Thread: Correct use of a apothecary mug

Hi everyone, my first newby post!

I use use a safety razor with the aim of stepping up to a straight razor soon.
Recently I aquired a badger hair brush which I enjoy and an apothecary mug.
I was wondering with this style of mug if you put the soap in the bottom and lather on top?
After investigating on YouTube about lathering techniques
it seems to be the appropriate way to lather with a bowl is without the shaving soap in it.
is this the same for a mug?
i would like to develop the correct technique from the get go.

Good question! I'm new too but I "think" you're not supposed to put soap directly in the mug. I apply the soap to the brush then work up the lather in the mug. When using cream from a tube, I squirt it into the mug to make the lather.

I'll be watching for more responses.

Any way you wish to use it is the right way. I believe apothecary mugs were originally designed so that one can put the shaving soap on the bottom and build the lather on top of it. Have fun!

Jeff

I have an apothecary mug, found that the lather that I got out of it was not very thick. Do you get a thick lather?

Originally Posted by aglose

I have an apothecary mug, found that the lather that I got out of it was not very thick. Do you get a thick lather?

I am am fairly new to it and found I wasn't getting a thick cream like lather.
im trying it with the bar of soap in the bottom and what I last night was let a little water sit on the soap for a few minutes to soften it.
Started to build a little lather but it lacked volume so I got more lather working it on my hand then transferred that to the mug and it kept building up better after that.
Bext shave I'll see if it now continues to build nicely from there or if I'll have to do that again.
i am new to this so it could be my technique.

I would not build lather in the same container your soap puck is in because you will be continually adding soap to the mix while you are building the lather. Then you need more water, then you get more soap, then you need more water and you go round in circles. Load the brush with enough soap then go to a separate container to build your lather and add water as needed.

Whatever container you have your puck of soap in, that is where you load the soap onto the brush. Then you build your lather either in another bowl or directly on your face.

To get a thick rich lather you need enough soap on the brush with the right amount of water added. It takes a bit of practice to get the right ratio to give you the lather you want.

With a cream, as opposed to a soap puck, you can build the lather in a container by dropping a bit of cream in the container and having at her with the brush. You add just a bit of water at a time till you get the lather you want. The other way is to put a dollop of cream on your damp brush and brush it onto your face building the lather as you go and adding a bit of water at a time to get the lather you want.

Bob