Thread: making lather - like beating eggs or using a mortar and pestle?

Hi all,
Quick question, I think, with a quick answer. When making lather, the actual swirling part, do you use more of a light, egg-beating type pressure, just kind of whipping it up? Or do you put pressure downward with the brush, not quite but somewhat similar to grinding something up with a mortar and pestle?

The latter is a bit over the top of an example but I think you get the point. How light of a touch with the brush?

Still having some issues making up a good lather consistently, and I think I might be working the brush too hard as I've noticed a few bristles suddenly coming off.

More like beating eggs for me. Adding water to the lather bowl a little at a time and do a lot more 'whipping' time wise and that may improve your results. Go to youtube and check out 'mantic shaving' videos. He has a great lather making vid.

If you are using a badger brush, there are twq things to avoid. First, never leave soap residue in the brush, but rinse it thoroughly after use. Residual soap will dry out the bristles, thus making them brittle. Second, never apply pressure, lest the tips wil break. Additionally, pressure will push lather into the knot, where it is a) useless and b) hard to remove. A well soaked, high quality brush needs no pressure.

kaiyen,

The aim is to incorporate water as the main component of the lather, not air

Excesssive beating & whipping will put in more air in than is useful.

Water and the soap in the lather, supply the hydration to the whiskers and the slip needed for shaving - air does none of these.

Like Goldilocks & The Three Bears - More than stirring, less than whipping is just right

Have fun !

regards

Russ

More like beating eggs for me. If you're mushing the brush all out of shape, you're doing it too hard.

When I'm loading the brush with soap, I grip the actual hairs just below the knot to make the hairs stiffer and easier to load.

Beating eggs...mortar and pestle will take longer and may loosen up the bristles.

My approach is much like beating or whipping egg whites. I add a little water to the mixture, as needed, while doing so.

I do combine whipping and beating egg movement...I used to use pressure, but then when I use less pressure, the result is pretty much the same.

I make über lather when I shave. With the brush loaded with soap from a puck (soap in the bristles, not lather) and cream and a squirt of glycerin in the bowl, I use circular motions and pumping action against the inside of the bowl to mix and incorporate the three ingredient into the brush. Once that's done, I continue the same motions until I've made a fairly stiff, compact lather. Only then do I start adding additional water, a little at a time. I don't add the water to the bowl, but dribble it onto the bristles near the knot. I usually end up adding at least a tablespoon of water.

The swirling and pumping motion I use while adding water is gentle. I'm not trying to make a bowl of whipped cream. I'm making a thick, wet lather in the brush. My swirling motions might reverse direction and I use them to pull what's at the top of the bowl back down into the center. But it's all done slowly and gently because I want to make a lather in the brush, not in the bowl. That's the key for me.

Call me anal but the above is what works for me. I got there through a lot of trial and error. I end up with a lather that stays thick, wet and holds up through three passes with my straight and is still just as thick and wet during my fourth cleanup pass with a Sensor 3 (I'm still a newbie -- getting a DFS but not yet BBS).

Namaste,
Morty -_-

You might want to check the results of pump and swirl actions here: Lathering by Thäter (in German).