Face lathered almost the whole 40+ years of shaving with a detour to canned goo many years ago and a try at using a scuttle a couple of years back when I first started in with straight razors. I load my brush, be it boar, badger or synthetic, with soap or cream and build lather on my face. No fuss, no muss, quick and to the point. Feels good to the face as a bonus. Water could be hot or cold, really does not matter to me, but have been using cold water for a few years now.

Bob