SOTD : Saturday 11th - Friday 17th May 2019

Hi Dave,
I feel your frustration. Creating a lather from a hard soap is not easy and it's skill which does take time to master. I've been ‘traditional wet shaving' for 3 years now and I still struggle with soaps. One of the main reasons is not sticking with the same soap for any period of time. This hobby/way of shaving is great and the choice of gear is great too but most of us get carried away buying gear and don't focus on technique and getting the best from our equipment.

Also working from a sample is not the best way to start off. You only have limited amount of product to work with and the tendency is not to use as much as is needed. I would recommend you look for a soap which appeals to you and buy a full tub. Have a look through the BST threads first as there's always a high turnover of soaps on there.

As for technique. It depends on how you lather, by bowl or face lather and what soap you use. Each soap base is different and reacts differently to the amount of water used. YouTube is your best place to start. Watch as many as you can and take bits from each one.

Some soaps I find easier to use than others. Saponificio Varesion and Fine Accoutrements are two which come to mind. There are others which I've been close to throwing up the wall. Barrister and Mann in their Reserve base is notoriously difficult to work with. If you look online you will see numerus threads and YouTube videos on ‘how to create a lather' with their Reserve base. Frankly I think this is ridiculous. If you need that amount of guidance to use a soap it isn't fit for purpose. On the flip side the Reserve base is highly regarding by many and some say the best base out there.

Another soap which I always struggled with was Wickhams. I found I couldn't get a constant lather with it. I'm sure you are aware how highly regarded it is on the forums but I couldn't get along with it. Like most things it's very much a personal thing.

It will take time to hone your technique and find a soap you like but it's worth the effort in the end. I've found soaps to be far superior for glide/slickness, cushion and moisturising qualities.



If you need any more advice please don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers
Rob
 
15 May

PAA Harvest Moon
MÜHLE 25mm Silvertip Fibre
MÜHLE R89
Feather Hi-stainless
Proraso white asb
Chanel Bleu


​
Wonderful lather, wonderful shave. This R89 head is, for me, more comfortable than the 42c Merkur head. Both razors will give a similar shave, but the MÜHLE/Edwin Jagger head wins with superior comfort, fit and finish.
 
15/5/19

Brush - Omega 80265
Soap - Valobra Stick
Razor - Gillette Ball End Tech
Blade - Voskhod
Post - Witch Hazel/Nivea Cooling
AS - Eyup Sabri Tobacco

I missed yesterday's shave as I was planning to shave after my haircut but after getting it I ended up watching the cricket & playoff semi final, so for today's shave I had a rare 48 hours worth of growth. The choice of lather was Valobra and it's a soap that even with a great post shave feel it's not one I have taken to with much enthusiasm, I'm not entirely sure for why.
 


Sotd - last night - 14/5 -

Razor - Ikon Shavecraft 103 short comb on ES S/S handle
blade - Sputnik (4)
brush - Simpsons P8 Phyl LE best
soap - Wickham Citrus Musk
post - witch hazel
a/s - LPL Apricot
balm - Gomez Barberia
scent - Copycat TF Neroli.

Result - lovely.

A beautiful early evening shave on an equally beautiful day - windows wide open in the bathroom. I had forgotten just how good Wickham soaps are - have great shaves one and all - yours - I.
 
Williams Wednesday- 15th May

Simpson Chubby 1 / Maggards 2Band
Williams Mug soap
ATT SE1 + Windrose Handle
Feather Pro [ 4 ]
Williams Aqua Velva A/S Lotion

Near the end of my AC/SE rotation, and have saved the best to last. The Razor/Handle may be on the hefty side, but I find that I can use the weight to shave with ease without the need for undue pressure. The Shave was ultra smooth and the resultant finish was really good, a real Face Stroker. In fact I enjoyed it so much I will have another outing tomorrow perhaps using a cream.

 

Nice selection Iain,I can almost smell them from the north of Glasgow.
 
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