Water Softener & Lathering

Does anyone have a water softener and how does it affect your lathering? I have one, and quite frankly my lather doesn't seem any better than the canned goo as far as cushion or slickness goes. With the typical "snurdle" I can get copious amounts of lather, easily enough for 6 or maybe even more passes. I can get to a cool-whip consistency rather easily, but it seems dry. When I start adding water, even in the smallest amounts, it seems to get runny. I wouldn't say I get a bad lather, maybe it's just that my expectations were higher, and I thought maybe the soft water was affecting my lather making abilities. I know it's really an art form, and takes a lot of trial and error, but I was hoping for something a little better than what I get.

So far I've used:
VDH Deluxe soap - not too bad - probably the best for slickness so far
C&E Sandalwood soap - eh...not too impressed, seems to dry out my skin a bit and not too slick
TOBS Sandalwood cream tube - 2nd to the VDH, whips up picture perfect, but not as slick
TOBS Avocado cream tube - used for the first time today - seemed better than the Sandalwood, but I think I may be sensitive to it. We'll see...

Although, the best benefit so far is that my severe irritation, which my doctor called eczema and treated with topical cream (Triamcinolone Acetonide), has cleared up completely; I don't need the cream anymore. Whether it was caused by the canned goo or the Mach 3/Fusion "comfort strips" is still unclear because I stopped using both at the same time....but I digress.

So, anyways...how do you adjust your lather making to compensate for soft water?
I know, I know - keep practicing and YMMV.

First it all depends on how hard you water was. I live in the S.W where the water is as hard as nails and the softener makes a huge difference. I get a lot of lather with little effort. If I use unsoftened water I still get plenty of lather but I have to use more soap and work much harder to get it and the consistency of the lather is inferior.

As far as art goes there is none to making lather. Its just a matter of having a decent brush, decent soap, the right amount of water and swirling the brush around the right amount.