Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 47
Like Tree70Likes

Thread: Help an old guy out with lathering

  1. #1
    Senior Member blabbermouth JimmyHAD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    32,564
    Thanked: 11042

    Default Help an old guy out with lathering

    I am putting this here since there is no 'lathering' forum, and it concerns using a brush. I could have put it in soaps & creams forum, but six of one, half dozen of the other, here it is.

    I used to run tap water on my brush, I shave cold, and then stick it in a Moss Scuttle with enough water to keep it soaking. Drip a bit of water on the puck, and walk away for 5 minutes.

    Lather I got that way was alright, but never as good as some I've seen on the forums, videos, that meringue looking stuff. Lately I've been just dipping the tips of the bristles in the scuttle with water. Getting maybe a half inch wet,, shaking it out over the dry puck and going at it.

    The theory, as I understand it, is that the brush will have more flow through if the whole knot isn't sopping wet. Again, the lathering is just 'alright', nothing to write home about.

    If you're getting great lather, what is you procedure ?
    Phrank likes this.
    Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to JimmyHAD For This Useful Post:

    Phrank (11-21-2016)

  3. #2
    Senior Member blabbermouth
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    17,250
    Thanked: 3221

    Default

    Don't know if you would call the lather I make great or not but I'll tell you how I do.

    I just swirl the tips of the brush around in my cold sink water, shake over the sink, then shake it over the dry puck and begin loading the brush. I'll go back and just give the tips a quick touch to the water, a small shake and load the brush some more. That gets me a lot of thick slick proto lather in the brush. From there to the face and start to face lather adding water by just barely dipping the tip of the brush as I go till I get the lather the way I want it.

    If I load it right the first time I have enough for a 4 pass shave with plenty left over to rinse down the sink. It's a quirk that I have in not wanting to load more soap after I have started shaving. Anyhow, that how it usually works for me.

    Bob
    JimmyHAD, rolodave and cau like this.
    Life is a terminal illness in the end

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to BobH For This Useful Post:

    JimmyHAD (11-14-2016)

  5. #3
    Senior Member blabbermouth Hirlau's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Florida
    Posts
    13,530
    Thanked: 3530

    Default

    The soap can have some input into the lather, but not as much as the soap/water ratio.

    My puck is never dry when I load the brush. That puck covered with hot water from my brush soaking mug. My knot is submerged in hot water. I have different badgers that make quality lather that looks & feels like Cool Whip.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Hirlau For This Useful Post:

    JimmyHAD (11-14-2016)

  7. #4
    cau
    cau is offline
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Boise, Idaho
    Posts
    315
    Thanked: 38

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BobH View Post
    If I load it right the first time I have enough for a 4 pass shave with plenty left over to rinse down the sink. It's a quirk that I have in not wanting to load more soap after I have started shaving. Anyhow, that how it usually works for me.

    Bob
    This asks a question I've had for a while and never had answered. Do you ever have to go back to the jar for more soap and rebuild the lather in the brush? Sometimes I feel I need to add more soap because the lather left in the brush is too wet. I rinse my face between passes and the extra water thins the lather... Suggestions.

  8. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Helmetta, NJ
    Posts
    439
    Thanked: 56

    Default

    I can't get that crazy lather with soap. With creams, I can whip up crazy lather in a scuttle, but it definitely takes more time and effort...now I just lather on my face. Spending 5 minutes just making lather didn't seem like a good use of time when I can have perfect lather on my face in 30 seconds. I'd rather devote the time to shaving, since that's the part of the routine I enjoy most.

  9. #6
    Senior Member blabbermouth
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    17,250
    Thanked: 3221

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by cau View Post
    This asks a question I've had for a while and never had answered. Do you ever have to go back to the jar for more soap and rebuild the lather in the brush? Sometimes I feel I need to add more soap because the lather left in the brush is too wet. I rinse my face between passes and the extra water thins the lather... Suggestions.
    I face lather wetting my face between passes and try and load enough soap into the brush, it is not really lather at this stage being very thick, to do my 4 passes. I add water as I build the lather on my face to get the consistency I want. When I relather for another pass I may even have to add more water to get the consistency in lather I want. If I do not load enough soap into the brush in the first place and the lather starts to get thin and runny, I have to go back and load a bit more soap to get me through.

    If you need to add more soap you need to add more soap is all.

    Bob
    rolodave, Steel and cau like this.
    Life is a terminal illness in the end

  10. #7
    Senior Member blabbermouth JimmyHAD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    32,564
    Thanked: 11042

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by cau View Post
    This asks a question I've had for a while and never had answered. Do you ever have to go back to the jar for more soap and rebuild the lather in the brush? Sometimes I feel I need to add more soap because the lather left in the brush is too wet. I rinse my face between passes and the extra water thins the lather... Suggestions.
    When I get a lather that is too thin I shake out the brush in the sink, and hit the soap puck again. No rules in this game. Whatever works. It is just tough to figure out what works sometimes. I've been using a shaving brush since 1973 and I ain't got it figured out yet !
    Geezer, rolodave, BobH and 4 others like this.
    Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.

  11. #8
    The Hurdy Gurdy Man thebigspendur's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    New Mexico
    Posts
    32,737
    Thanked: 5016
    Blog Entries
    4

    Default

    Personally, I just soak the brush in the inside of the scuttle (which is filled with hot water) as I'm getting ready to shave. Then I shake it out to a degree to fit the soap I am using. That's it really. if I miscalculated I might have to either go back to the soap or add more water however it ain't rocket science. It's either more soap or more water if I didn't get it right.
    No matter how many men you kill you can't kill your successor-Emperor Nero

  12. #9
    Senior Member blabbermouth celestino's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,468
    Thanked: 173

    Default

    Have you seen any of the YouTube videos with bowl or face-lathering? There are a plethora of them and many are demonstrating some very good lathering techniques.
    This might be a redundant question as you have been doing this for quite some time, I presume, but what soap and brush are you using, as this might be contributing to your 'average' lather?

    Personally, I start with a damp brush that I shake out most of the water from, then I swirl the brush on the puck for 30-45 seconds, intermittently adding small amounts of water so that I can pick up that 'gooey and sticky' proto-lather; then I face-lather for 2-4 minutes, again, adding small amounts of water, intermittently until I get the desired lather.
    My procedure is the same if I have to bowl-lather, except there is more effort involved for my wrist! This is why I face-lather, exclusively, and use shave-sticks so that I can spend all of my time on my face!

    I can link to some Youtube videos, here, if that is allowed and if you want.
    Last edited by celestino; 11-15-2016 at 03:12 AM.
    BobH and markbignosekelly like this.
    Laughter, Love, & Shaving

    ~ Celestino ~

  13. #10
    Senior Member blabbermouth JimmyHAD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    32,564
    Thanked: 11042

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by celestino View Post
    Have you seen any of the YouTube videos with bowl or face-lathering? There are a plethora of them and many are demonstrating some very good lathering techniques.
    This might be a redundant question as you have been doing this for quite some time, I presume, but what soap and brush are you using, as this might be contributing to your 'average' lather?

    Personally, I start with a damp brush that I shake out most of the water from, then I swirl the brush on the puck for 30-45 seconds, intermittently adding small amounts of water so that I can pick up that 'gooey and sticky' proto-lather; then I face-lather for 2-4 minutes, again, adding small amounts of water, intermittently until I get the desired lather.

    I can link to some Youtube videos, here, if that is allowed and if you want.
    Thanks, I have seen quite a few of them years ago. I've got some high end brushes, and soaps/creams. I've suspected the water, and tried bottled. It is most likely me, and not any of the gear. Maybe I'll take another look at some of those videos. Thanks for reminding me.
    Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.

Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •