Thread: Hard water!

I just moved to a different city which has very hard water, they consider a squirt gun a dangerous weapon.

My question is; what are good skills for getting a
usable lather? I have a selection of soaps and creams to choose from.
Thank you!
~Richard

Have you tried it to see what the difference would be? I would imagine it would dissolve slower so maybe a longer soak time. Perhaps the hard water will dull your edge Lol. Let us know what the difference in the lather is between hard and soft water. Good luck in your new home.

Don't know if a certain brush would be the answer but how about using distilled or bottled water? It doesn't take a lot so a bottle should go a long way. Just a crazy thought!

P-160 and Cella, so far, do not lather with double the amount I normally use. I am using a Thater badger brush at this time.
~Richard

I remember years ago someone suggested putting a little lemon juice/concentrate in the water to make it usable for lathering. Never had to try it but it's worth a shot.

Bob

I would suggest some epsom salt (used that when i was younger for hard water) though the ideal of shaving with salt water doesn't really sound appealing... otherwise a water softener is not a bad investment. Best short term solution though might be what bouschie said and just use bottled water or distilled if you have a good way of doing that. good luck!

Have you considered using a Brita water jug to filter your water first, or using bottled water to making lather. I have used bottled water on road trips to counter very hard water. You can heat it up quite quickly in a mug in the microwave and use that for you brush soak and lather making.

Using distilled water is not too crazy of an idea. I use triple milled soaps, and distilled water is what I have to use to get a real lather, otherwise my hard water will not allow a thick rich lather to develop. I also am in the habit of adding a small amount of shaving cream to the mix. Uber lather" is what it is called when mixed together. Luxurious!!

What is triple milled soap?

Originally Posted by Gibbs

What is triple milled soap?

The excerpt below, from Shaving 101 at shaving101.com, is the best explanation I know. Hope this helps.

"Triple milling is a manufacturing process that soap makers use to make their products dense and uniform so that they lather better and last longer. A manufacturer uses a special machine to shred and roll the soap until it becomes a smooth paste-like substance. This milling process is repeated three times before the soap is finally molded and allowed to finish the curing process. By doing this, the manufacturer is able to ensure that every puck of soap from the batch is uniform in texture, and that the lather created with its first use is consistent until its last use."