Thread: Can't Lather...

Hey guys,

Im a n00b and will be getting my first razor in a couple of days. The only problem I'm having is that I cant get my soap to lather. I think I did it once but it didnt stay thick and creamy. I am using Van Der Hagen soap as well as Ugly Mug soap. I have tried making lather in the bowl that came with the VDH Premium Set and also just making lather on my face using the brush. I have now ordered Tabac shaving cream to see if I have any better luck making lather with cream. Am I just doing something wrong with the soap?

My steps:

- Soak brush while im in the shower

- Dry off brush a bit (get rid of excess water)

- soap the brush up a little bit

- Make circular motions on my face to try and make lather/make circular motions in the bowl to try and make lather

- add a little water if lather does not seem to be forming


Any help?

Thanks,
KWood34

Here is a little hint before everyone says get this soap or that soap....

One, read the Wiki on lathering, but really the only variables are the heat and amount of water in regards to the soap...

Two, keep practicing with the VDH soap until it works for you really well

If you can lather Williams or VDH and get a good thick lather out of them that lasts, you can lather anything.....

yeah take a look at the wiki, the photos there may be helpful, even though they're not the same as seeing it done live.
i'd say use more soap as it's easier to add water slowly until you figure the right proportions.
in fact my lather today wasn't very good, perhaps i had too much water on the brush and loaded too little soaps, or it may be the 'hot towel' preshave i tried... it'll be good the next time i'm sure, but it can happen even if you've done it a lot.

the other thing is perhaps do the cream for a bit as it should be rather easy to lather (i haven't used it much, but it worked nicely, not superthick lather but nice and puffy). then you can revisit the soaps again.

Wiki, Wiki, Wiki!

Three components . . . lots of cream/soap. With a soap I use some pressure and load the brush up. Water, the amount is a variable. Brush action. . . go to town, don't be timid.

Soap, water, and brush action.

With the whole affair; BE BOLD! Add hot water, squeeze the water out of the brush. Load a good portion of soap (you can always cut back later), add a strong firm whipping action to the whole affair, as if the lather is made by a blender style action. Add more water until the soap explodes!

You should be golden with way too much lather. Remember lather is soap and water whipped together with air.

You said: "a little bit" when referring to soaping the brush. Load that baby up! I also lather directly on my face - load the brush until you have a nice paste, then lather on a wet face for longer than you would think. More, more, and more...

Jordan

I find it easier to lather in a bowl. Doesn't have to be a fancy bowl, any old bowl will do. It's all in the wrist, like beating eggs with a whisk.

While you are soaking your brush in hot water, try drizzling a little bit of really hot water on top of the soap to soften it up (just a little, like a 1/4 teaspoon). This will help load up the brush. I've also found that the hotter the water, the easier it it to get rich lather.

When I started, I tended to use too much water, so all I got was wimpy runny lather. Now I squeeze out nearly all of the water from the brush, load it up on the (softened) soap puck, then add a drizzle of water into the base of the brush if the lather is too thick or dry.

Took me a while to figure out the right proportions.

Please report back on your progress!

-Chief

I use a wet brush in the mug with a bit of water and make circular patterns in the mug. I then transfer the lather to my face. I also like the Kiss My Face shaving gel product as it's a lot easier on the skin than soap and seems to lather just fine. I did like the Toms of Maine shaving cream but they've stopped carrying it.

Have you watched mantic's videos on the mater on youtube? Not all creams lather, have you examined the tabac brand to make sure that it will lather for you? I have no experience with Tabac cream.

Originally Posted by BHChieftain

While you are soaking your brush in hot water, try drizzling a little bit of really hot water on top of the soap to soften it up (just a little, like a 1/4 teaspoon). This will help load up the brush. I've also found that the hotter the water, the easier it it to get rich lather.

When I started, I tended to use too much water, so all I got was wimpy runny lather. Now I squeeze out nearly all of the water from the brush, load it up on the (softened) soap puck, then add a drizzle of water into the base of the brush if the lather is too thick or dry.

Took me a while to figure out the right proportions.

Please report back on your progress!

-Chief

Thats actually exactly what I do. I follow all the steps Ive seen in many lathering instructional videos including mantic's and jockeys' videos. I dont really know what Im doing wrong...

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Have you watched mantic's videos on the mater on youtube? Not all creams lather, have you examined the tabac brand to make sure that it will lather for you? I have no experience with Tabac cream.

Yes I have seen almost all of mantic's videos now and that is where I got got the instructions for making lather. I dont know about the tabac cream but Ill find out soon enough. Also, I was assuming since the tabac soap is so highly rated for lathering well and being a good product, that the cream should be similar. We'll see.

Originally Posted by jnich67

You said: "a little bit" when referring to soaping the brush. Load that baby up! I also lather directly on my face - load the brush until you have a nice paste, then lather on a wet face for longer than you would think. More, more, and more...

Jordan

OK Maybe "a little bit" were the wrong words. I do load that baby up I load the brush for a good 10 seconds trying to get as much soap on it as I can and then if no lather forms I pick up more soap with the brush. And for right now Im not going to lather on my face anymore because that "more, more, and more" got me a red raw spot on my lower right cheek. Like I brushed too much. It seems to be going away now, I got it yesterday.