It makes perfect sense that lather can tone down the aggressive cut of some barber hones making for a finer finish. I experimented with dish soap and lather using it even on my honing progressions to see the effect. Using too much can be a mistake spinning your wheels so to speak. Once I put too much soap on a 3 k and honed 4 like a half hour with minimal progress. I would personally use lather or soap only at the very end after it was already there and it might add just a little umph to your edge.