Thread: I can't get hot lather for some reason

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

His new scuttle was so efficient it has kept his water warm for 5 years.

Spendur, my friend, I burn firewood under mine, have been for years, and every morning throw in a log to spike the old fire.

Originally Posted by Pabster

Before you start, put hot water in the cup to warm it up. Then after your 1st lather, rest the cup in a bowl of hot water. Depending on how long the hot bowl of water sits, you may have to refill it with fresh hot water.

I like to soak my brush in hot water and find a way to warm up the shaving soap before I start lathering. Just give it some thought and you will figure it out. When winter rolls around, this becomes a bigger issue than when its hot outside.

Welcome to straight shaving!

Pabster

I tried this...the cup remains reasonably warm during the first pass but either way neither brush nor lather is getting anything but cold. Even when I rest my brush in hot water, by the time I'm done lathering, whether it's the first time or second time - brush is cold, lather is cold.

I tried a mug warmer - kept the mug warm, hot even - still no hot lather..if i'm LUCKY i'll maybe get a few drops of warm lather, before it cools down - the mug is still, somehow warm to the touch though. I've tried different materials too - china, granite, marble, steel.

Honestly at this point, I simply CANNOT believe after THREE HUNDRED YEARS, i'm still having the same problem the dude who first used my razor is having - no hot lather.

I think your wanting too much. HOT lather is no better than warm lather. Warm is good enough for me. I use a scuttle and i go as far as to sit the scuttle in a sink of hot water. Change the water in the scuttle for more hot water to keep it as warm as possible. Warm is comforting. Hot might not be as nice. JMO.
Keep in mind that body temps are over 95 degrees. So evan if you lather is 90 degrees, its warm but you might think its cold.

It’s a balancing act. You can warm the scuttle and warm the brush and bloom the soap with warm water, but if you get things too hot, the lather degrades quickly.

I have actually had the best luck face lathering by rubbing a soap stick on my wet face and using hot water on the brush.

Originally Posted by Gasman

I think your wanting too much. HOT lather is no better than warm lather. Warm is good enough for me. I use a scuttle and i go as far as to sit the scuttle in a sink of hot water. Change the water in the scuttle for more hot water to keep it as warm as possible. Warm is comforting. Hot might not be as nice. JMO.
Keep in mind that body temps are over 95 degrees. So evan if you lather is 90 degrees, its warm but you might think its cold.

oh . I wanted like lather that's consistently at 100F or so...too much to ask?

Possibly a warming plate set at 120? But as DZEC posted, lather degrades, fades away with heat.

Originally Posted by Tjh

I tried this...the cup remains reasonably warm during the first pass but either way neither brush nor lather is getting anything but cold. Even when I rest my brush in hot water, by the time I'm done lathering, whether it's the first time or second time - brush is cold, lather is cold.
.....
Honestly at this point, I simply CANNOT believe after THREE HUNDRED YEARS, i'm still having the same problem the dude who first used my razor is having - no hot lather.

How cold is your house?

I spent the last year or more playing with cold water.

With the last cold spell I relented and went over to the warm. side.

First hint, plastic. Ceramic is just too hungry for heat.
Second hint is a wooden stir stick or chopstick in a plastic 1 or 2 cup measuring cup (spout) and microwave some water to about 120-125F. Not over 150F (will scald skin in seconds) but the until you get the timing correct safety mandates an anti boil over aid like the wood stick and caution.

Warning: Good brushes do not like boiling water. Crazy hot kills the glue of the knot target 120F (tap hot).

I lather in a plastic 4" salsa bowl low heat capacity and while textured is easy on a good brush.

I dip my brush in the measuring cup of hot water, shake most out and gather some soap from the puck.
I let my boar brushes soak for 20 seconds, expensive badger dip and shake.
If using a cream I put a dab in the lathering bowl and start building a lather with a minimum
of water and keep adding dribbles of hot water as needed.

If I got the brush dry enough I now have the opportunity to add hot water a little at
a time and build my lather. I marvel at how much additional water a lather can take up.

When the lather is close, I try some on my face and face lather a bit. Each time
adding a teaspoon of hot water or less and work the lather till I get it right.

Then each time I need another load of lather on my face for another pass I add a small bit
of my hot water. My hotest tap, closest to the hot water heater is 122F which is fine.

About $2 for the measuring cup, about $2 for the plastic salsa bowl at my grocery.

The warmth of that last dribble of hot water and reworking the lather is noticeable.
If the measuring cup water gets cool, get a bigger measuring cup.

Summary: Plastic, the heavy ceramic mugs need to be very heavy and need to be preheated
like a tea kettle and are their own class of joy. In all cases a dribble of tap hot water
to refresh the lather helps. The measuring cup of HOT water allows the last dribbles of
water to be effective in all cases when refreshing the lather.

Yes this is an old thread.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

How cold is your house?

I spent the last year or more playing with cold water.

With the last cold spell I relented and went over to the warm. side.

First hint, plastic. Ceramic is just too hungry for heat.
Second hint is a wooden stir stick or chopstick in a plastic 1 or 2 cup measuring cup (spout) and microwave some water to about 120-125F. Not over 150F (will scald skin in seconds) but the until you get the timing correct safety mandates an anti boil over aid like the wood stick and caution.

Warning: Good brushes do not like boiling water. Crazy hot kills the glue of the knot target 120F (tap hot).

I lather in a plastic 4" salsa bowl low heat capacity and while textured is easy on a good brush.

I dip my brush in the measuring cup of hot water, shake most out and gather some soap from the puck.
I let my boar brushes soak for 20 seconds, expensive badger dip and shake.
If using a cream I put a dab in the lathering bowl and start building a lather with a minimum
of water and keep adding dribbles of hot water as needed.

If I got the brush dry enough I now have the opportunity to add hot water a little at
a time and build my lather. I marvel at how much additional water a lather can take up.

When the lather is close, I try some on my face and face lather a bit. Each time
adding a teaspoon of hot water or less and work the lather till I get it right.

Then each time I need another load of lather on my face for another pass I add a small bit
of my hot water. My hotest tap, closest to the hot water heater is 122F which is fine.

About $2 for the measuring cup, about $2 for the plastic salsa bowl at my grocery.

The warmth of that last dribble of hot water and reworking the lather is noticeable.
If the measuring cup water gets cool, get a bigger measuring cup.

Summary: Plastic, the heavy ceramic mugs need to be very heavy and need to be preheated
like a tea kettle and are their own class of joy. In all cases a dribble of tap hot water
to refresh the lather helps. The measuring cup of HOT water allows the last dribbles of
water to be effective in all cases when refreshing the lather.

Yes this is an old thread.

It's between 53 and 65F (12C - ~18C or so) in my house (yes, that's on purpose, during winter i keep my windows open all day, during summer my thermostat is set to 12C...any warmer than 16C and I can't sleep and feel really hot). Bathroom is probably on the warmer side. I've tried plastic, it doesn't help...plus i'm always afraid of heating up plastic too much.

THe one thing I"ve been trying for the last few days is a cast iron melting pot/ladle thingi, heat it up on the stove, get the water to about 180F-200F or so...rest the brush in the water for a bit, then pour out the water and use the now heated up cast iron pot for lathering. EVEN THAT doesn't work. The water itself ends up cooling to "even a baby should be fine with this temperature" level in about 1 minute or so.

It's also INSANELY dry in my house, again hopefully less so in the bathroom (on the plus side things are HIGHLY unlikely to spoil in my house, even FOOD lasts longer outside than you normally think it would because it's so cold and dry).

I don't think putting your brush in water that is 180 to 200 degrees is a good idea. You're going to mess with the glue holding it together. It seems like you want some seriously hot lather too me. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Tjh

oh . I wanted like lather that's consistently at 100F or so...too much to ask?

The short answer is yes. Even the commercial hot lather machines the barbers had years ago were not that hot not even close.

Bob