Thread: First Shave

After nearly a month of reading, I finally shaved with a straight for the first time last night. The Wester De-Fi that I bought from the SRP classifieds worked well. I felt comfortable with the razor and didn't knick myself, though I wanted to start slow and only shaved my cheeks and sideburns. All in all the shave went well. I didn't experience the kind of hot-knife-cutting-through-butter feeling that I'd kind of expected - it took me two or three strokes to get all of the whiskers - but my shave is acceptably close.

My only issue was in my soap prep. I'm using the Col. Conk bay rum soap and Conk "pure badger" brush that I was given as a gift. I've been following the process illustrated on Badger&Blade, but I don't feel like the lather is as thick or abundant as it should be. Mostly, it is taking me much more time and energy than I think it should.

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

-Ryan

Water, water, water.

Do you have hard water?
If so that will impact the lather.

Is the lather thin or the consistency of whip cream?
Are there large bubbles, small bubbles, or no bubbles?

This is my lather work up.

Soak brush for 10 minutes in hot tap water. Put a little brush water on the soap cake, swish and dump the water. (seems to work for me)

Shake the brush dry, dump water from cup.
Fill sink with hot water, place bowl in sink.
Dip brush in water and shake until damp (this rewarms the brush)
Swirl, crush and grind the brush into the cake in an alternating clockwise/counter motion. Stopping after the lather is slopping over the rim of the bowl.
Swirl in the lather mug with 1/8 teaspoon of hot water.

Listen to lather. If there is not enough water the later will sound sticky, and look thick. Add a little water 1/8 Teaspoon and continue. Repeat if necessary. The lather should sound smooth and have few small bubbles. You end result should look like whip cream.

Oh yeah welcome and sign up for the NW Straight razor Convention!!!

Congrats on the first shave. Here is a video series by the one and only Mantic that may help you to get the kind of lather you are looking for.

The lather is a little thin with small bubbles. I believe that I do have slightly hard water, but I thought that using the glycerin Conk soap would help with that.

So I should be using a different motion to load the brush with soap than I would to produce the lather in the cup? More pressure?

What purpose does having the bowl in water serve?

I should only be using less than a tsp of water total to build a good lather?

I found the how to on classicshaving's website to help me a lot when I first started. Here is the link:

How-To and Why -

What really worked well for me was slow, deliberate motions. I didn't really have a whole lot of success with the fast egg beating motions that you see in videos all the time. When I took the time to slow down the motion of my brush, I was rewarded greatly.

Take some time and just practice lathering on your palm. When I did that it wasn't as frustrating if I didn't get it right. I wasn't actually trying to shave so I could take as much time as I wanted to try over and over again.

The amount of water you use will vary from soap to soap. There isn't a good answer for this. I know it's really frustrating when you're first starting because you want a set of definite precise instructions, but there just aren't any. You WILL learn with practice. So just practice and have fun.

If you are looking for a soap to practice with, try going into a CVS or Walgreens or similar and picking up a puck of Williams. It's only $1.50 a puck and you don't have to pay shipping. It's so cheap and readily available that there are no worries about using as much as you can. Good luck!

Welcome! I build my lather in a latte mug ($3-$4 at the grocery store). I drop a tsp - a tbsp of hot tap water on the puck, fill my mug with hot tap water and let my brush soak in the mug while I shower. After my shower, I empty the mug, pour the soapy water from the puck into the mug, shake out most of the water from the brush, and load the brush by swirling it on the puck. This will not make a lather on the puck, but the brush tip will load with soap.

Now I put the brush in the mug a start whipping up a lather. I add hot tap water a tsp at a time and whip until a proper lather is made. Add water a tsp at a time until the consistency is right. It is easier to add water than to take it away. The lather should form peaks like whipped cream. The easiest way to learn is to make a practice lather. I like my lather a little wetter than whipped cream consistancy. Make lather a little at a time until it forms peaks. Add more water until it is wet whipped cream. Add more water until it is runny and drips off your face. Now you know too dry, too wet, and just right (wet whipped cream).

If you put your mug in hot water, it will keep the lather warm while you shave. Don't be afraid to add lather to your face as you shave. When I started, I took 45 mins. and the lather actually dried out. If it dries, stop, rinse your face with hot water and re-lather your wet face.

With a little practice, you'll make the perfect lather for your face and will will be better than anything you've tried previously. and enjoy then process!

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll just keep practicing until I figure out what works for me with my specific brush and soap.