Thread: How to Shave These Areas?!

Originally Posted by lazyMlazyK

I might need to shop around for a different brush too...the Omega boar brush I tried last night seemed kind of tough to make much of a lather with, and the bristles are so long it was like lathering my face with a limp spaghetti noodle

Be aware that a boar brush needs to be broken in to get the most out of it. You can do this through using it everyday for several weeks. There are other ways which can be found using the search function on this site.

I have used Omega boar brushes for a very long time. I can load enough soap from a soap puck to last me for my 4 pass face lathered shaves. It also works well with shave creams. It is a matter of learning how to produce a good lather using a brush, any brush really. You may want to consider practising making a good lather to tune up your technique.

Bob

Bob's right. And that can extend to each soap or cream, you have. Some won't lather for shite, others are a breeze to create a good lather.

We have a thread on those, too. I'd post a link to "first tier soaps n creams", but I have no idea how to, with my phone.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/soaps-c...ps-creams.html

I've got a Proraso mug coming in the mail that should fit my Arko puck just right, I hope. Betting that lathering will be much better with that rather than the glass tupperware-type bowl I was using last night. Also have an order of green Proraso pre-shave cream coming, hoping it might help make the whiskers a bit easier to work with next time. I'll keep practising!

Originally Posted by lazyMlazyK

I've got a Proraso mug coming in the mail that should fit my Arko puck just right, I hope. Betting that lathering will be much better with that rather than the glass tupperware-type bowl I was using last night. Also have an order of green Proraso pre-shave cream coming, hoping it might help make the whiskers a bit easier to work with next time. I'll keep practising!

Not to worry with Arko. All you have to do is warm it up between your hands and it will become pliable enough to mould to the shape of your mug. All I have used for pucks of soap has been Pyrex or Anchor Hocking 1 Cup, I think, Glass container with press fit lid. They are stack-able too.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Not to worry with Arko. All you have to do is warm it up between your hands and it will become pliable enough to mould to the shape of your mug. All I have used for pucks of soap has been Pyrex or Anchor Hocking 1 Cup, I think, Glass container with press fit lid. They are stack-able too.

Bob

That's exactly what I was using, an Anchor glass container. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to put the whole puck in there and let it get soaked, so I was just taking small shavings off of it with my pocketknife and putting them in the cup. I broke in the brush a little bit on Sunday by letting it soak in hot water for about an hour, then brushing it back and forth over a washcloth, brushing in all directions. Is it normal for a brush to shed bristles quite a bit? I found a few bristles in my lather last night that I made sure to remove before trying to shave.

Yep, they shed some. But should stop for the most part.

Though I have a Van Den Hagen badger, that won't stop shedding. Sits on the shelf for looks, or a new knot.

Originally Posted by lazyMlazyK

That's exactly what I was using, an Anchor glass container. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to put the whole puck in there and let it get soaked, so I was just taking small shavings off of it with my pocketknife and putting them in the cup. I broke in the brush a little bit on Sunday by letting it soak in hot water for about an hour, then brushing it back and forth over a washcloth, brushing in all directions. Is it normal for a brush to shed bristles quite a bit? I found a few bristles in my lather last night that I made sure to remove before trying to shave.

I put a whole puck in my glass bowls. I then load the brush with soap and got to my face to make the actual lather. Sounds like you are bowl lathering where you make your lathe in the bowl and then paint it on your face. Both ways work but I just want to keep things simple and not have anything extra to clean up and put away.

I just break in a boar brush by using it. Some brushes shed a bit when new and others do not. It can also depend on how rough you are on a brush when using it. There is no need to splay a knot flat to either load it with soap or create a lather with. When you do that excessively you stress the bristles to the point where they can break. Soaking a brush in hot water for a long time, especially if the knot is completely under water, could soften the glue and allow the brush to shed bristles.

Here is a link to a video that helped my with my lather making technique and I use a variation of the dry method but either will work. There are many vids on YouTube about making a lather.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4zESTQWDuw

Bob