Thread: Why do you like to face lather instead of using a bowl?

I just face lathered my face and I like it. I used the dry brush only. I did try it twice. Once with cold water and once with hot. No difference at all, like was said. I had a hard time knowing when I had worked the lather enough. I did shave a small spot and when I rinsed the lather (actually, still soap) under running water the blade didn't rinse well. It was still pasty on the edge. I worked the lather some more, shaved another spot and then the lather on the blade rinsed off as soon as I put it under running water.

I can't think of a reason to start using a scuttle again. But I haven't completely shaved yet. I do like the hot lather though. Lynn mentioned using the scuttle to keep the bursh and lather on the brush warm. I'll try that when I shave and use hot water.

In one of his other vids he mentions something about the lather getting a pearlescent sheen to it when it is about right IIRC. I am guessing that if the lather did not rinse off the blade easily it was a bit too dry. You can a a bit of water as you go.

He has quite a few vids on lather with soaps, creams and shave sticks Michael Freedberg - YouTube . You might get some more ideas from them.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

In one of his other vids he mentions something about the lather getting a pearlescent sheen to it when it is about right IIRC. I am guessing that if the lather did not rinse off the blade easily it was a bit too dry. You can a a bit of water as you go.

He has quite a few vids on lather with soaps, creams and shave sticks Michael Freedberg - YouTube . You might get some more ideas from them.

Bob

Thanks Bob. I've been looking at different soaps or creams to try for a couple of days. I'm going to quit doing that. I have also looked at brushes. I have one soap and one cream now. Mitchell's wool fat soap and a Taylor of old bond street. This one is a cream for sensitive skin. I'm going to need to get a handle on what I have now I think. There are just too many variables. As new as I am to this I don't think I should experiment yet. I mean not buying anything else. I don't know enough about what I'm doing now with what I already have. I'm going to play with face lathering alone. I don't need to complicate it with different soaps, creams or different brushes. I think the only thing I need to do quickly is to slow down.

Eliminating variables can be good, since it allows you to focus, in this case on water amount with a given soap or cream.

I tried bowl lathering when I first started and it seemed like I was working some crazy mixture to get the ideal lather... Water glycerine a second soap etc . Then one day I just loaded a brush and slapped it on my face. Perhaps not the perfect lather but my shaves are good and I don't record ratios of this or that to make a lather anymore.

Originally Posted by Jack0458

Thanks Bob. I've been looking at different soaps or creams to try for a couple of days. I'm going to quit doing that. I have also looked at brushes. I have one soap and one cream now. Mitchell's wool fat soap and a Taylor of old bond street. This one is a cream for sensitive skin. I'm going to need to get a handle on what I have now I think. There are just too many variables. As new as I am to this I don't think I should experiment yet. I mean not buying anything else. I don't know enough about what I'm doing now with what I already have. I'm going to play with face lathering alone. I don't need to complicate it with different soaps, creams or different brushes. I think the only thing I need to do quickly is to slow down.

I believe he face lathers exclusively. There is one on Palmolive shave cream, for example, face lathered with a boar brush. I am not saying to try out all the different soaps/creams and brushes he uses just that you might pick up something generally helpful no matter what you are using.

I have used boar, badger and synthetics to face and they all do work. It is a matter of adjusting the technique to suit the brush and cream or soap used. Spender covered that in post#4. Yes, it is a good idea to get comfortable with what you already have and keep the variables to a minimum at the start

With MWF I found what others were saying about it liking more water than other soaps to be true. You can add a surprising amount of water before it is too thin. It will dry quickly if there is not enough water in it.

Bob

I like to face lather, and have come to prefer shaving sticks over pucks for that reason. (There's a recent thread, "All shaving sticks all the time.") I like the simplicity, saving space on my narrow sink ledge, and having more of the prep happening on my face. And since I'm a cool-water shaver, I don't need any system for keeping water & brush warm.

I guess when it comes right down to it I do it now because I think working up a lather on my face is better for my beard than working it up in a bowl or scuttle and then working it into my face. Almost like saving a step, while hydrating the beard more. I still silently thank BobH and others who recommended it (and cold water) every time I do it, which is most of the time. I find Arko sticks work well, as do DR Harris creams, Proraso creams and soaps and Cella.

It's easier and more luxurious feeling to me with a cream than it is with soap.