Post Pictures of Williams on your face

**Kyle Hyde** · 01-20-2010, 08:30 PM

Some people really like Williams. As of yet, I am not one of them. I've seen some pictures of williams lather in a brush that looked good, but I've never seen it on a hand or face. I can't get a lather from williams that is not thin and bubbly.

Can someone show me close-up pictures of williams lather on their hand or face so I know it is actually possible with williams.

**michiganlover** · 01-20-2010, 08:56 PM

Below is a picture of the rich, wonderful, cushioning lather I recently made from Williams, as you can tell, it is some really great stuff.

What do you mean there is no picture?? I swear I posted a link to the elusive wonderful Williams lather. Wait was I dreaming? Did this event ever occur?

I tell you I had a bowl of the nicest creamiest lather you will ever see, you will just have to take my word for it. You will do that right?

**thunderball** · 01-20-2010, 09:01 PM

Who is this "Williams"?

**mblakele** · 01-20-2010, 09:04 PM

Has it really come to this? Can we not accept the word of a fellow member of B&B?

And yet... lather porn is always welcome.

I apologize for the quality of both photos: the lighting above my sink is not the best. I don't have a tripod, either. The first photo features the bowl from a norpro scuttle, an Omega #49, a user-grade Aristocrat, and one of Chessman's vintage Merkur slants.

Note that I did not shave with this lather. Anyway, for all you know I made it from Tabac or PSGT, or pressed the button on top of a can of Colgate.

**Topgumby** · 01-20-2010, 09:50 PM

You insisted...

**Kyle Hyde** · 01-21-2010, 12:15 AM

Yeah, I can't get my williams to lather like that. I guess it is possible. I didn't mean to say that I didn't believe you guys were getting lather from it. I just wanted to see if you all were shaving with the quality of lather I was getting. Apparently, more practice is needed on my part.

**Loner16** · 01-21-2010, 04:43 AM

Originally Posted by Topgumby

You insisted...

**bookamatches** · 01-21-2010, 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by Kyle Hyde

Yeah, I can't get my williams to lather like that. I guess it is possible. I didn't mean to say that I didn't believe you guys were getting lather from it. I just wanted to see if you all were shaving with the quality of lather I was getting. Apparently, more practice is needed on my part.

Use plenty of water. With my cream, I wring and shake the water out of the brush after soaking, then add water a few dribbles at a time, while lathering in a bowl. With Williams I pull the brush out from its soak and allow most of the water to run off, then I make slow circles and plunging motions on the soap to load the brush, then I face lather. It works great and it looks like someone hit me in the face with a meringue pie.

Also, I do have city water. Other posts have suggested that water quality may be an issue when trying to make a good lather.

**Moe** · 01-21-2010, 05:06 AM

This thread was started by a duplicate post of another in the Williams Week thread. There are responses there not posted in this thread.

**Scissors** · 01-21-2010, 05:26 AM

Summary: you will probably get good and consistent results if you store your puck of Williams to keep it moist, pasty, and soft. No fancy brush is required. If you have a small tupperwear container to hold your Williams, you're all set.

(* * *)

After building some decent (I thought) lather with a two different brushes (and taking a lot of photos of the process), I realized that the way I'm storing my Williams never gives it a chance to dry out. I keep it in a Tupperwear container with the lid closely tightly. Maybe this has the same end result as soaking the puck in water over night—with less to do?

The puck never gets dry and always has a sort of soft, pasty surface. I didn't intend for that to happen, but that's what did happen. If you're able to load the brush with a decent amount of soap, more than half the battle is over.

So it likely has nothing to do with the brush. This time I used a Plisson and a good old Rooney 3/1 with super silvertip. I realize for some a Rooney may be fancy brush, but it's not stratospherically priced, and AFAICT, is a popular choice.

Here are two sets of thumbnails linked to larger images. Both show the pile of lather and the brush that created it, followed by your 'humble narrator squeezing the brush and showing the lather on his hand.

First, the Rooney 3/1:

Now the Plisson:

Although I haven't directly compared, I'd say the lather isn't a moist or cushion-y as MWF or Cade or Haslinger or any number of other soaps. It's also nowhere near as expensive as the soaps I mentioned. But my experience so far indicates that, once lathered up decently, it's a serviceable soap that can give you a DFS. YMMV, of course, but that's my experience so far.

**JCD** · 01-21-2010, 05:30 AM

If I got it right here is a pic of my silvertip loaded up with Williams lather

Here is a second picture of the lather I squeezed out of the brush after my third pass

**DougK** · 01-21-2010, 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by Scissors

Summary: you will probably get good and consistent results if you store your puck of Williams to keep it moist, pasty, and soft. No fancy brush is required. If you have a small tupperwear container to hold your Williams, you're all set.

(* * *)

After building some decent (I thought) lather with a two different brushes (and taking a lot of photos of the process), I realized that the way I'm storing my Williams never gives it a chance to dry out. I keep it in a Tupperwear container with the lid closely tightly. Maybe this has the same end result as soaking the puck in water over night—with less to do?
...
The puck never gets dry and always has a sort of soft, pasty surface. I didn't intend for that to happen, but that's what did happen. If you're able to load the brush with a decent amount of soap, more than half the battle is over...

I keep my puck in an open coffee mug and I haven't noticed any problems with it drying out after that initial soak while I was in the shower on Monday, but that could be because I'm using it every day right now.

**Seraphim** · 01-21-2010, 07:17 AM

I have always been able to whip up a head of suds with Williams, but I would not refere to it as lather, as it is always too light and frothy. It looks pretty nice, but lacks thickness, as shown here:

I've said this before, and I'll say it again (and again!) the suds from Williams is like the head of foam you get on a glass of Budweiser, bubbly and airy. The lather I like to use (Tabac, EF, AOS, etc) gets nice and thick like the head of foam you get on a pint of Guiness, thick, creamy, and delicious!

**michiganlover** · 01-21-2010, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by Seraphim

I have always been able to whip up a head of suds with Williams, but I would not refere to it as lather, as it is always too light and frothy. It looks pretty nice, but lacks thickness

To be honest, all of the results posted so far look way too airy/ sudsy. I can generate a lather like that from Williams too, but I don't consider such a lather to be adequate for shaving.

**kingfisher** · 01-21-2010, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by michiganlover

To be honest, all of the results posted so far look way too airy/ sudsy. I can generate a lather like that from Williams too, but I don't consider such a lather to be adequate for shaving.

+1

Haven't seen a great lather in this thread so far.

**Baloosh** · 01-21-2010, 10:35 AM

Man, those lathers look pretty weak and airy, like other have mentioned.

Guess I'm going to have to bust out the camera at home tonight and do the Williams PROUD!

**Seraphim** · 01-21-2010, 10:40 AM

From my "Weak of Williams" a year ago:

**Kyle Hyde** · 01-21-2010, 03:14 PM

One of the reasons I wanted to see pictures was because I read some posts in the week of williams that stated they were getting "tallowy goodness." At least from those pictures I've seen, I find that really hard to believe that people are getting "tallowy goodness."

**JCD** · 01-21-2010, 05:41 PM

I guess you anti Williams guys don't realize that lather much deeper than your stubble is nothing but wasted. I don't put all the lather I generate on my face
it just makes cleaning the razor between strokes harder. If you think that 2 inches of lather on your face to remove 1/8" of stubble is smart and will give you a better shave then you should stick with the canned goop. My lather is not airy or bubbly it is thick, rich and slick as greased lightning it provides a great shave. I feel sorry for those guys who can't make lather with Williams.

**Scissors** · 01-21-2010, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by michiganlover

To be honest, all of the results posted so far look way too airy/ sudsy. I can generate a lather like that from Williams too, but I don't consider such a lather to be adequate for shaving.

I can understand a preference for a thicker and heavier lather. I checked against a fave of mine, Haslinger, and yep, the lather it gave was definitely thicker, smoother, etc. than Williams.

But I don't Williams is necessarily inadequate because of that. It's not a luxury product; it does its job. Maybe I've missed a post to the contrary, but I don't think anyone who has gotten a decent lather has had a bad shave with it.

Once the week is over, I'll go back to the soaps and creams that are more luxurious. But now every so often, I'll get out the puck of Williams and use it for something other than benchmarking brushes.