I found this years ago, and swear by it.
Grab some at Walgreens, & try it.
I’ve been using brush shaving soap and double-edged safety razors for a couple years now. It felt a bit hipster to get into, but now I get it and don’t know why we let Gillette convince us we needed expensive 5 blade disposable razors (coincidentally, Gillette makes some of my least favorite safety razor blades I’ve tried). The fun part is buying a multipack of different brands and seeing what works best for you. Mainly for blades, but also you can get samples of soap or cream.
I am finishing up a tub of Cella soap. Next is Arko which I like and have used before, but it’s a stick which I have no experience with, I’ll probably keep a tub to store a chunk.
Echoing the advice to use bottled or other water, but also try to explore brands in case there is enshittification.
It’s the water!
I heated some bottled drinking water, and got a nice long-lasting brush full of lather from my soap.
(I dimly recall that my water company has the ability to switch between river water and aquifers, as water levels require. Perhaps they did a switch recently and the new source is much harder)
Not sure what I do with this knowledge,I’m not inclined to microwave a mug of drinking water every morning.
I live in a soft water area. However, I’ve had relatives that had ‘water softener’ plumbed in. When you run out of water softener, the water’s not soft anymore.
I note that it’s also possible for your supply authority to switch your supply source, and for your water authority treatment plant to go offline.
glycerin and stearic acid. (I think that) the glycerin coats the film and prevents evaporation: the stearic acid makes the film stiffer.
My favorite:
Nivea Sensitive Shaving Cream