Lather question

New-guy question:

I have yet to receive the stuff I bought, but I'm confused before I even start...

When making the lather with shaving soap, do you do it in the same mug that you keep the soap in? One thing I read showed the soap (maybe it was cream...) being stored in a separate container, and then the person used a wet brush to get some of the soap (again, possibly cream) and make a lather in a different bowl/cup that had a smidge of hot water in the bottom.

But then (on a different site... I know, I probably shouldn't have ventured past this place, it has everything!) I saw that one person simply filled the cup that had the soap in it, with hot water, set the brush in and let it soak a bit. Then, took the brush out, dumped out the water, squeezed the brush to get rid of some more water, and then just made the lather in that cup. Then, they just rinsed the cup when they were done, being sure the soap in the bottom doesn't fall out.

Thanks,
Shaz

First of all what soap are you using. I find when using soap it helps to soak the soap a little before use to soften it up. I like to load the brush, swirl it on the soap for about a minute or two until there's plenty in the brush and there's beginnings of lather on it, and then move it to a separate mug or bowl. Try different methods, play around a little bit. You'll be amazed just how much fun it is when you get the hang of it and end up with lather up to you elbow. Good luck, and BTW are you going to Straight shave or use a DE?

I haven't even gotten it in the mail yet. It came in a package deal from RupRazor, and is just called glycerin shaving soap. And I'll be using a straight once everything arrives.

I agree with Devilpup. Experiment. There is no one way to create shaving lather from soap or cream for that matter.

My practice is to get a coffee cup from the kitchen cupboard. I place the puck of soap in it and just before shaving, run some hot water on the soap and soak my brush while I shower. I shake out the excess water from the brush, pour off the water from the soap and swirl the brush on the soap for 30-40 seconds. Once the brush is loaded with lather, I apply lather to my face, massage it into my beard with my fingertips, then rinse with hot water. Then I apply some bay rum to my face and reapply lather with my brush. That method gives me a very close, smooth and comfortable shave.

Let us know how your technique works.

Take care--and smooth shaving.

Lots of people do lots of things, but i started with the wiki

Category:Lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki

My variation is that i have a separate lather bowl to make the lather in

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shazam

New-guy question:

I have yet to receive the stuff I bought, but I'm confused before I even start...

When making the lather with shaving soap, do you do it in the same mug that you keep the soap in? One thing I read showed the soap (maybe it was cream...) being stored in a separate container, and then the person used a wet brush to get some of the soap (again, possibly cream) and make a lather in a different bowl/cup that had a smidge of hot water in the bottom.

But then (on a different site... I know, I probably shouldn't have ventured past this place, it has everything!) I saw that one person simply filled the cup that had the soap in it, with hot water, set the brush in and let it soak a bit. Then, took the brush out, dumped out the water, squeezed the brush to get rid of some more water, and then just made the lather in that cup. Then, they just rinsed the cup when they were done, being sure the soap in the bottom doesn't fall out.

Thanks,
Shaz

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There are as many ways as there are shavers.
There are no wrong ways as long as the lather is to YOUR liking.

Since many of us have multiple shave soaps and creams in
our rotation we tend to keep each soap in its own container.
I have used a washed out 4oz cottage cheese container to hold
my first puck of Mitchell Wool Fat. Later after I was sure I liked
the soap I added a fancy container to match.

I have one shave soap in a big coffee mug. I add water
and the brush let it soak a min then dump it out. And start
a lather that I then finish on my face. The mug is so big
that I put a puck of Williams shave soap and melted glycerin
shave soap to half fill it. I then place pucks of Cyril R Salter
on top of that base.

Most soap containers have a lid that is not air tight. It
permits the puck to dry slowly (but not in 24 hours). I
often put a light splash of water on tomorrows soap the
night before if it has not been used in a while.

I like a lathering bowl. It lets me add water bit by bit
and build the lather slowly. Any shallow mug or cup
that fits your brush will do. As much as I like my current
lathering bowls I often build a lather on my hand or on my face.

Lately I have been playing with shave sticks. I just wet my
face and run the stick over the stubble. That scrapes off
enough soap. I then do a combination of face and bowl lathering.
Adding water to the bowl in dribbles and alternating face
to bowl until I have a fine lather. This alternating leaves enough
lather in the bowl and on the brush for multiple passes.

A while back I saw a lathering horn. Sort of a hand size spoon
shaped slice of horn to build a lather on. If I feel rich I
will have one some day.. it was a tad expensive.

Do view videos on youtube by mantic59
‪How To Build And Apply Traditional Shaving Lather‬‏ - YouTube

Like he says... Guidelines, starting point...

Check out the cereal bowl here, I am not a fan
of heavy pumping except with a $7 brush:

‪How To Make Traditional Shaving Lather; Part I: Shaving Cream‬‏ - YouTube

Like I said -- it is all good what works works.
For goodness sake... tinker and experiment is is just air, soap
and water:
http://youtu.be/fXVxXvv_8yk

Thanks for all the replies. I have limited space in my TINY bathroom, so I think I'm going to try it all in the same cup first.

I can't wait for the stuff to arrive!

For my lather bowl, I picked up a nice ceramic bowl from Goodwill. I'm like the previous responses in that I soak the puck in a mug, or the container it came in for a while, then dump out the excess water, load the brush then lather in my bowl or scuttle. I have a tiny bathroom too, but you would be amazed at how cheap you can find cabinets that you can hang on the wall for extra storage!

For the first couple shaves I mixed the lather right in the same mug that I had melted my soap into. I found it to be too "sticky" so I now load my brush from that mug and mix my lather in a seperate bowl with just a dot of Head Slick brand shave cream. The menthol and extra glycerine in the Head Slick makes for great lather and a coolness on your face.

This is what I do:

To answer your question: I keep the soap in a separate bowl from my lather bowl/scuttle. I think most shavers do, otherwise you load the brush up with too much soap if you lather in the soap bowl with the soap on the bottom. Most soaps are sold in their own containers, like Mama Bear's Soap, which I love!

My process:

--I soak the brush in hot water for about 5 minutes while I get ready for my shower.
--I shake the excess water out of the brush, takes a bit of experimentation to figure out how much water to leave in.
--I load the brush with soap in the soap bowl.
--I bring the brush with me in the shower.
--I lather on my face in the shower with the brush for about 1 minute and massage in with my hands for about 2 or 3 minutes. I sometimes do this 2 or 3 times depending on how hard/soft my beard feels.
--I then get out of the shower and either load the brush again with soap or use the existing soap in the brush, and build a lather in my shaving scuttle, adding a little hot water if necessary. A scuttle is a fancy bowl that has a chamber for hot water to keep the lather warm. I recommend getting one!
--I put the top on my shave soap and put it away.
--I then lather my face and shave using my shaving scuttle to continually build hot lather.
--After my shave I use Alum Bloc on my face, rinse.
--Then a dash of Witch Hazel.
--Finished.

Another thing I suggest is to pick up a tube of a decent shave cream and try it too. Your water may be too hard for good Soap lathering as mine is. I suggest a tube of CO Biglow/Proraso cream. Its great stuff and can be had for under $10 at Bath and Body works, and excellent starter cream. Good Luck. BTW Ken is a great guy he held my hand through buying my first strop and it truly is a great product.

Focus on the proportion of soap to water. Any process will or will not work. The amount of water in the brush, bowl, in the soap, etc. All combine to either become 2 much, just enough, or not enough water.

Another thing to think about, I've found when making lather in the same bowl as the puck of soap you tend to waste more soap and a refill doesn't last as long. For me, making lather in a separate bowl can stretch out a puck by a significant amount.

Again, just my experience.