Mortar and Brush

I have been wet shaving for about 9 months, and up until now have used a very smooth porcelain bowl that came with a vintage travel shave kit. I've always had to face lather because I couldn't work up a lather in the bowl, which I assumed was due to its smoothness.

The other day I noticed that the mortar and pestle I have in the kitchen is a good size and slightly rough. Today I decided to give it a go and see if the rougher surface would equal bigger lather. Before getting in the shower I filled it with boiling water and dropped in my brush. By the time it came to whip up a lather it was nicely warmed, so I tipped out the water and grabbed my Castle Forbes lime.

About a minute later I had a bowl full of think, creamy, warm lather ready to go. Now I wouldn't say the end result was any better than face lathering, though it makes less of a mess. But the real advantages for me where 1) the lather stayed warm the whole shave (which was long due to me being a noob with the straight); 2) I could whip up more lather between passes without having to put my razor down, due to the weight of the mortar.

It's probably not as good as a skuttle, but if you have a mortar and pestle lying around I think it makes a great option.