Thread: Building Lather on the Soap?

Originally Posted by Firefighter2

Thomptd65:

If this works for you, then do it. There are many different ways, and it depends on the characteristics of the particular soap. I lather my Klar right in the steel can it came in. I bring my Mitchell's Wool Fat to a mug to build more lather. I face lather Tabac and Proraso, but store the brush in a scuttle, sometimes whipping up more lather in the scuttle. There's lots of variables, for example the type of brush, how much water you put in, how hard/soft the water is, the temperature of the water, etc. There's no right or wrong way, just tips & ideas people can give you. Experiment to find out what works best to get the most out of your soap.

This makes a lot of sense. I've adjusted my technique for the kind of soap (water, time, etc), but I've never changed techniques to get the best results for a particular soap. I think I need to experiment with a couple more techniques and a lot more soaps.

Originally Posted by Thomptd65

This makes a lot of sense. I've adjusted my technique for the kind of soap (water, time, etc), but I've never changed techniques to get the best results for a particular soap. I think I need to experiment with a couple more techniques and a lot more soaps.

Yes, every soap/cream reacts differently. Keep experimenting and you'll fine tune the soap to your liking. Good luck!

I don't think anything is wrong with the method you described. For soap picks, that is exactly what I do. Even if it is a little wasteful, your puck will last forever. Using your lather in the mug method will minimize the extra dishes/junk required to shave, I.e. An extra dish.

I don't even think about it anymore. I just wet a brush go right into my soap dish and rub it around until i have something that starts to look like lather and then continue to my face until I like it. I cant seem to get rid of any of my soaps fast enough, I have a dish of Tabac and another of Haslinger which I use regularly and a year later i'm still looking at them. I use these two the most only because they lather real quick and during the week quick is what i'm after. On weekends I break out my fussy soaps and creams because I have the time to play. Don't worry about it being wrong if its working for you its working.

'BUILDING A LATHER' has always sounded kind of discordant to me, a little too he-man for what you are actually doing. I would like to submit a new term: foofing a lather!

How I foof my lather,

I have a cheap Palmolive stick soap in a ceramic mug. I fill the whole thing up to the top with hot water and then drop in the brush. This warms the bowl, wets the soap and soaks the brush all in one. After a couple of minutes, I empty out the water, shake the brush a little and then foof the lather directly on the soap, take the brush to the face and keep foofing until the lather is nice and creamy. I have dry skin so add more water as necessary to keep it nice and moist.

The Palmolive sticks are literally pence and last approximately 273 years. I recently treated myself to some Mitchell's Wool Fat and ceramic bowl and have to admit that it is no better than the Palmolive.

Originally Posted by Razorfaust

I cant seem to get rid of any of my soaps fast enough, I have a dish of Tabac and another of Haslinger which I use regularly and a year later i'm still looking at them.

I'm in the same boat. I still have, and continue to use, about half of the puck that I started on in about 2005. After joining SRP in 2007, I bought a couple more soaps and started on the concept of rotating soaps. I've been to about 30 meet-ups and acquired at least one puck from probably half of them. I've bought at least 10 additional pucks over the years due to curiosity caused by enthusiastic praising of various soaps. Finally, because one of those was P160, which is my favorite, I bought 3 1kg bricks of it (that's 6.6 pounds!) and have most of it stashed in my fridge.

I've given away about 10 pucks, but the rest remain in piles and the only one that is even half gone is the one that I started on in 2005.

Originally Posted by WW243

'BUILDING A LATHER' has always sounded kind of discordant to me, a little too he-man for what you are actually doing. I would like to submit a new term: foofing a lather!

Shaving is a manly art and the term "building a lather" seems quite appropriate under the circumstances. No need to go "foofing" things up now.

Bob

Far from Foofing here in farfignoogan land.

Originally Posted by FAL

Far from Foofing here in farfignoogan land.

. That's funny I don't care who you are. Tc