Thread: Lather from a soap. Creamy or foamy?

Hello there.
So I had my fifth shave with a straight razor today and this time I was trying to get a "perfect" lather. The first try I got a really rich, creamy lather that I thought was ok, I used just the brush in the soap, no bowl. I didn't shave that time but left it on for a while and it dried up almost instantly.
The second try I read the wiki and used a bowl to whip up the lather. This time it wasn't quit as creamy but I put it on and started to shave but after my right side wad done my left side had dried up.
I then redid the procedure but this time with more water left in the bowl. This time I got a really foamy, thin lather that didn't seem to dry up but also almost ran down my face when applying it.

So my question is if I'm getting close and what the lather should feel like? Was I getting close on my second attempt but should have added a little bit more water?

I might add that this was by far my best shave yet and that was with my dullest razor! The result was equal if not better than what I get with my Gilette Fusion. I love straight razor shaving and will never go back to using an electrical or Safety razor again. The only problem is that I think I got the RAD.

You want more creamy rather than foamy. You want it to have enough substance to hold a peak when you lift the brush out of the bowl. It is usually better to add water in small increments as you whip the soap in the bowl rather than adding a bunch at the outset. You can always add more but it is hard to take some out. I hope this helps.

It should be rich, thick, luxurious and creamy and it should stay on your face the entire shave without disappearing. Airy or dry is no good.

I still think its all personal prefrance....get it how you like it then stick with it

PMH,

creamy good
foamy bad

The things you need in lather are water (to hydrate and soften the whiskers), and something to add glide/cushion (soap and over-fatting).

Foamy equals too much air in the lather, and air has no desirable shaving properties

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by sleekandsmooth

I still think its all personal prefrance....get it how you like it then stick with it

+1

Most people prefer a creamier lather, and get better results with a lather like thebigspendur described, but it's still all about preference and your particular face.

As far as lathering on the soap, in a bowl or on your face, I'll give my $0.02 (also a matter of preference)

When using cremes, I have always found better results using a lathering bowl to whip up the lather first. I don't own one of the modern scuttles for keeping your lather warm, but most people find them to be a significant benefit.

When using soaps, I have always found the best results by loading the brush up on the soap, but not making any attempt to actually lather on the soap. I then build up the lather right on my face. Regardless of whether I'm using soap from a bowl or my antique scuttle (completely different than modern scuttles) I always lather on my face, because a decade of using soap and a brush for shaving has told me that this is what works best with soaps. (again, a matter of preference)

I'm using a bore bristle brush and found a little glycerin (few drops) made a big difference in the lather. I can make it pretty good now after much practice without the glycerin, but everytime I add that to the bowl, the lather is much richer. Also, I made a scuttle and found the heat made a big difference as well, but don't make it too hot... That dries it out in the bowl.

Lather preference varies with the beard, as you have read above... Personally I like the Cool Whip consistency of a well made Uberlather...

The one thing that doesn't vary is that we are doing what is commonly called "Wet Shaving" the first step is to wet the face a good splash of hot water right before you start lathering, that really goes a long way to a comfortable shave...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The one thing that doesn't vary is that we are doing what is commonly called "Wet Shaving" the first step is to wet the face a good splash of hot water right before you start lathering, that really goes a long way to a comfortable shave...

+1 on that advice!

How I like the lather depends on the soap:
If i use Williams I like to have a pretty wet lather. I don't care that it doesn't look nice in the bowl, it shaves better for me that way. (the appearance of it is what I would call thick suds as opposed to lather; it still shouldn't be runny)
If I'm using Tabac it's almost the exact opposite. For me Tabac works best when it's a drier lather. (this makes the puffy cool-whip kind of lather - NO bubbles visible)
For D.R. Harris, it seems to work best if it's just a bit dry, but not as dry as Tabac. (very thick suds, bordering on lather: small visible bubbles are present)
Every creme that I've used I've preffered to have the lather pretty wet. (again, thick suds instead of lather)

YMWV. (your mileage WILL vary ~ experiment with each soap you have and find the "sweet spot" that works for you)