Mornin' folks,

I am currently using Williams soap which I have loved for years, but being new to the straight razor my shaves are taking a while, and having the soap on my face that long is making it feel tight and a little dry afterward. I also tried a sample of the SRD "Opus X" soap, which smells wonderful, but leaves me in more or less the same shape. For reference I am using alcohol based aftershaves, Old Spice and Dominica Bay Rum.

Is there a soap or cream on the market that will help me with this while I learn and get my shave time down? I have heard that Mitchell's Wool Fat with the Lanolin is a great moisturizer, and that Cella the Italian stuff has nice moisturizing qualities. Is there anything else out there you would recommend, or is this just sort of an unavoidable consequence of a long shave? I'm thinking of heading into NYC to Pasteur's Pharmacy/Cambridge Chemists to look for something, and I believe they carry these two soaps among many others. I'm leaning toward the Cella right now as it will be less expensive but I would appreciate any advice/tips you might have.