Do I have a leather-tough face? First DE shaves, no burn even with just Williams soap

[Rectifier]

Hey guys, I just bought my Merkur HD a few days ago and have been getting a better shave every day, totally happy with it!

The first day, I had a terrible shave - no irritation, but tons of stubble left on the face when I went 1 pass WTG only (as recommended 1st time). And a little razor burn on the neck since I got the angle totally wrong.
The next day I said hell with it and went WTG XTG ATG and got a better shave, also no irritation...
Today I did WTG plus 2 passes ATG and have the smoothest shave of my life so far, awesome! Again no troubles with any sort of irritation.

Now, I'm only using Williams mug soap, crappy Wilkinson Sword brush (Which definately needs replacement with a badger now that I've held one at the shop) and Merkur blades, which I bought a pack of with the razor since it seems any DE blade is rare here in my city.

I read of people having no end of razor burn with these products (I was pretty hesitant on the first shave, expecting to tear up my face...) - so do you think I just have super-sturdy skin?

I actually really like the Williams soap, I have been using it for a few months with my mach3 up until I bought my Merkur. I just love its classic barbershop smell, and I always get good lather and no burn... though the mach3 shave was nowhere near as close as today's shave, even with a brand new blade. Always had little stubble stubs remaining.

[83mercedes]

In my humble opinion there's nothing wrong with Williams.
If you're getting great results, fantastic. No need to worry, or spend more money...enjoy.

[studman46]

FANTABULOUS START !! It's whatever blade, soap, cream, brush, razor works for you; everyone is different. I absolutely love the VDH glycerin soap that I get at Wallymart for $1.50. It beats some of the more expensive soaps by a mile. I also have Williams soap; there's a reason it's still around after 100+ years. I have an expensive silver tip badger but usually reach for my $33 Vulfix pure badger. It holds water/lather well and is the workhorse of the stable. So, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' !!!. It's revelling in the satisfaction of a great shave and the joy of the journey to shaving Nirvana that counts. Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

[Mr Whiskers]

Welcome to B&B. I have Williams in my soap rotation and get a good lather from it as well. I have no problems with it at all. I think if you can make a good lather with it, you can make a great lather from any soap or cream. Try different blades. Merkurs are on the bottom of my razor blade totem pole. Other members here also have a dislike for them too. YMMV. I recommend a sampler pack of blades from westcoastshaving.com. Oh what a difference a blade makes.

[petr]

Hmm. Yes.

don't try that 3 or more passes not gently with a feather though.

what blade?

good for you...that would have had me screaming like a 5 year old girl.

[Rectifier]

Merkur blade, surprised because they are supposed to be pretty poor as mentioned, I'll have to try that sample pack order and see what I'm missing out on...

No shave today since I have barely any stubble to shave, that's pretty cool (but disappointing because I wanted to use my razor... heh) Should have got a DE years ago.

That 100 year tradition is another reason I like the Williams. Its ingredients are plain and simple by modern standards, and it appears to be mainly made from real animal fat (sodium tallowate being the main ingredient, with no SLS). I tend to stay away from things with a lot of synthetics.

WRT the brush though, after handling the real brushes the $8 Wilkinson Sword brush really seems junky. The bristles shed and clump all together and generally look crappy on my counter and feel scratchy on the face. I am pretty tempted to toss that crappy brush and go for the $45 Col. Conk chrome badger brush I was eyeballing down at Momentum, it has a really nice weight to it, and I like things that feel solid.

However now, will a badger lather Williams soap as well, or does it require the stiff bristles of the synthetic\boar brush to really get a good lather from a hard soap?

[wchnu]

I use williams and some VDH.. they work fine for me along with either a Burma Shave brush (synthetic) or a Boar brush by VDH. Welcome to othe club and enjoy

FUZZY

[_JP_]

While you are getting great results, you'll probably find yourself liking other products better once you branch out and start trying them. Most likely true for the blades and soaps, or creams for that matter. A big part of the fun is checking out the other stuff.