Thread: Williams Mug

If Williams worked as well as Valobra or Institut Karite that's probably all I'd ever use cause I love the Williams scent. But it takes too much work to get a decent straight razor shave with it..I use it when I can move a little faster with a DE.

It's a shame they changed that formula so much that it's on the brink of extinction--I hate to see a historical product disappear, but it really needs a quality upgrade.

Marty E .

Do me a favor, guys. Grate up a puck, toss in an a ounce of glycerin, stir it up good and press it into a bowl. If you want, mix it with another soap you cannot get to work. 1 puck Willie, half of the other.
Light microwave 15 secs only press, repeat again, perhaps once more. Easy to do!
Give that a go. Face lather with little water. I think all of it is old and needs some help. Great stuff. Just me!

Oh! TWO ounces there with a puck and a half!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Do me a favor, guys. Grate up a puck, toss in an a ounce of glycerin, stir it up good and press it into a bowl. If you want, mix it with another soap you cannot get to work. 1 puck Willie, half of the other.
Light microwave 15 secs only press, repeat again, perhaps once more. Easy to do!
Give that a go. Face lather with little water. I think all of it is old and needs some help. Great stuff. Just me!

Did that with a puck of green mnt. soap.
It works very very well now

Maybe i'm lucky but for me the only ingredient i used whit Williams is water and the results are great.

Originally Posted by Papabear11

Maybe i'm lucky but for me the only ingredient i used whit Williams is water and the results are great.

Yeah, I used it for several years til I joined the forum and learned about a tad of glycerin.
Makes it all the better. Try it! 4 drops or so on top of the puck.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

I just shaved using the Williams soap about an hour ago. I let it soak overnight and dumped out the water this morning. When I went to shave this afternoon I let the puck soak again while I was soaking my brush. I loaded the brush for 30-45 seconds and then started face lathering. Initially, all was going well. The lather was thickening and starting to peak. Just when I was about done lathering the soap lather began to thin and bubble. So I lathered up some more. The first pass went pretty poorly. I felt the sickness was there but not the cushion.

For the second pass I loaded the brush for again doing about 15 swirls. I also wet my face, noticing that there was a lot of soap residue left over from the first pass and still pretty slick. After face lathering again I felt I had a decent lather that might have been a little thicker than the first pass lather. The shaving went about the same with the lather thinning out as I shaved. I decided even before finishing pass two that I wasn't going to do a third pass or touch up. Continuing would have just added to the frustration.

Overall, this soap was a disappointment. I was surprised that once I got the lather to start thickening it would just beginning bubbling. The only good things i can say is that it is slick and seems to moisturize. I might try using this soap again just to give it a fair chance. At the very least it should make a passable bath soap.

Concerning Williiams Mug being discontinued, it just might be time to take the brand behind the barn.

I had the EXACT same experience this morning except the soap was Penhaligon. I have never gotten a decent lather from this supposedly premium puck.

What scent, Dave?

Tomorrow the Williams will get another try. This time I won't drown it...maybe just a soak while showering.
I'm thinking about grating the puck and adding glycerin in the coming weeks.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

You fellows have made me go to the Willie a lot lately. I actually grated up a puck of it, a half-puck of Aramis shave soap (don't ask!) and a pile of glycerine mixed in. Mixed well in a bowl, I packed it into an empty plastic soap container.
15 secs microwave, pack and pack. 15 more, pack and push. Twice more. Awesome shave , great lather.

Faint (thankfully!) Aramis aroma and awesome lather, easily produced.

Then, I have broken-out the old mug and soaked the puck in the bottom (lives there!), dumped the water out and added 4 drops of glycerin on top and began with a dry brush, dipping in water and stirring.....As necessary.

Those who say Williams is bad are either not trying, or trying too hard.
Stuff is great, IMO. And nostalgic to boot. JMHO

Just grated a couple of pucks, dosed them with glycerin, mixed and packed then nuked a few times and packed some more. By this time I was wondering if it would be worth the effort. Just did two palm lathers using a synthetic and a boar brush. Seems like it is a different soap now, loads and builds a good lather very easily. Looks like it beats trashing two pucks for sure. Thanks for the tip.

Bob