Thread: Perfect lather every time, is this a fluke?

I have just started shaving with a brush and soap, and use my grandfathers old spice mug, and mug soap (origin unknown to me), with a boar hair brush. The past 10 or so times I have used this I got the " uber lather". I think I found out a system for this, but don't know for sure. Here it goes. I soak the brush in hot water for about 4 minutes, dump out excess water, take out brush, and gently hold the brush bristle down and drop it about 3-4 inches (holding it, of course), and stop abruptly, letting centrifugal force, force a small amount of water out of the brush. I do this about 2-3 times. The question is, the fact that I do not rinse the soap out of the brush after use, help me achieve this "uber lather"? Or is this simply "beginners luck"?

Can't it just be normal? What were you expecting something similar to a canned foam?

Don't fix it if it's not broke.

And as AFDavis alluded, Welcome to shaving with a brush and soap. This is pretty normal.

Best Regards,
EL

You obviously have the feel for making lather. It's not hard to experience perfect lather 'almost' every time. As you try different soaps and creams you will probably notice "not so perfect" lather the first couple uses, and it will fall into place just as easy.

I use a tumbler just for soaking my brush in hot water as I brush my teeth, remove the soaked brush, let some water drip onto the soap, shake the brush to a moist almost hanging to dry state and load the brush with the moistened soap.

I find it is easier to add a little water if needed rather than remove water, unless you don't mind wasting soap you shake off... I just dip the tip of the brush into the soaking tumbler and add water as needed.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Can't it just be normal? What were you expecting something similar to a canned foam?

I have never used canned shaving cream, (and don't plan to), so I wouldn't know.

Originally Posted by youngun

I have never used canned shaving cream, (and don't plan to), so I wouldn't know.

It sounds like you got some nice lather going alright, but I'm a little in the dark on some points. You said you just started using brush and soap for the very first time, and you've never used canned shave cream. The only things that leaves is electric razor or brushless cream such as Stephan's?

Also, if the unidentifiable soap in the mug belonged to your grandfather, how long was it in there unused? I think soap does have the tendency to spoil after a time. Could it be that the aging of the soap since your grandfather used it actually benefited the lather?

Finally, I thought the term "uber lather" referred to the use of cream and soap in combination so that, ostensibly the advantages of the cushion of cream and the glide of soap are contained in the same lather. Or did you just mean you had really nice lather?

Well, I don't know about any "unberlather" or anything like that but from my experience as long as you have a good brush and some good soap and you have the right technique you will have outstanding lather everytime. It's all about the correct water to soap ratio really, no magic.

Since I have been using a synthetic brush my lathers never failed.