Up to my last but one shave I used Acca Kappa 1869 Almond Shaving Soap. This soap is quite soft and therefore easy to use. My ritual was to break off a piece with a small spatula, put it in a bowl, add boiled water to it and stir with a brush. Soon a nice smelling lather occurs.

After a year I wanted to try something new. I bought a piece of Muhle Sandelwood Shaving Soap. This soap appears to be compressed. You have to squeeze really hard to get it deformed. This time I needed a teaspoon to scratch off some thin curls. After a while I collected a handful and put these in a bowl, added boiled water to it and stirred with a brush for about twelve minutes. A wonderful creamy shaving lather was born. Due to the fact that I think Sandelwood has a ‘better’ scent than Almond, this will be my soap for the coming months.

Do you have any suggestions how to use hard soaps more easily? Or are you also faced with the same experience?