Gentlemen,

What are your thoughts on shaving with soft water?

As you know, many elements influence the shave, from razor to shave products, preparation to mastery of the razor. Somewhere in there, one must assume, the type of water used in the shave plays its part.

The reason I bring up the point is that this weekend I am visiting my daughter in Minnesota and she uses properly-gaged soft water. It seems that it takes forever to wash off the water. In the past, using a double edge razor with a chrome handle has been a challenge to hold on to because of slippage. On the other hand, I have noticed a richer lather from my brush and an impressive shave.

On this visit I brought both a Dovo "Perlex" straight, and an Edwin Jagger Chatsworth "barley" double edge razor to use in case I am squeezed for time. Then I decided to rest my face and not shave at all.

The local constabulary will probably arrest me for looking like a Corsican assassin. Still, I will try to stick to plan.

Unless Brad Pitt is unavailable for a role and Hollywood wants me to replace him as the hero, in which case I will have to shave this weekend. But that's another story.

In the meantime, I would find your thoughts on shaving with soft water most illuminating. Many thanks.

Regards,

Obie