A really fine shave this morning. The soap is Summer Storm, by Chiseled Face, a petrichor-fragranced soap that gave a fine and wonderfully fragrant lather with the Omega 20102 shown. For water, I used purfied water, shown 
at the right. Purified water, like distilled water, has had the mineral content removed, so it is the softest of soft water. The minerals are removed either by reverse osmosis (purified water) or by distillation (boiling the water and condensing the steam: distilled water), but in either case, the result is mineral-free water.
I wanted to experiment after reading this Sharpologist article by Chuck Falzone, in which he describes his experience with distilled water: easily getting lots of lather, but lather that’s somewhat foamy and insubstantial. Because my own tap water is fairly soft, I’ve not had occasion to resort to demineralized water. So I heated up a small amount (a shave requires very little water), and soaked the Omega 20102 in it while I showered.
I found that I got a good lather and had no trouble shaving, but I think I see what Chuck means: the lather seemed somewhat lighter and not so dense as my regular, tap-water lather. It’s the sort of thing that becomes more evident over a sequence of shaves, so I’ll need more experimentation to satisfy me. I did get a fine shave, but if it turns out that the lather is chronically light, the fix is easy: I’ll just mix a dollop of tap water into the cup of demineralized water, and that should fix it.
So if you do have hard water and want to use deminearlized water, give it a try, both straight and with a little tap water added. Shave a week with pure demineralized water and then a week with somewhat diluted demineralized water and see which you prefer.
The iKon Shavecraft X3 head on a UFO handle did another excellent job. For me, this razor has almost no blade feel, but the stubble vanishes easily and quickly. Is it because the razor is a slant? I have no idea, but I do know that (for me) it performs flawlessly and feels great. Indeed, for me all the modern slants are exceptionally comfortable and efficient razors, though I’ve encountered some vintage slants that were harsh and unpleasant.
Of course, I can find extremely comfortable and efficient performance in conventional razors as well, but I do like the feel and ease I get with a slant. Still, one must recognize YMMV in razors as well as in blades, soaps, brushes, and aftershaves: slants do not seem to work for a few, but that is not restricted to slants. The Feather AS-D2 and the Dorco PL-602 are both exceptionally comfortable and very efficient for me, but I do know that some have found them inefficient. Why? No idea. It could be due to differences in beard, skin, prep, blade choice, and/or technique. I don’t think the cause is actually all that relevant: the key is whether a razor works well for you or not, and the reasons are secondary for most.
A good splash of Hâttric, and another day begins.
Filed under: Shaving
