Making Lather

This sounds like such a stupid question, but the community seems to really care for each other so I'm going to put my ignorance out there and hope for the best.

My Wapi arrived this week from RupRazor.com. Ken was awesome to order from if you are looking for someone you can trust. Look for Ken Rupkalvis (www.RupRazor.com) in the Mall.

Anyway, tomarrow I'm off work and was going to start my first shave. I've read all the newbie notes and have watch who knows how many videos that folks in the forum have recommended. However, tonight as I made sure all my gear was ready I looked at the soap, mug and brush and ask, "What the heck do I do with that?":shrug:

There are lots of notes on shaving, but how do I make the lather in the mug?

See, it sounds stupid...but if lather is a major key to shaving, or at least my 1-2 strokes I'll start with, I want to me sure I start off on the right foot.

Thanks guys.

YouTube - Introduction to Traditional Wetshaving, Part 2: Lathering

That would be a good place to start.

Don’t do your first shaves on the way to work. It’s going to take more time than you are expecting if you are going to do it safely. Do it when you have time to give this process the proper attention and enjoy it. You are apt to get a few cuts, no use worrying about explaining them all day. When you start to lather, soak the brush in hot water for a few minutes, so your brush does not soak up water and leave you wondering where the water went. I keep my soap puck in a mug and later with it in that mug. Others put a small amount of soap in a different mug to lather, or lather on their face. “There are many ways to skin a cat!” Otherwise, just jump in, swirl the brush around on the soap, and see what happens. You will pick up on it quickly.

Good stuff on the wiki: http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...nded_Equipment

I hope that link works, otherwise just look under 'recommended equipment'.

A hearty welcome to SRP!!

As to creating the proper lather. There are a few variables that you alone will have to figure out. The referenced video is a great starter. The type of soap/cream, brush, hardness of your water, soap/cream to water ratio, and whether you generate your lather in a bowl or on your face. All go into the mix. For cream I use about an almond size amount of cream to a few tablespoons of water and whip up the lather in my lather bowl. For soaps I try to get a fair amount of the soap on my brush, then use a few tablespoons of water and whip up my lather in the lather bowl. We have members who generate the lather on their face.

I know this sounds like I am telling you you are on your own. It's really not. The answer will depend on those factors. Don't worry, it sounds a lot more complicated than it is. You'll develop the techniques that work for you.

Thanks gang for the suggestions and comments.

I also found this video that was fantastic and gives lots of details and goof ups for the beginner!

YouTube - How To Build And Apply Traditional Shaving Lather

Im sorry 2 minutes to whip up some lather? I whip it up in 30-40 seconds.

30 sec? Wow. I tried it again this morning and it was still whimpy.

I'm using a soap bar I got from a local barber online seller (not associated with SRP). It was only $1.50 so I thought I'd try it. There's not a name on it, so maybe its the soap.

This morning I rubbed my boar brush in the mug with the bar until the tips were showing the soap. Then I switched to another mug to make the lather. I added about 1tsp or water and slowly added more since it looked dry. Eventually I added too much and it was runny and ran down my neck.

Since that was a bust I rinsed out my brush ans redipped it into the soap mug and tried mixing it on my face. All that did is make my face sudsy, but no real later. By the time I shaved one cheeck what use to resemble lather was all but gone.

Is it the soap? Is it my whipping method? Brush? or expectations?

I never liked building lather in the same mug that I keep my soap in and I could never build a rich a lather on my face as I could in a mug or bowl.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kahunamoose

“There are many ways to skin a cat!”

---

He's right and I've tried most of them but this is the one I've settled on for most days.

I keep my soap puck in a mug. I begin by getting a cereal bowl out of the kitchen and filling it with hot water to soak the brush in. I also put a few drops of hot water on the soap to soften it up. Some don't like to do that as it might waste soap but I don't find that to be true.

After showering or hot towelling my face, I empty the bowl and put a few drops of glycerin in it. Then, I shake most of the water out of the brush and begin working the brush into the soap. When lather starts coming up around the brush I go from the mug to the bowl and begin stirring the brush around the bowl. As the lather starts to build I will have to add a little water to the brush from time to time.

Don't give up on stirring. It may take a few seconds. Before long, I've got a bowl full of great lather. Just takes a little practice. It'll come to you.

I had the same problem with the soap drying up on my face very quickly, so you're not alone here. I have experimented with different amounts of water to mix with the soap, but now I'm gonna try soaking the brush in water before hand. Good luck

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Denno

Im sorry 2 minutes to whip up some lather? I whip it up in 30-40 seconds.

---

There are many variables, you should spend as long as needed, it's not a race (at least not at this point of the shave.)
Hard water slows it down, hard soap is different to creams, badger brushes can be quicker than boar brushes.

I had to follow this advice to get good lather from a puck of soap:

How to make great lather from a soap ~ Tutorial - Badger & Blade
(From: Lather Help. )

Alternatively this sounds excellent:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...tml#post319377

:gl:

+1 Rajagra I was reading and going to post the same 2 threads. I originally posted the one from Badgers and while still looking on building better lather I found the other. They both helped me out I have gotten great results from both. Just take your time winterkid and you will get it down it takes some time. And welcome to SRP this is a great place with lots of great advice for us new straight shavers :gl:

Thanks guys. I read both links and the soaking the brush and adding some water to soap really worked! My family had fun playing in the lather and we had some left over.

You guys are great!

I'll just be sitting watching TV , then get my soap brush water bowl and make so lather... I get a nice lather with in a a minute.

This is an article I found on the Badgerandblade site. Works great for me. After I load the brush I move to a bowl to make the lather. Have fun! Making lather is pretty cool but keep it warm.
Dannyr:tu

How to make great lather from a soap ~ Tutorial
The following is a guide and suggestions for the foundation for a great lather.

This tutorial was developed by a group of B&B members in collaboration. A team of struggling new wetshavers worked with more experienced members to learn how to make great lathers with a variety of soaps. They documented their progress – triumphs and setbacks – and developed the method shown below. This method of lather making is not the only way to get to a great shave – it is however in our collective experience the simplest and easiest to communicate through our chosen medium. We hope with this we can get our new lathermeisters on the fast track to great shaves. Enjoy!

OK lets get started~
If you are using a soft brush it may take up to a full minute to fully load your brush, or as little as 15 seconds with a premium soap brush.

1. Fill sink with hot water and submerge bowl in water.

2. Place brush into bowl and let soak while you are showering- at least a couple of minutes.

3. Place a thin layer of water on your soap and let soak for at least a couple of minutes. (A teaspoon's worth)

4. Remove brush from bowl and squeeze bristles vigorously. Give it a couple of good shakes as well.

5. Dump the thin layer of water off of soap. (Your lather bowl is a good place for this)

6. Begin swirling your brush in a circular motion with light to medium pressure. Add some plunger motions, use the whole brush including the sides of the brush. Continue swirling until a paste-like consistency begins to form on the top of the soap and on the brush.
Bubbles mean too much water. A large volume of lather means too much water.
Continue to swirl until a noticeable audible and tactile difference is made when the brush moves over the soap. When the paste is forming the brush is noisier and seems to drag over the soap instead of smoothly going over the top. The brush will “drag”.

7. Take a look at your brush, do the bristles clump together? If yes, you're done. If no, continue to swirl and load.

8. Now you can build lather on your face or move to a bowl!

9. Add water as needed- a few drips at a time.

i do not own a boars hair brush but i have heard a badger hair makes better lather use hot water and swirl the brush like there is no tomorrow:gl:

Badger might be better for you, but you should be able to get very good results with your boar brush while you are getting the hang of it... from what everyone has said you seem to be on the right path.... It only gets better.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by winterkid

30 sec? Wow. I tried it again this morning and it was still whimpy.

I'm using a soap bar I got from a local barber online seller (not associated with SRP). It was only $1.50 so I thought I'd try it. There's not a name on it, so maybe its the soap.

This morning I rubbed my boar brush in the mug with the bar until the tips were showing the soap. Then I switched to another mug to make the lather. I added about 1tsp or water and slowly added more since it looked dry. Eventually I added too much and it was runny and ran down my neck.

Since that was a bust I rinsed out my brush ans redipped it into the soap mug and tried mixing it on my face. All that did is make my face sudsy, but no real later. By the time I shaved one cheeck what use to resemble lather was all but gone.

Is it the soap? Is it my whipping method? Brush? or expectations?

---

You're using a 1.50 soap bar? You want to get some better soap -thats prolly Williams or Marvy? another cheap soap. They aren't bad per se, but if you're starting out the whole learning to lather and using a straight you definitely want the good stuff. Get some Tabac, Mitchells Wool Fat, Honeybee Spa, ect. I got my Tabac from qedusa.com, I guess they still have it there... you may have to email them, the website is notorious...

As far as method goes, I just rub the soap cake on my whiskers till I have a good build up, then build a lather on my face with the wet brush. If you load up your face with soap you shouldn't have much trouble with this method.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rajagra

There are many variables, you should spend as long as needed, it's not a race (at least not at this point of the shave.)
Hard water slows it down, hard soap is different to creams, badger brushes can be quicker than boar brushes.

I had to follow this advice to get good lather from a puck of soap:

How to make great lather from a soap ~ Tutorial - Badger & Blade
(From: Lather Help. )

Alternatively this sounds excellent:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...tml#post319377

:gl:

---

Hehe ofcourse its not a race. Just feelt that 2 minutes seemed like a real long time. I use a mug to make the lather to. Just use the same cup that soap is in is not that good.

A lathering trick I learned last night...

My soap bar in a small coffee mug was getting gooy on the bottom of the bar where the water splashed over the edge of the bar. I guess it's not a health problem, but I just didn't like the way water was getting stuck under the bar without any exposure to light or air- it just seemed stagnant and a place something would grow that's unwanted.

So I popped my small mug and bar into the microwave and melted the bar. After leaving it out overnight it hardened again and it ready to go. No water will get stuck under the bar now.

Be careful not to use the melted soap (duh!) and try to stir it before it hardens with a spoon or brush to make sure its mixed properly. Rinse out the spoon or brush proptly or you'll have a soapy goo stuck to them.

That sounds like a great idea....thanks!

Just an FYI, you can only melt glycerine based soaps. A lot of the home made soaps (and some cheaper ones, ie col conk or vdh from walmart) are glycerine based and you can melt them into whatever bowls you want. (Just be careful when removing from the microwave, they melt fast, and literally melt, so don't spill them everywhere when you grab em!)

But don't try to melt triple milled or tallow based soaps, it will ruin them! If you want to get these types of soaps into a bowl, you can use a cheese grater to grate the soap, then pack it into the bowl tightly with your hands.

As others have said, there is no one right way to lather. I actually use different techniques for different soaps.

I have found the method described on ClassicShaving's website to be very effective on some of the softer glycerin soaps like Col Conks. I've copied and pasted it here:

Quote:

---

To begin, run the hot water until it gets as hot as possible. Hold your brush perpendicular to the stream of water, rotating it slowly, making sure to fully saturate the brush hair. This will become evident to you by the increased weight of the brush when fully saturated. Once warmed and loaded with all of the water it can hold, remove it from the stream of water and hold the brush “bristles downward” over the sink. Do not shake, tap, flick or otherwise cause it to drop the water. Allow it to drain only the excess water which the bristles are unable to hold. When the steady stream has stopped draining and all that remains is an intermittent drip, move to the soap cake in your mug. Again, be careful not to move too vigorously so that you will drop all of the water from the brush. Swirl about on top of the soap cake using only the tips of the bristles, without pressing down on the brush. Your purpose here is to load the tips of the bristles with soap, not to generate lather in the mug. When you see a lather beginning to develop in the mug it’s a good sign that you have plenty of soap loaded onto the brush. Now for the good part!

At this point your face should still be wet and your brush should be warm and loaded with water and soap. Move the brush to your face and begin a slow deliberate circular motion allowing only the bristle tips to contact the face. Continue the circular motion over the entire area to be shaved. Time spent building lather on your face is time well spent – two minutes is generally about right. Doing so will allow the bristle tips to work the lather deeply into the skin pores and hair follicles providing superior lubrication and protection from the blade, and allowing the moisturizing properties of the soap to work on your skin. It is not necessary to build your lather into mountains that resemble meringue or whipped cream. Remember that any lather not in contact with your beard or skin is useless. What you want is a uniform blanket of lather thick enough that you can't see through it. After sufficient lather is generated you may use the brush in a paintbrush fashion to even out the depth and insure complete coverage. Once finished, don’t rinse your brush – You’ll need it again later. Rest it in the mug to await its next use.


How-To and Why -

---

The emphasis here is on slow and deliberate circles with the brush, as opposed to the wild and fast egg whisking motions that are shown all over. I haven't had much luck with this method when I'm using a soap that really need to load a LOT of soap on. I have adopted the slow and deliberate motions and found that they make a huge difference. Or course it makes the whole process take a little longer, but also more enjoyable because it makes it seem less frantic. It does to me anyways.

Ahhh... that must mean I have a glycerine based soap. I'm so new I had no idea what I was using, it just works and I love the sent. The grating idea is cool. I'll try it when/if I use milled soap. For now I really like the smell and even use it to wash my face at night becuase it tingles and feels really cool. Heck, if my wife likes the smell of it...so I might just buy a case for dog-house-days.

Usually glycerin are the clearish kind of soap. Triple milled and tallow are the white opaque ones-they look more like everyday soaps like Dove and such