SOTD : 20th September 2018.
Shaving recipe for today.
Prep: Cool shower:/ L'OREAL~ Hydra Sensitive Birch Sap Shower Gel.
Pre:
warm wet flannel to my face.
Pears ~ Transparent Lemon Flower Glycerin Soap./Bloom water.
Brush: Omega ~ S10018
Face Lather.
Soap : Williams Mug Soap.
Blade: Voskhod T.C. (4)
Frankenrazor: Baili BD 191 Handle / Yaqi DOC Head.
Post:
Cold Water Face Rinse./ Homemade Lime, Lemon+Peppermint Oil & Menthol Crystals Witch Hazel Mixture./Williams ~ Aqua Velva A/S (European Version).
L'OREAL ~ Soothing Birch Sap Post Shave Balm.
Greetings,
It's been a long time since i last used the love/hate Williams Mug Soap. The soap (4 boxes) was a gift kindly brought back for me by family relations that i requested to get me if they could while on holiday in USA i personally don't mind it, ok there is much quicker performing shaving soaps on offer to choose from and it does take a little bit more effort to produce a good lather, but i was curious to try it, and i also really like the classic design on the box.
I basically treat it the same as i do with any hard shaving soap, the only slight difference is i bloom it in 'very hot water', for 10 minutes, after it's been bloomed,i apply the bloom water to my face then rub the puck directly into my stubble,'like a shave stick,'then vigorously build up a lather on my face,with my wet brush until i get the lather consistancy i like, adding water to the tips of the brush in between each pass..This soap is a thirsty one!, so i add more water than usual, than i would when mixing other soaps.
The lather is very foamy at first, but i've learnt not to stop at the foamy stage and Continue working with it and the result is a very nice reasonably thick creamy lather,one thing i do like about williams, is it's slickness,the lather thickness isn't a 'Full On' Santa Claus Beard' thickness, but it's slickness, performance and wonderful post shave feeling makes up for that.. 'As stated on the side of the box, 'it does not dry on your face,but leaves skin soft and smooth', i vouch for that, wholeheartedly.
I normally use a boar brush to lather my hard soaps, but today i tried using a synthetic brush ,which worked just as good, the blooming of the soap & the additional water to the tips of the brush are the winning method for a good lather.
A shaving soap shouldn't have to be bloomed,granted but, when using a in-expensive soap like Williams i found that soaking the soap in hot water for ten minutes vastly improves it's lathering performance,and adding more water to it when either face or bowl lathering
It's fragrance doesn't get top marks,which to my nose has a pleasant clean lemon scent, which some won't like,but it's a inexpensive soap, i don't expect a luxurious scent for what it costs, personally the fragrance of a shaving soap isn't really that important IMO it's shaving performance is, Williams, Arko, Derby, Palmolive arn't the best smelling soaps, i'll agree, but these in-expensive soaps provide a superb lather at a very reasonable price,which can match shaving soaps & creams 10 times the price of these in-expensive old school classics,that have been around for a long time, which tells me, they must be good,as people are still buying them, if not the makers of these soaps would no longer be producing them. YMMV, anyway it works for me, today was no exception, it's performance, glide & protection was superb,. resulting in a very comfortable 3 pass +pick ups silky shave with no errors to report..what more can i ask for...Sorry for the short novella fellow members of TSR.
The Voskhod T.C. blade still performed with sharp smoothness on it's last outing, pairing up with the frankenrazor excellently, making the shave a pleasurable experience.
Finishing the shave off with a generous dollop of L'OREAL ~ Soothing Birch Sap Post Shave Balm.
My face is feeling smooth, & smelling devine.
Enjoy your day, ladies & gentlemen.