skin round itself. Too long and cracks appear in the surface as it displays its displeasure.

I've been using MWF when I started wetshaving at the end of May and have been using it regularly since and, indeed, it does get better and better.

[California Cajun]

Here's a tip for using Williams.. if you like Proraso.. Load your brush with Williams. Then apply a tiny dab of Proraso (I'm sure this would work with other creams) into the heart of the brush, and then face-lather. I tell you I've been getting the best shaves in years with this combo. Plenty in the brush for 3 passes and touch ups. Give it a shot. Actually I did the same thing with VDH Deluxe and Godrej and got awesome results as well..

Did anyone pass this tip on to Michiganlover?