I think I know exactly what the problem is and it probably has nothing to do with the soap/cream you are using. I think these soaps are ok but not stellar. I have managed to produce decent to good lather with C.O. Bigelow/Proraso. You can even improve the lather by combining it with glycerin and soap to form uberlather. I imagine that you have a dilution problem going on if it is not working right. Perhaps these links would help:

Illustrated Guide to Making Basic Soap Lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Illustrated Guide to making Überlather - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Illustrated quide to making basic cream lather in three different ways - Straight Razor Place Wiki

How do you know if you have hard water

If your lather dry out in your face, it could be indicative that the lather is not ready yet, same if it dries in your bowl. The lather should be thick but it should be wet. The key is to keep rubbing the brush against the bowl (see my post in the last link ) until you start getting large bubbles as you rub. At that point, you know you are done lathering for that amount ot soap. If you stop adding water before, you end up with a very thick lather that would have a tendency to dry out. A final tip to prevent lather from drying in your face is not to cover the whole face with it. I usually only apply the lather to the section of the face that I am going to shave. I do this not only to prevent the lather from drying but because I want to minimize exposure to the soap as my skin is VERY sensitive. Now, if the lather dries out in your bowl, I think you were far from getting the optimal lather; you may have had just suds.

Al raz.






http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...er-brands.html