Thread: a quality but inexpensive soap for a beginner?

I'm new to straight razor shaving, and I'm currently using williams as it is the only shaving soap that krogers offers here in Cincinnati. I have looked at so many options on the internet, and I thought it would be better to ask for advice instead of just blindly picking a soap. Any suggestions?


Thanks.
Louis

Forget that I just re-read your post hehehe

What don't you like about the Williams????

Thanks for the suggestions fellas.

I have only shaved 8 times so far with my straight razor, & I'm quite sure that the Williams soap is not the reason for my poor shaves! I am still learning to hone on my Coticule/BBW, stropping, & shaving technique there in lies my poor shaving results. I will get there sooner or later, hopefully sooner. It has been a fun learning experience so far, & I'm told once you learn it's like riding a bike (you never forget)

Thanks again,
Louis

You know Louis there is another thread on here that another senior member (NiftyShaving/Tom) and I were discussing the problems that people have with lathering...

We both piped up with the same conclusion at almost the same time...

If you can lather and shave well with Williams then everything else you ever use will be smooth sailing... So then in our infinite wisdom we both decided that every Newb should be issued a puck of Williams to learn with and have to use it until it's gone
It is a hard milled soap, it is not as easy to lather as many others, but learn it and I swear everything else you touch will be easy... I still keep a puck in my Pops old shaving scuttle that I use from time to time just to make sure I still can...

For a good price, with my hard well water I recommend any of the SRD soaps, they are some of the very few that lather very well alone, for me..

Honestly, I never had to learn lathering. I just got started with Art of Shaving cream and it lathered the first time I followed the many instructions I'd read online.

Wet your brush till it's throughly wet. Shake water out so it's not dripping. Take anywhere from a black bean sized amount to an almond sized amount of cream and whip it up a lot. Add drops of water until it looks like shiny whipped cream. Somewhere between sour cream and whipped cream. After you get better, you can add more water at a time instead of going so slowly. That's it.
The difference with soaps is that you shake the brush a little more, load on the soap for about 30-60 seconds, wipe the "pre-lather" off the soap once your brush is loaded and put it into your bowl (or on your face for face lathering). Whip up your lather the same as with the cream, adding water slowly until you get the desired feel.

If Williams is hard, don't torture yourself. There are so many good soaps and creams that are easy to lather that it's not worth wasting your time IMO.

Examples:

Proraso (if you like menthol)
Castle Forbes (expensive)
DR Harris soaps
Kiss My Face creams
Tabac or Irisch Moos

And my recommendation would probably be Speick's shave stick or shave cream or both for a cheap first soap/cream. And get a little vegetable glycerin. A few drops really improves the lather in my experience.

I would recomend an Arko shave stick, great thick easy lather. Some find the scent offputting, but I like it, I saw it recently on Amazon for 63 cents.

If you are looking for soap and not cream you can get Ogalla Bay Rum soaps are good. If you want to try a cream there is C.O. Bigelow at Bath and Body Works or Derby from West Coast shaving.

Mamabearssoaps.com have some great soaps at excellent prices. I love mine

Van Der Hagen Deluxe should run about 1.50 at Wal-mart or Walgreens. I find it far and away a better, easier-to-use soap than Williams.

Originally Posted by Louis

I'm new to straight razor shaving, and I'm currently using williams as it is the only shaving soap that krogers offers here in Cincinnati. I have looked at so many options on the internet, and I thought it would be better to ask for advice instead of just blindly picking a soap. Any suggestions?


Thanks.
Louis

Louis,

If you are not unhappy with MWF, stick with it. It is my favorite and goto soap to use. I use it every day and am in love with the aroma and the properties of the soap itself.

If there is something you particularly dislike about MWF that would be a great way to start out to help you pick something else.

Regards,

Bodach