Printable View
Gentlemen my lather's have been hit and miss sometimes they will stay frothy and on my face the whole shave. Then there are the times when I have to re-lather it seems every 5 minutes as the lather disappears before I can get to that side of the face. I'd like some tips on making the perfect lather. Any suggestions welcome.
Try face lathering with a good cream. I rub some on my very wet face with my fingers first and massage it around and in, then begin to lather on my face with a damp brush, which I add water to a little at a time. I really work it until I can see the lather shining. It doesn't have to be whipped into a thick froth, just well distributed and worked in with just the right amount of water (which is an experiment every time). Enough usually stays in the brush to do a second pass and some touch ups.
PS -- I use cold water too, cuts the irritation and feels good :o
This is more a tip on how to learn to make the perfect lather.
Go buy a cheap but good soap, such as arko or williams mug soap. Proceed to make a lather and after evaluating it just rinse it down the drain. Repeat several times per day until you can make lather consistently.
Jonathan
I second what Jon just posted, Practice makes perfect..
There was a time on this forum where we used to tell newbs to buy a puck of Williams and practice making lather until that puck was gone, you should have it down by then.. If you can get Willimas to lather well everything else should be easy :p
If your lather is disappearing, then you probably haven't added enough water to it. So add more water, it's worth the time to see just how much water you can add to lather before it collapses.
Sounds like too much water to me. MWF does this to me sometimes.
Some lathers need more work. There is no button to push to get great lather. Keep the brush moving. If you need, add a few drops of water or pass your brush quickly under the tap and move the brush some more. Make sure you had a good amount of soap or cream before the bowl or face and then add water and keep the brush moving
Gentlemen,
I gently shake and squeeze the brush knot to eliminate most of the water, then load it heavily. Whether using soap or cream, I then lather on my face, adjusting the water ratio until satisfied. From the beginning, this process felt natural to me, whether face lathering or bowl lathering, and I never saw the need to use the practice routine as noted. I still do not subscribe to that. Understandably, different soaps and creams have distinct characteristics, of which I am mindful, but the basics of lathering remain the same for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JTmke
I beg to differ. :rock:
Gents, I give you the Campbell Lather Machine:
From the product description:
"Shaving is so easy, with push-button instant flow of thick, hot, aerated, super-wet lather. Supplies two barbers all day. Completely enclosed universal motor protected from rust and corrosion. Famous Campbell stainless steel valve and extra large soap cup - easy to fill - trouble-free service. Waterproof heater. Colorful, high-impact, shock-proof."
.
FWIW, I would start with a large coffee (e.g. cappuccino) mug and good, inexpensive (Nivea, some swear by Proraso) cream in the tube.
- Squeeze a dollop* of cream into the mug and start soaking the wet but not dripping brush with cream.
- If the brush doesn't take enough cream, add a small amount of water.
- The brush should absorb most of the cream but it's o.k. to have some cream left in the mug, you pick that cream up later when you dip the brush in the mug for the second and third pass.
- Add some more water to the brush and start face lathering.
- If you don't get enough lather add a small amount of water.
- Dip the brush into the mug as needed to pick up the remaining cream for subsequent passes.
The trick is to increase the amount of water by small amounts until you strike the right balance between water and cream.
This works for creams and soaps, but it is generally accepted that with creams it is easier to get it right.
And what matters here is that you become familiar with the principle, so you might as well stick to creams in the beginning.
Also water quality is often overlooked, and I just came from a part of the country where the water is extremely soft and I barely could wash the soap off my face, to a part of a country where the water is of normal hardness. The difference in lather is noticeable.
* Water quality largely dictates how much cream you need to squeeze into the mug at the start.
It's all trial and error; and remember the whole DE or straight razor wet-shaving thing is based on the assumption that you can't expect perfect results right from the start and need constant practice to reach the perfect shave.
One last comment: Someone suggested Williams soap.
Williams is a love or hate affair and IMHO it is not easy to get a good, long-lasting lather from Williams (I am sure some Williams lover will contradict me; hence the "IMHO"). Williams seems to be particular dependent on the right water/soap ratio and that is exactly where you appear to be struggling with.
If you want to taste the sweet fruit of success earlier, stick to creams like Nivea, Proraso and the like.
Some people may even suggest that for that very reason you should start with Williams. "If you can lather with Williams you can pretty much lather with anything."
If that concept was true, driving schools would all have Ferraris, wouldn't they?
"If you can drive a Ferrari, you can drive a Civic, no?" :shrug:
B.
Yea, if you can lather Williams chances are you can lather anything. OTH as a beginner trying to lather Williams could frustrate you enough to give up too. I agree, learn to lather on a less difficult soap/cream. When you have found a technique that works for you then try the Williams challenge. Personally I don't think Williams is worth the effort of even trying to lather it.Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
OP, you are in Canada and some easily available soaps,creams are Proraso, and Kiss My Face at Shoppers Drug Mart, The Body Shop's Maca Root and Nivea cream at Wally World or Safeways. Any of these are easy to face lather to me is the easiest way to lather.
This fellow has a number of good vids on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4zE...AYHiXYBRrIMYJQ
Bob
In regards to water, it can help to dip the brush into a basin of water-a very brief dip mind-and proceed to load the brush with soap. Start face lathering and really work it in - if it just doesn't seem to be lathering, give the brush a tiny dip into the water and try again. Should give you an idea of how much water makes a lather that you are happy with. Go too far and the lather will get all floppy and thin - so small increases in water work well. I still lather up this way now if I buy a new soap and want to get to know how it lathers best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Datsots
Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
Me thinks you made some erroneous assumptions... :hmmm:
This is lynn's lathering video that helped me the most.
Shaving Lather with Badger Brush
Summary:
Badger brush, water, good soap in this case SRD's Frankincense glycerin shave soap.
Soak brush in hot water. Shake brush almost dry. Load brush heavily with soap. Add a very little bit of water to the base of the brush. Continue to load soap and add water about 3 to 5 times. Face, bowl, or mug lather adjusting the soap to water ratio to your preference.
Jonathan
More soap plus more water should equal more lather. Keep applying a little bit of both until it works for you and try different soap brands. Try Cremo and definitely try Castle Forbes. Keep asking for suggestions until you hit the home run of soaps. Give a thought to glycerin also...............:hmmm:
Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Really? :thinking:
If you should choose to believe that in the beginning it's NOT all trial and error; and remember the whole DE or straight razor wet-shaving thing is based on the assumption that you CAN expect perfect results right from the start and DON'T need constant practice to reach the perfect shave, then that's certainly fine by me.
For my part, I still do believe that getting the perfect shave is a gradual learning process, where people improve their skills and technique over time and with practice.
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga
Yes,,, Really, as I believe the same thing..
"For my part, I still do believe that getting the perfect shave is a gradual learning process, where people improve their skills and technique over time and with practice."
Which is why using a cheap $1 puck of soap that is extremely hard to lather is good practice,, ie: when you learn that you can lather Williams, everything else becomes easy by comparison..
Practice makes perfect
ps: Arko in comparison to Williams is easy IME
Yes, it is and a miles better soap too for me anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Bob
Soap, schmope, cream, schmeem, if it gets to the point of needing psychological help because you've stressed out from trying to get the perfect lather relax and sneak out that can of Barbasol you've hidden away in case of emergencies. It may not clear your face but it will give your mind a days rest to think about it all. Then you can try the Zen of Lathering again.
Genlemen,
In the end, whether practicing specifically on Williams or on other soaps over time, the variation in process still leads to satisfactory results: time and practice will improve your lathering.
Try some Tabac. Let it sit in a bowl with layer of water on top for 5 minutes. Get brush wet. Shake brush once or twice. Empty water from bowl. Swirl brush on top of puck 4-5 times. Face lather for 30-45 seconds. BOOM! Awesome lather.
A lot of it is simply proportion. Mix the right amount of soap/cream, water, and brush agitation together. Lather is a mix of cream, water, and air.
When you "work" on it, agitate while slowly adding water. Keep adding water while you learn to assess the quality of the lather through observation.
I believe that I've got it down pat now. Thank you for the advice but I would rather use the soap I use every time rather then trying to lather some soap I may not even like. Eventually I will try new soaps but for now I have a great smelling one that I have come to lather well. I wasn't swirling it around enough in my mug. What a small difference a few more swirls makes. It is not rocket science I was just having troubles from keeping it from disappearing since there aren't any instructions on the bottom of the puck of soap. Time and practice.... I agree. Thanks again
Glad you got it fixed.
And so the journey begins.... :-)
Let us know how it goes.
Congratulations, but we were also trying to feed your SAD. ;)
Another reason to use a cheap soap is most people balk at washing a load of lather down the drain if it came from a $20 dollar puck of soap.
Jonathan
Here in St. Joseph IL. we have pretty hard water. We now are supplied from Champaign-Urbana butthe water is still pretty hard. I am going to try some water from the store that has been softened & run through a RO unit & if it helps with the lather just use that water for lather.
I have tried several shaving soaps with the same results usually.
Slawman
Slawman, have you ried adding a few drops of glycerin to the mix. It help a great deal.
I am hooked on ubelathers. I make a lather with a RR soap in the soap tub, then add a few drops of glycerin and a small ribbon of a good crème to my scuttle and make the lather again. Works like a charm. Once my brush is loaded I just face lather and rest it in the scuttle. no more lathering in the scuttle, just on the faceQuote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
I make uber lather when I am in karratha (really hard water - the ground is basically iron ore), in Perth I don't, I have found omega to be a really good and inexpensive croap (hard cream/soft soap) so find myself using it quite a bit on its own, i have various other soaps but that and the MDC I was given really get used the most, the other stuff I have ends up grated into my big bowl of assorted soaps and used as an uber base. I would replace the omega when it runs out, but probably not the MDC.
As has been said it's all about ratios.
Always a wise-guy in the crowd ;-) You are quick-witted. I love it. Thanks for the clever post, and the laugh.Quote:
Originally Posted by beluga