Sure enough, Pre de Provence No. 63 took very well to the Ivory/pumpkin juice method, solving the puzzle of that soap once and for all. I don't think it was ever hardening my hair, just making my hard hair stand up. Taking responsibility for that aspect myself completely changes my perspective.
I no longer see it as a particularly refined artisan soap, but rather as a supremely adulterated commercial soap. Like Kiss My Face moisture shave, it CAN be whipped up fairly dry, but offers huge latitude in the amount of water it can take. Treated wet (like Williams should be always) the cushion is unbelievable. With my synthetic brush, I can't feel the bristles, just a weight-like pressure, like liquid mercury on teflon.
Recently I mentioned the hair shielding skin on WTG, and with that shield now turning to jell-o, shaving is a bit different. I have to scale back all forces and impacts. I can see why weaker-bearded men could reject ideas like traction control and tension alignment. Though I still feel them to be true, they are scarcely perceptible and much more subtle. I went right back to my Tech and Rimei, kept my angles low, and they vindicated their lack of traction control with efficient, comfortable shaves.
But there's no doubt the juice is also facilitating declamation under the blade. I'll assert a distinction between that and the usual planing of the skin surface, where the blade takes off the stratum corneum like a slice of cheese, though I know both would technically be regarded as exfoliation. My skin texture is good, and doesn't reflect light unnaturally after the shave. But it's still very thin.
I can't stand more than three passes with the Tech or Rimei. I have to think there's a lighter, shallower option that will be more satisfying with the Super Speed now, if I drop the barber's minimal traction approach and get back to just two, tension-aligned passes.
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