Thread: Water Quality, or why YMMV

I've seen many discussions involving soaps where the quality of a persons water could be a contributing factor to the enjoyment of the particular product.
Anyone know enough about hardness or alkalinity to know how this affects the performance of different types of soap, creme, croap, etc?
Maps swiped from USGS Water-Quality Information: Water Hardness and Alkalinity

Interesting thought. I will be interested in how this goes.

I worked hard all my life, I even played hard when I was a kid, now I know I'm shaving with hard water. Same old same old.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I worked hard all my life, I even played hard when I was a kid, now I know I'm shaving with hard water. Same old same old.

Aren't you going to shave with bottled water?

And what is the source of that water? I think distilled might be a benchmark test where the variables could be reduced nationwide, even worldwide.
I live in an area that the map suggests soft or very soft, but possibly alkaline. I've read that hard water produces scum, not lather. Many soaps contain acidic ingredients that my water might counteract.
If I, or the manufacturers had insight or understanding... can I get a Chemist in here?

Originally Posted by DeObfuscate

And what is the source of that water? I think distilled might be a benchmark test where the variables could be reduced nationwide, even worldwide.
I live in an area that the map suggests soft or very soft, but possibly alkaline. I've read that hard water produces scum, not lather. Many soaps contain acidic ingredients that my water might counteract.
If I, or the manufacturers had insight or understanding... can I get a Chemist in here?

I agree with you and was giving Jimmy a little "hard" time.

Unless you are a soap manufacturer I think that you are thinking to much here.

Find what you like/works and go with it.

Thanks for easing my tension level. I got permabanned at another forum and I'm Not Sure why. Didn't want to piss off the Mods here, too.
My father is a chemical engineer, but I get lost in his explanations because he assumes knowledge I do not own.
As a new wet shaver in a small town I don't have shops to stock products. So either I accept what is available, or rely on consumer reviews. Lather seems to be YMMV, so hard water folks would opine that a brand sucks while is might be spectacular for me.
Reduce the variables for better comparison is how I adjust my shave.

I think with most shave soaps/croaps/creams failure to lather is a user error thing. Basically you have to find a technique that the soap responds to with the water you have. The usual fix for hard water is sometimes using bottled water or adding a little citric acid (concentrated lemon juice) to the shave water if you can't find a lathering technique that will for for the soap. Keep in mind some soaps/croaps/creams are just more finicky no matter the type of water and take a while to figure out what works with them.

Bob