Poor man's Superlather

I've been wet-shaving for about a year and a half now. I've improved my technique. I've spent more than I'd like to admit on various products. Many of them are good. Some aren't. Price doesn't ALWAYS guarantee quality! Some folks here like to talk about whether they are cream guys, soap guys, tallow guys or glycerin guys. I'm all of the above. My skin reacts differently in different seasons. But I've found one combination that seems to work in all seasons. It is cheap (especially if you live in the US) I don't. I live in Japan so I have to buy all of my products every few years when I travel.

Go superlather, and do it cheap!

I've found a combination of Williams Mug Soap and Kiss My Face shaving cream (any scent) to be unbeatable. And I mean unbeatable at any price. They're both cheap. But they compliment each other perfectly.

If you don't like the smell of Williams, it is diluted by the cream. If you don't already find KMF to be slick enough, the Williams tallow 'greases' it up nicely.

In short, if I was stranded on a desert island, I would want a case of KMF and about 20 pucks of Williams (and a a few hundred Derby blades). On a desert island, I might not need to shave. But if I had those items, I would still want to.

Your thoughts?

You've got my vote on the Williams for sure.
I have used my favorite Godrej with Williams (also a cheap cream) and agree that though Williams alone is just great, Williams in a superlather with a cheap cream is pretty fantastic.
I've not been able to find KMF in local shops, but I've still got my eyes open for it.

I use the exact same Williams/KMF superlather and it is great. I started using Williams in that capacity after I determined the Williams alone wasn't slick enough alone.

Great lather. I haven't tried the high-end creams, but this is good.

K.T.

When I was in Vietnam, we couldn't get a lot of stuff. Good old Ivory soap got the job done.

So what is your procedure? Do you start with the Williams then add the Kiss My Face or vice versa? Is the ratio 50/50? I think I'm going to try this so sorry for the newbie questions.

kyotoadam said:

Price doesn't ALWAYS guarantee quality!

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That holds true for just about anything.

When I superlather it's usually with VDH and Proraso. Makes for a nice shave and definitely doesn't break the bank!

I can't find KMF around here either, otherwise I'd give it a shot.

I had occasion to go to Earth Fare (like a Whole Foods) anyway, and noticed that they had KMF. Picked some up, so I might cheat on MWF this month and give it a try.

As to method, mostly I think you load the brush as though you were going to bowl lather your soap, and then squirt some cream into your bowl and go to town. I predict it will require more water by virtue of pretty much lathering twice as much product.

KMF makes any lather better. I keep a tube of the Unscented around just for that purpose. The Cool Mint is perfect all on its own too.

I super lather with VDH and KMF. I also combine VDH with Real Shaving Co. shaving creme. I get great results with both at low cost.

DHshark said:

So what is your procedure? Do you start with the Williams then add the Kiss My Face or vice versa? Is the ratio 50/50? I think I'm going to try this so sorry for the newbie questions.

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Very fair question. I live in Japan so I don't have a lot of space. I could get a scuttle etc., but I'd just have to find a place to keep it. I've just learned to face lather instead. After my shower, I just fill the sink with hot water. I then apply a squirt of KMF directly to my face by hand. Next, I wet my brush and get a few good swirls of Williams (maybe 8-10 swirls). Then I face lather. There are really no exact measurements or rules. The combo / ration seems to be quite forgiving.

Good luck!

kyotoadam said:

Very fair question. I live in Japan so I don't have a lot of space. I could get a scuttle etc., but I'd just have to find a place to keep it. I've just learned to face lather instead. After my shower, I just fill the sink with hot water. I then apply a squirt of KMF directly to my face by hand. Next, I wet my brush and get a few good swirls of Williams (maybe 8-10 swirls). Then I face lather. There are really no exact measurements or rules. The combo / ration seems to be quite forgiving.

Good luck!

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Interesting approach - sounds like a winner!

I live in Japan also and love KMF.
As an aside, I have discovered that the USPS small flat rate box is great for me because shaving stuff is usually small and I can have a lot of stuff shipped to me for about $14. So if you want to experiment with other stuff it can be relatively cheap.

I find that Williams and Cremo produce a great lather, a good way to use up two products that on thier own just don't cut it for me. The Williams provides great lather and the Cremo provides the slickness and cushion. I even like the smell..... maybe I will use this for 1 of my next shaves. I never tried KMF, 1 latherless cream is plenty for me, heck making lather is one of the things that makes this so fun.

livingontheedge said:

I find that Williams and Cremo produce a great lather, a good way to use up two products that on thier own just don't cut it for me. The Williams provides great lather and the Cremo provides the slickness and cushion. I even like the smell..... maybe I will use this for 1 of my next shaves. I never tried KMF, 1 latherless cream is plenty for me, heck making lather is one of the things that makes this so fun.

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Williams and Cremo is very good...

P.160 and Cremo is

Cremo is an awesome cream for superlathers, I guess I have to buy some KMF now

I have found that combination to be great also. I recently was able to find KMF at my local grocery store, cheaper than buying it online, so I have been working on the super lather described almost everyday, and it works wonders.

when i first started wet shaving i got everything in the mail except for a soap, so I went down the street and bought some williams because i just had to use my goodies that night. After getting my CO Bigelow creme i never used the williams because it didnt smell purdy. So one night i decided to mix them up and found that it made really nice lather and i have been doing that for a few weeks now. But when that puck runs out In going to switch to a glycerin soap with Bigelow creme.

maj_planb said:

I super lather with VDH and KMF. I also combine VDH with Real Shaving Co. shaving creme. I get great results with both at low cost.

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+1 on the VDH and KMF, I have used both for over a year with great results. Going to try Speick with the VDH soon.

I've become addicted to superlather. I picked up a large tube of C.O. Bigelow and I've been mixing it with my VDH and my Provence Sante Green Tea soap.

I like super lather for several reasons.

One, I get to make my MWF smell of omega.

Two, it helps me use up the vast amounts of product i have. I've started using MWF as a shower soap ASWELL as a shave soap, just so I have a hope of getting through the 3 pucks I have in the next 3 years.

That way I can justify my trumpers Eucris