Thread: Soap vs Cream Lather

Hello, Veto:

This is the way I perform the routine:

On the way to the shower I submerge the brush into the scuttle bowl filled with hot tap water (never boiling water). I fill the sink with hot tap water and place the soap mug in it to soak up the heat. At the same time, I pour some hot tap water over the soap in the mug to soften it.

After the shower, I empty the scuttle and refill the tank only with hot tap water. I then pour about a teaspoon of the water from the soap mug into the scuttle bowl and dump the rest. Then I give the brush several gentle shakes and a little squeeze to eliminate as much water as possible.

Following a 30-second swirl of the slightly damp brush over the softened soap, then I proceed to make lather in the scuttle, adding more water if necessary. If face lathering, after the 30-second swirl of the brush over the soap, I proceed to make lather onto my Hollywood face, dipping the tip of the brush in warm water to add more moisture to the lather on my face until the lather looks ready.

With cream, I just put in a small dollop of it in the scuttle bowl, add about a teaspoon of water and begin to lather, monitoring the water content and adding more if necessary.

As a rule, I prefer my lather a touch runny. Whether using Mitchell's Wool Fat, known for its reluctant lather, or Martin de Candre, known for its luxurious lather, I consider making lather one of the many highlights in my shaving ritual.

Regards,

Obie

Awesome suggestions. Thank you Gentlemen. Obie, I was reading your blog. Very interesting. I am an amateur classical guitarist. I plan on reading your books soon.

Veto

I learned that using a boar brush, as well as the suggestions above, helped me to perfect my soap lathering. The stiffer bristles seemed to shorten the learning curve for me. Once I figured it out I was able to get great lather with both the boar and badger brushes.

Originally Posted by Coloradoveto

Awesome suggestions. Thank you Gentlemen. Obie, I was reading your blog. Very interesting. I am an amateur classical guitarist. I plan on reading your books soon.

Veto

Veto,

Thank you for the kind words. Please send me a personal message regarding the books. Thank you for your interest

Regards,

Obie

I'm very new here, and while my experience is limited here are some observations i have made. When i switched from a "cheap" brush (AOS Pure Badger) to a Good Brush (Silver Tip) my lather was more runny due to the extra water that the brush holds. Once i cut back on the water by shaking off as much as possible i was able to work up a much better lather with the good brush. I also travel alot and i have found that in each hotel i have to use a different amount of water which i would assume is due to how the water is treated R/O or filtered and ultimately how hard it is. I read somewhere that you can use glycerine in the soap to to make the lather more lubricative and i did try it and it did make a different but not a hugely noticeable one. In any event i think there is more art to working up a good lather than there is science, and the trick for me was adjusting only one variable at a time until i have found that "just right" combination that works for me. I don't fire on all cylinders every day, but now, more often than not I get the combination just right. I always err on the side of less water because i can always add more if i need to.