Thread: Tips For hard water?

So I have shaved 3 times now and each time I can not seem to get a good lather going, it just wont froth up, and when it does get to the right consistency it just wimps out as soon as its on my face for 30 seconds or more. I have played with a bunch of different ways, less water, more water, more soap, and I started from the begining over and over to try and get it to lather up but it just wont work, I spent an hour the other day trying to figure it out. And seriously it cant be that hard right? So I have super hard water in my house and I have come to the conclusion that that has to be factoring into the lather to some extent. Does anyone have tips for dealing with the hard water? Im sure Im not the only one here that lives in an old farm house with hard water lol
I did notice that when I built the lather on my face that worked better but it still seemed rather "thick" and if I added more water it was right... and then wimped out 30 seconds later. Im using SRD unscented soap.

any help would be much appreciated
sorry if this question was posted already

Thanks peoples!

Just a thought, have you tried making lather with bottled water? That would tell you right away if it is your water or not. If the bottled water works there is your solution, just keep one handy for shaving with.

Bob

I have hard water here in Colorado too. I use a drop of glycerin in the mug with the soap. You can pick it up at Walmart. Gives a Uber lather that makes it worth it too.

You have basically three options. You can use some bottled water for shaving, you can use a soap that is hard water friendly or you can add something to the mix to increase lathering ability. Personally, I think the bottled water idea is best. It doesn't cost much or you can buy a small water distiller.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You have basically three options. You can use some bottled water for shaving, you can use a soap that is hard water friendly or you can add something to the mix to increase lathering ability. Personally, I think the bottled water idea is best. It doesn't cost much or you can buy a small water distiller.

Ooohhhh, that sounds like a new AD, WDAD or DAD. Scary scary stuff.

I use a body soap, Aveeno, that is very hard-water friendly. I tried making a shaving lather with it once, and it was a failure. I got an OK lather but an awful shave. Still, next time I'm staying somewhere with hard water, I'll try putting a drop of the Aveeno in my lathering bowl to see if it'll tame the water.

Good luck, Thunderhorse. I'm with the bottled-water crowd for the short term solution, anyway.

Thanks for the tips guys! Ill try it and see what happens!

My scales broke off my razor today though for no apparent reason... so I guess its back to cartriges till it gets fixed

From my experience I have noticed a water softener has helped when shaving. I use to have hard water in my home but I recently installed a Kinetico water softener and not only has shaving become easier but my face feels so much softer now. I got mine here in San Antonio from Kinetico San Antonio and got a great deal. I'd suggest using a water softener and going to a Kinetico dealer!