Thread: Williams Shaving Soap 40 years Later

Originally Posted by Airportcopper

I had no problems whipping up a nice lather with the Williams .. It's a great soap for the money but the smell ... Ugghhh reminds me of a port a pottie..

The scent is citronella. I like it personally.

My trick with Williams (and might have already been said) is before the very first time you use a new puck (at least 6 hours before) is the put it in the mug and cover it with the hottest tap water you have and let it soak. Come back after at least 6 hours, pour off the excess water and form it to the mug. It lathers way easier this way

Originally Posted by rodb

My trick with Williams (and might have already been said) is before the very first time you use a new puck (at least 6 hours before) is the put it in the mug and cover it with the hottest tap water you have and let it soak. Come back after at least 6 hours, pour off the excess water and form it to the mug. It lathers way easier this way

Interesting, I did that once with a nice puck of Col Conk, came back, and it was all liquefied. Now I can't find the stuff, it's always sold out, and that's one I really want to try.

Someone shot me a tube of some Derby shave cream, after reading the thread, going to have to try that in the old scuttle...

Originally Posted by ZeroCool

Cali,

I agree, for some of us it just doesn't come easy.

I've got more soaps and creams to last me years but the challenge of the Williams is what intrigues me.

There's so many people saying it works and they love it. Now I know it's not going to replace any of my other soaps but I determined to make it work

The challenge intrigued me until I bought a vintage puck of Williams on ebay that worked as well as Tabac or any other premium soap I ever used, and worked repeatedly, and without effort.

I grated a puck of modern Williams in a cheese grater and the first shave was magnificent. Afterward I couldn't coax a good, lasting lather using several different techniques suggested here an elsewhere. That led me to believe that, by grating, all the "goodies" the puck was enriched with were released the first time I mixed up that lather, and used up during that first shave. Then the rest of the soap was depleted.

My conclusion was that the Williams of yesteryear had enough goodies to last the whole puck through. My grating experiment told me that the makers of this soap have drastically reduced the amount of ingredients that made it the superior product it was.

It seems to me that those who have learned to make modern Williams work have, maybe without realizing it, figured out a way to conserve resources and coax enough out of each shave to make the limited amount of goodies last.

That's when I lost interest. I figured I wasn't learning to do anything but accommodate a cheapening of the formula.

I wanted to like Williams because it is an American product dating back to 1840 and really desired to somehow identify and relate my retro-shaving experience to something like that. I would pay $5 or more a puck and become a regular customer if I could have the vintage stuff.

Hopefully this doesn't make me a Williams basher. I'm still interested in a vintage version, but don't want to rely on ebay to find pucks made many years ago. Perhaps they could introduce a "Luxury" version with essentially the Glastonbury formula and sell it for $5-$7.50 a puck. But by doing so they would be admitting that they did change it, and they steadfastly maintain that it hasn't changed.

100+ year-old ads like this make me wish I could have what this guy used:

Col Conk is glycerin based, you can melt that in a micro wave. Williams will burn and smoke if you try that!! I found out the hard way!! lol

Originally Posted by Phrank

Interesting, I did that once with a nice puck of Col Conk, came back, and it was all liquefied. Now I can't find the stuff, it's always sold out, and that's one I really want to try.

Someone shot me a tube of some Derby shave cream, after reading the thread, going to have to try that in the old scuttle...

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I would like Williams to work for me, but it doesn't and it's not worth it any more experimentation.

This is what I got for a substitute.

Attachment 139882

It is inexpensive, without exaggeration works as well as any cream I have ever used, and it has a very pleasant lemon scent. I read one review from someone that thought it smelled like a lemon cleaner, to which I disagree. It has a better lemon scent than Palmolive and is less expensive. Plenty of rich lather.

I just got that Derby Lemon recently in an order I made from a site in Turkey. Along with Arko, I agree that Derby cream is inexpensive and performs very well. I got the Derby Lemon and Lavender creams in my order.

I also disagree that Derby Lemon smells like some type of cleaner. The lemon scent is nice while lathering. I don't really smell it much while shaving, though.

As for Williams:
That is the only shave soap that I can't lather well. I gave up and tossed it into the shower; it took forever for that soap to get used up in the shower. But, after reading this thread, and realizing that I can get a Williams puck for 99¢ at my local supermarket, I think I'll give it one last try. The challenge is on...

Well, I think I've gotten the best out of Williams that I can get today. Here are my personal results:

Hot shower

Williams in Old Spice mug of cold water for 5min

Silvertip Badger brush soaking in cold water

Dump water out of mug and shake excess from brush (I found starting with less water and working up is best)

Wet face with cold water

Work up lather in mug for a few minutes until there's a good amount of cream, let sit for a minute while wetting my face again.

Lather well, then massage into whiskers for a minute

Relather and perform first pass (still a bit thin but ok)

Wipe excess off face with towel then relather (this go around was much thicker and lasted longer) add a few drops of water as needed.

Second pass not horrible but not great

Repeat for third pass. I found three passes to be too much for my skin with this soap, it ends up irritated. Other high end (not necessarily expensive) soaps let me do a third pass.

I experimented with my FatBoy with a Feather and my 9/8 Greaves.

End result was about the same. It's a decent performer for the money and good for uber lathering but stand alone I'm going to be sticking with others. I'm jealous of you guys that can get great results from it.

Today's shave and perhaps with Williams alone for awhile

Originally Posted by ZeroCool

Well, I think I've gotten the best out of Williams that I can get today... ...I'm jealous of you guys that can get great results from it.

Had it not been for this thread my earlier, terrible, results with Williams would have been my last. I am now getting excellent lather with this product. I have moved 30-miles since my last try; both houses have well water but, in both cases, the water is not particularly hard. I've rotated Williams through badger, boar and horsehair brushes with identically good results.

I can't doubt your skills - gotta be the water. Want me to send you a quart to try?

Originally Posted by MisterMoo

Had it not been for this thread my earlier, terrible, results with Williams would have been my last. I am now getting excellent lather this product. I have moved 30-miles since my last try; both houses have well water but, in both cases, the water is not particularly hard. I've rotated Williams through badger, boar and horsehair brushes with identically good results.

I can't doubt your skills - gotta be the water. Want me to send you a quart to try?

You very well might be right. I just moved as well and the previous house had well water, it was hard but nothing like this place. The water is so hard here it starts to stain the tub and toilets in no time. Somehow I'm still able to lather everything else with no problem, including MWF.

Much thanks for the offer on the water but I'll have to pass in fear it ends up working and gets me hooked on sourcing water for years to come not to mention my wife would indeed think I'm taking it too far lol

Originally Posted by ZeroCool

...Much thanks for the offer on the water but I'll have to pass in fear it ends up working...

I hoped it would. You know the drill... first quart's free.