home made soap?

I an not gettingh great straigh razor shaves. The are OK, just not as good as with mach-3s. Also, note I have only been trying straight razor shaving for about 1 month.

Some shaves are better than others.
I received a PM from someone that said he makes his own soaps.

I have been using this "van der something" from wal-mart, and I had nothing to compare it to when using straights.

I looked in the basket in the bath, and - wow - my wife's home made soap from years back was in there. I rubed on my face, and it was a lot slicker than the van-der?? from wal mart.

Is slicker better, or perhaps I am mis-using the van-der soap.....

Anyhow - comments welcom.
Receips welcome also.

Jody

Yes, slicker is better. I've never used Van der Hagen as it's not available in Canada, so I can't comment on that. There are literally hundreds of choices though so if you read through this forum you will get a good idea of what you might like.

That being said, changing up your soap will not bring about a massive improvement in your shaves. You will eventually be able to get better shaves than with your Mach 3, but it takes time and practice. In other words it will not happen overnight. Your problem sounds like it's related to your shaving technique or perhaps your razor - possibly both.

Though not considered to be a premium soap, Van der Hagen is a pretty decent one. In a soap, we mostly look for a thick creamy lather to provide some "cushion" and, yes, most like that "slick" feeling that seems to go with a more comfortable shave. Beyond that there's really only the strength of the lather, the ease of lathering, and the scent to consider - mostly personal preference.

Since you've not been at it for long, it's safe to say that your shave quality is largely a matter of technique, not the soap (assuming a truly shave ready edge). There is a world of info available for the beginning straight user and plenty of members who will offer advice about dealing with specific problems. Help yourself. It's going to take a while before you will be getting better shaves than with the disposable consistently but it's pretty easy to learn if you just stick with it. After all you didn't learn to fly an airplane overnight.


rs,
Tack

You could always use a DE, I wasnt getting bbs with my straight either but once I switched it was immediate bbs all over my face

Since you're in Tampa, and since Walgreens abound in Florida, stop in and look for the Van der Hagen luxury shave soap. It is far more slick, in my opinion, than the VDH Deluxe you find at Wally World.

The first time you use it, wet the bottom of it, dry the bottom slightly by dabbing it, and put it in a container with a lid. Let it sit for about 2 days with the lid off. This will effectively cause it to stick to the bottom of the container. When you're ready to use it, put enough HOT water on top to cover it and let it heat up and soften for about 1 minute. Pour the water off and build lather as normal. While the soap is still damp, put the lid on the container. This will soften the soap even more, and within 2 or 3 uses you'll be getting even better results.

This is the soap I use most frequently, and what I began with. It is WAY better than their soap you can find at Walmart, but is still available at a local brick and mortar store for relatively cheap (around $5-$6).

I did not know the products at Walmart & Walgreens were different.

They were both V-something.

Thanks.
Jody

Oh, yeah, totally different.

Here's a link on Amazon for the kind I'm talking about from walgreens:

http://www.amazon.com/Van-Hagen-Luxu...=pd_sim_hpc_36

Totally different package and soap.

Thanks for the picture, the ones I saw at Walgreens and Walmart were in a green box.
I will look for something different.

(It could be a long time before the soap I have is used up thought...)

Thanks,
Jody

I found two stores on the walgreens website... One on West Kennedy Blvd and one on Dale Mabry Hwy. There may be more, just check the walgreens site. They don't have it at all stores, but usually enough in any given location.

Walgreens are all over the place here. I did not think about the possibility that different stores have different products.

Thanks for that idea.

jody

I agree with all the previous posts. It all comes down to technique both lathering and straight razor. I have Van Der Hagen deluxe in my shave soap rotation. It's a good inexpensive soap that when lathered correctly gives a nice slick glide. Don't get discouraged it all comes in time. I've included a link to Shaving 101 that has a good explanation on lathering Mitchells Wool Fat. It may help you with the Van Der Hagen.

Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap