Pre-shave: Hot flannel, Valobra Glicerlanolina
Brush: TroyCraft "Polar Nocturne" 28mm AP Titanium
Soap: Yardley
Razor: Wolfman WR4
Blade: Schick Proline
Post-shave: TND witch hazel, homebrew moisturiser, La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 50+ Invisible Fluid, Oxford & Cambridge cologne
Anyone familiar with really ancient soaps (this one is C. 80 years old) will probably be familiar with the crusty residue where the soap is in contact with a porous wooden bowl, or otherwise exposed to the air. It's nearly impossible to lather directly from that, but I scrape those hard bits into an empty tin with a bit of water, and in a few days' time I'll be able to smoosh up the mess with my thumb, and be able to lather it easily.
A couple of years ago, another member here sent me a sample of a Colgate cup soap that had entirely dried out like this, but the soak treatment ended up with a superb lather.
Incidentally, this particular Proline blade might have been owned by Dorian Gray. I can't remember when I started using it (I'm guessing at 15 or more shaves). Given that I do multiple passes, both head and face, every day, that's amazing. I think I normally get about 7 days out of these.
Brush: TroyCraft "Polar Nocturne" 28mm AP Titanium
Soap: Yardley
Razor: Wolfman WR4
Blade: Schick Proline
Post-shave: TND witch hazel, homebrew moisturiser, La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 50+ Invisible Fluid, Oxford & Cambridge cologne
Anyone familiar with really ancient soaps (this one is C. 80 years old) will probably be familiar with the crusty residue where the soap is in contact with a porous wooden bowl, or otherwise exposed to the air. It's nearly impossible to lather directly from that, but I scrape those hard bits into an empty tin with a bit of water, and in a few days' time I'll be able to smoosh up the mess with my thumb, and be able to lather it easily.

A couple of years ago, another member here sent me a sample of a Colgate cup soap that had entirely dried out like this, but the soak treatment ended up with a superb lather.
Incidentally, this particular Proline blade might have been owned by Dorian Gray. I can't remember when I started using it (I'm guessing at 15 or more shaves). Given that I do multiple passes, both head and face, every day, that's amazing. I think I normally get about 7 days out of these.