Thread: working up a lather?

Got another cherry question for the group.

I am looking for some sure fire techniques (or better yet, routines) for working a cake of shaving soap into a lather. Sure, anybody can slap some water on a brush and beat the soap into submission but from what I have read so far their must be a better way to crack this nut...

Anybody care to share...

thanks,
jocko

Jocko,

I have recently improved my lather to the point where I'm very satisfied with it. The way I tackle it is to lather on my face. I soak my brush in my mug (actually, Moss scuttle, but that doesn't matter) for a few minutes to get it nice and hot. Then I hold it over the sink for a little and let the water drain out. I give it one light shake and then start lathering the soap, which I keep in a little 4 oz. Pyrex jar. (I find this is better than keeping it in a mug because the container seals in some moisture; that makes the soap lather more easily.)

I swirl the brush around in the container for 30 seconds or so and pump the brush up and down to load it up with soap. Then I start working the brush in circles on my face. I go over my whole face quickly, then work my way back around.

This is the important step that I've just started doing: I dip the tips of my brush--maybe 1/4 inch or less--into the sink, which is full of hot water. Then I lather some more. Then I dip the brush again, and lather some more. After two or three repetitions, I have a nice, cream foam.

Basically I start off with a dry lather and add water to make it wetter and slicker. In the past when I tried to make wetter lather, I ended up flinging gobs of it everywhere.

Good luck,
Josh

What he said.

Some people pour hot water on hard soaps (not glycerine, which would disappear ) to soften them up a bit - makes loading easier. I have done it, works OK but I don't really bother with it.

Others add Coral Skin Food or veg glycerine drops to soap to supposedly improve lather. My lather hasn't improved much with these.

People also mix soap and cream. I don't remember doing this so I cant comment.

I'm sure there are other things too but this should give you something to experiment with

Cheers
Ivo

Ok, this is tutorial over at badger and blade. This helped me a lot when I was first learning to lather. It is more for glycerin soaps, but it works pretty well. Check it out.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=439

I usually don't build the lather quite that much, as I have a ton of it left over. I usually load my brush up like that and then move to my mug or scuttle, depending on the soap. Beat it like eggs in a meringue for a minute or two, and you got your self a nice lather. That lather should be moist, but hold to the side of the mug. If it runs down the mug, then you may need more soap and definitely more whipping.

I have also found that I get a good lather quicker if I slowly reduce the pressure on the brush as I go. What I mean is I start out pressing the brush down a bit into the mug and then swirling. When I see the lather starting to build up, I start to reduce the pressure until I am finally just using the very tips of the brush. I also increase the whipping speed as I reduce the pressure. This get the lather whipped up in the mug or scuttle quite well, at least for me. I have also found that I can generally add a little more water this way, which equates to a richer and more lubricating lather.

Good Luck.

Matt

What JoshEarl said. You do have to spend a good minute or two working the lather on your face before it reaches the right consistency - this is one of my favorite parts of the shave.

Jordan

Awesome, just awesome. I knew there was true art involved. Thanks to all for the examples.

Now I can get a good lather and make meringue (but not with the same brush).

And I can now correctly spell "meringue". Life time learner, what can I tell you.

thanks again,
jocko

Not that it makes a huge difference, well it can but never mind that. What kind of brush(es) are you using? I started off with a Burma Boar and I could get a decent lather, but I love my Super badger now. It hold water better, and fluffs up the lather more. Not saying you need to go out buy an expensive brush or anything, just that a quality brush can help.

Matt

There are some great videos on youtube.com about creating a good shaving lather.

That aside, I find that having a good badger brush makes life a lot easier when it comes to getting a good lather. High quality soap is also key.