Thread: Happy to have found SRP!

RazorCut, first I'd like to say a warm welcome to SRP! As I'm sure you're learning, the guys (and few gals) we have here are truly the cream of the crop and are definitely willing to help if you start having any issues.

Also, I did get your PM, but if it's alright with you, I'll respond here so that more of the new guys besides yourself can maybe learn something.

Also, thank you to Pope Razorfeld for the vote of confidence! That means a lot to me, good sir!

Okay, so as others have said before me, it sounds like you've pretty much hit the sweet spot in terms of your gear, but as some have pointed out, if you make the switch to a straight razor, there will be a slight learning curve coming off of the shavette. Not bad, mind you, just slight. Your soaps/creams are good quality, and your brush has a good reputation (I'm still using my cheap $5 Van der Hagen Boar brushes, and the Van der Hagen Badger brush that came with my starter kit, along with a vintage Eveready Boar brush... One day, I'll get a "real" brush, but can do just fine with what I have now).

From the sounds of your PM, you're two shaves in, using a combo of Proraso soap and C.O. Bigelow cream(which is actually Proraso cream rebranded) with glycerine to make an uberlather. I personally love the Proraso/Bigelow cream, as it gives a slick and dense lather. You can't go wrong with this one.

As for doing an uberlather, feel free to keep trying it, but I'd actually recommend starting with just the Bigelow cream or just the Proraso soap for now. I'd even leave the glycerine out, and probably start with the cream. The reason is that you essentially have about 7 variables when doing an uberlather (soap, cream, glycerine, water, brush, bowl, technique/experience) as opposed to 5 using just a soap or cream (soap or cream alone, water, brush, bowl, technique/experience). Controlling the variables and mastering them before getting into advanced aspects means an easier learning curve for you. The other reason I'd recommend the cream is that they tend to be easier to lather well, especially for new users.

Another thing to point out here is practice and practice, and then practice some more! The good thing about learning to lather well is that you can do it between shaves without wasting too much soap. On that note, as you go further into things, you'll find that each soap has it's own set of quirks and nuances to learn to get the lather you're looking for. Take a look at a thread I started called "The Great Common Soap Experiment!". You'll see that I went through 6 or so soaps/creams that I found in the wild at local grocery and drug stores. I kinda broke down each one and described some of the variables of each to get good lather.

As for your bowl/mug/face lathering questions, it's definitely easier to control in a bowl/mug (with the possible exception of a shave soap stick, like Arko or Palmolive, which is a different animal altogether). You can start with a relatively dry brush (after soaking, shake or squeeze most of the water out) and add a few drops of water at a time until you have just the right consistency you're looking for. Also, you were correct in mugs/bowls with ridges adding a bit more air to the lather, which if your water and soap amounts are right, means it will lather faster and easier.

Apart from a shave ready razor, which yours being a shavette eliminates that variable, your prep/lather is the most important aspect. A sharp blade and proper lather can be very forgiving to improper technique and pressure when learning.

One more thing... The toughest nut for me to crack, soap-wise, was Williams Mug Soap. I tried everything I could think of and couldn't get it to lather well. At about $1.50 a puck, I decided that I was going to make it lather well, and spent some time with my brush and bowl, loading, lathering, rinsing and repeating until I finally gave up. One day, I happened to come across a thread giving detailed info on how to get Williams to work well. The advice was totally counter to everything I knew about building lather, but by golly, it worked. That was only possible because of the awesome members here, who share their knowledge and experience so freely. As such, feel free to ask any questions you have because we love to help each other here. Additionally, since you're in the Atlanta area, I'd be more than happy to meet up some time and give you some in-person pointers. I'm not the most knowledgeable member here, far from it, but certainly don't mind showing you what I do know. We just moved to Paulding County, but I'm sure we could figure out something in terms of where to meet. As has already been said, meeting and learning in person for an hour or so will gain you the knowledge and experience of hundreds of hours of forum/YouTube time. If you're interested, just let me know.

Again, welcome to SRP, and if I, or any of us, may be of service, just ask.