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Posted: 2/22/2020 7:45:36 PM EDT
The DR Harris is the first shave soap I have bought. The others I have are shave creams from Taylor, AOS and Proraso green.  
This is the second time I’ve used it and the razor will not shave smoothly. It kind of jumps like there isn’t any soap on my face. I think I got a good lather on the brush and my face. Anything I’m doing wrong or is this just not the soap for me? I love the Windsor scent. It’s my favorite of everything I’ve tried so far.
Link Posted: 2/23/2020 7:41:42 PM EDT
[#1]
I really like D. R. Harris soaps, of which the Windsor scent is my favorite, and although I have soaps that are better smelling and/or more nourishing D. R. Harris is still one of my favorites.

It's hard to tell if you can get any improvement without seeing what going on (lather consistency, shaving technique and/or any other changes to shaving supplies, i.e. different razor or blade) but if you've had good results using same setup & procedure and the only variable is the soap than all you can experiment with are load times, water/soap ratios and lather times. It might come down to D. R. Harris doesn't work the best for you (the old adage Your Mileage May Vary) but I find that it works for me better than Taylor of Old Bond Street cream (I haven't tried Art Of Shaving or Proraso).

My lather technique:
I bowl lather because it gives me more control over my lather throughout my shave. This will change some if you face lather. Also the lather consistency will vary depending on the soap/cream for some it will be like sour cream, greek yogurt or elmer"s glue but for D. R. Harris I look for the consistency of whipped cream with the ability to hold stiff peaks. I usually soak my brush a couple of minutes, unless I using a synthetic which I just run under the tap to get wet (synthetic bristles don't absorb water), then flick to get the excess water out (but not all as you'll need some water to properly load the brush), then load for about 30 seconds, then start to build the later in my bowl adding tiny amounts of water as needed until I get the lather the consistency of whipped cream (if it pasty and your lather doesn't want to build volume you need to add more water / as you whip up the lather the bubbles will progressively get smaller, if there are still large bubbles you have too much water) when I can lift the brush up and form a stiff peak I stop building the lather (usually take a couple of minutes) and start applying it to my face working it in to exfoliate my skin a lift the hairs and lastly I paint on a nice even coat of lather to shave off reapplying between passes.

The first variable to consider is load time, soaps will generally take longer to load than creams so make sure to spend enough time to load the brush. I would try going heavy on the load to begin with and if it gets too thick and pasty add more water to the lather.

The next two variables go together water/soap ratio which will take some experience to get right (I try to get it where most of the water I need I have in the brush after soaking it but I still need a little bit to fine tune the lather) and the time you take to build the lather (most of the time I look at the bubbles to figure out when it's ready, the bubbles will decrease in size as you incorporate more air into the soap and water). If you don't have enough water it will be pasty, too much water and it will be diluted, either way you won't get good slickness and glide. Not enough air in your lather will make it watery, when you have the right amount it will give you cushion.

Watch video for an example of a good lather consistency:
DR Harris Shaving Soap Lather Review
Link Posted: 2/23/2020 10:23:43 PM EDT
[#2]
I will experiment. Thanks for the help.
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