Newbie Lather Question

I started with str8 shaving about a month ago and this site has been VERY helpful, thanks. My stropping and shaving technique is coming along, I think, but I'm having an issue with lather.

It's too foamy (tiny bubbles) instead of creamy and it seems to disappear on my face and in my bowl. I'm using soap from Classic Shaving, a C&E travel badger brush, and a large cappuccino cup for a bowl (I like having a handle). I'm trying to follow the instruction I found at

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21136

which seems to be popular and makes sense to me.

Does this mean too much water, not enough water, not enough time with the brush. I can't seem to make it work.

thanks,

-- Aubrey

Perhaps not enough suds in the brush? Your best bet is to vary the amount of water until you find your zone.

This is what I've learned from my admittedly limited experimentation. I use Williams Mug Soap because I'm cheap and I like the smell. I keep it in the bottom of a large coffee mug. What I used to do is, before my shower, I would fill the sink with the hottest water I could get out of the tap (which is hot enough to scald), then fill my mug with the soap in the bottom of the mug with the same hot water, set it in the sink of hot water, and stick my cheap, Wal-mart brush in the mug, and let the whole setup sit while I took a shower. Afterwards, I would dump out the water from the mug and give the brush a light flick, then build my lather. Using this method, I got a great, smooth, creamy shaving lather that, if anything, would dry out on my face too quickly, leaving a crust, but not disappear. I solved that minor problem by periodically refreshing the lather periodically as I shaved. But I encountered another problem.

I found that all that hot water melted away my soap too fast for my liking (did I mention that I was cheap?) so after running through an entire puck of soap in only a couple of weeks, I stopped doing that. Instead, I would float the mug in the hot water to warm it up, without putting hot water in the mug, and set the brush in the sink. I found I was getting the same problem you describe with this method, foamy soap that would disappear on my face, no matter how much water I used or how much I worked the lather on my face once I achieved soft peaks in my mug. In fact, more water seemed to make the problem worse.

After a bit more experimentation, I found that my goal in working the soap in the mug was not to build soft, foamy peaks, but to load the brush with soap. This involves really pushing the brush into the puck, and I mean really abusing the brush. If it's bad for the brush, it's good for the lather. Pumping the brush, and twisting it on the puck with a lot of pressure, and so forth really helped. Imagine trying to scrape off the top 1/8th inch of soap using the brush bristles. When my brush looks a bit like a paint brush that had been allowed to dry with paint in it (that's the way it looks not the way it feels), I give it a dip in the hot water in the sink, just a dip, mind you, and build the lather on my face. This gave me that creamy lather that wouldn't disappear on my face once again, and it doesn't go through the soap as fast as my first method. It still dries out on me, but as I said, that's a minor problem that I can fix by refreshing the lather on my face periodically.

So, given what I've learned in my admittedly limited experimentation, it seems to me that you're either using too much water, or you're not getting enough soap into the brush.

I work my lather with Williams up much the same as above, only rather than lathering on my face I lather in a seperate bowl first. Then just apply the lather, same result different method.

Another method you can try: Fill your soap mug (brush inserted) with not too hot water, then dump the water out. Shake water out from the brush. It should be wet, but not dripping.

Much as Kantian suggested, work the brush into the soap. Continue until a very thick lather is formed, almost paste consistency (if you can't get to this point, you started with too much water in your brush). At that point, start adding small amounts of hot water and working it into the thick lather. The water will dilute the lather upon adding, but work the lather until it thickens again. Either add water directly into the mug, or add some to the brush instead.

Continue adding small amounts of water, and working it in, until the lather is as thick as you like.

Sounds complicated, but should only take a minute and a half, or so.

To really help avoid drying lather on your face, try putting a thin layer of hair conditioner, or some other skin cream on your face first, then lather on top of it (any type of brushless shave cream you may have laying around also works really well as a pre-lather). No need to try and build lather on your face with this method. But if you prefer to do it, go ahead.


Scott

As a fellow Chicago denizen, I had bad luck with the CS soap. It might just be the water here. Who knows. Once I switched to TGQ soap it made a huge difference. I would also second that maybe you're using too much water. I soak my brush in hot/warm water while I'm in the shower, give it one gentle shake, and then whip up my lather. It seems to work well for me.

Condition of your water aside, I believe it's simply a matter of too much water or not getting enough soap on the brush. Hope these posts help.