Thread: To bowl lathering - Don't we all FACE LATHER anyway??

Hallelujah to that Ryan...Isn't that the truth?

Water is the secret to everything. Too much of it, you drown...too little, you dehydrate

Originally Posted by Ryan82

I agree with the spendur. IME it's a bit more of an art to lather in a bowl. The ability to add just the right amount of water and whip to a desired consistency probably has something to do with it. I find I get a more velvety and luxurious lather when made in a bowl, like silk on my face.

But it is also possible to over-process your lather too. If worked too much in the bowl and then over-worked on your face the lather will break down before your first pass is finished. Like I said before, there is a bit of an art to it. But then again most of us are ''hybrid'' lather makers.

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

Man...You won't hear any arguments from me there...I tell you, sometimes I wonder which one I enjoy most; 1) shaving with the blade, or 2) the prepping. Don't get me wrong, I love the process of shaving a lot, but the prepping...well, that's something else. As you so eloquently put it: "HEAVEN!!" I truly love the process of pre-shave, lathering and the feeling of warm lather on the face...I am there with you Glen ...could spend hours doing it...all, without the blade even touching the skin

Robert,
I agree with you and Glen that the prep is just as enjoyable as the shave. To me, the prep is very relaxing and is an integral part of the overall shave. I've never tried face-lathering, but now I guess I will have to give it a try. I'm sure it could come in handy if you are traveling and don't have all your gear with you.

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

I love building lather in the bowl, but also enjoy the after joy of spending a couple of minutes rubbing it into the stubble...call me crazy, but I guess I like the BEST of both worlds (bowl & face lathering)

Same here.

I started out DE shaving as a face latherer. I liked a fairly dry mix then, thin and very dense. Bowl lathering made no sense to me - why waste time building lather in a bowl, when I could build better lather right on my face?

Mitchell's Wool Fat turned me into a bowl latherer. I just couldn't face lather with it, and hated it. I got the same thin. bubbly, disappearing lather that many complain about with MWF. I have sensitive skin on my face that can actually get "sunburn" from too much brush work, so face lathering alone with MWF wasn't gettin' it.

Desperate, I tried MWF in a bowl. The lather was just OK, but hey, at least it wasn't thin and didn't disappear. Over time, I learned that MWF likes a lot of bowl work, and a lot of water. It takes time to build, but is worth it. The quality of the lather, in density, slickness, pearly moisture, is superb. And if I'm willing to do the work, I've learned I can get it every time, with any water, using any brush.

I follow this up with a lot of face lathering. I've gravitated to bigger, softer brushes to allow this without burning my skin. The lather I get is superb. Of all my fickleness in razors, stones, and strops, the one constant is MWF in a bowl, with a lot of water and hand working, followed by a healthy face lathering. I don't mind the extra time and effort, the shave is that pleasant. MWF in a bowl is all I've used for the past 18 months. I'll throw in some Castle Forbes Lavender cream sometimes on weekends, if I just want to go over the top.

Tabac and Speick stick are great for face lathering alone, they build quickly. But I still prefer MWF in a bowl, followed by face lathering.

Hi Tim
Thanks for the post...I personally never tried MWF, but from what I've read here (and other posts), it seems like I'm missing out. I am thinking, at some point, to get me some and try to see what the fuss is about .

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

Same here.

I started out DE shaving as a face latherer. I liked a fairly dry mix then, thin and very dense. Bowl lathering made no sense to me - why waste time building lather in a bowl, when I could build better lather right on my face?

Mitchell's Wool Fat turned me into a bowl latherer. I just couldn't face lather with it, and hated it. I got the same thin. bubbly, disappearing lather that many complain about with MWF. I have sensitive skin on my face that can actually get "sunburn" from too much brush work, so face lathering alone with MWF wasn't gettin' it.

...

Tabac and Speick stick are great for face lathering alone, they build quickly. But I still prefer MWF in a bowl, followed by face lathering.

I lather in a bowl, but I agree I do keep lathering on my face afterwards. The best of both worlds I reckon..!

For me, at least, the difference is most noticeable in the first couple of passes, when the brush is loaded with thick soap, that is just worked into the beard even after you thin it out by adding some water to the brush tip and continue lathering. Just much more lubricating and slippery than just applying pre-made lather. Same principle when using a shave stick. My 2c.

I'm with Robin on this one.

I make the lather in my Granddad's shaving mug. Then I use the brush to "paint" it on my strong, square, viking face.

All I do is face lather now with a bit of puck rubbing with the brush and water first. I just don't see the point of moving the brush to different containers and making my arm hurt to raise lather it does the same thing on my wet face..

...It saves a ton of time too.

Hi Otto...Hmmm, I've seen that mug somewhere ...Looks great my friend

Originally Posted by Otto

I'm with Robin on this one.

I make the lather in my Granddad's shaving mug. Then I use the brush to "paint" it on my strong, square, viking face.

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

Well...we've all seen this debates: face lathering or bowl lathering.

This post is to put in my $0.02. Comments appreciated.

To the bowl lather aficionados out there (yours truly included):

Whether you realize it or not, you are doing both. Here's why: when you bowl lather for that golden couple of minutes to achieve/build that uberlather and feel the pride and joy flow through every fiber of your body and face the mirror and say the the face latherers:

"Hahhh...you don't know what you are missing and certainly don't know what you are talking about"...

STOP and consider the fact as soon as you are done bowl lathering, you take that scoop or perfect lather from the bowl and put it to your face and in the time it takes for you to rub that creme into your beard (using your brush), all the while thinking how ridiculous face lathering must be, you continue to build more lather!!! ...on your face, that is. Not the bowl.

So, in effect, we are ALL "closet" face latherers of some sort...Are we not?

You make a very good point. Out of face lathering and bowl lathering, I personally like face lathering better. As I am creating lather on my face, it is also softening and standing up the whiskers at the same time, so I get more time with the lather on my face. With a bowl, the lather is on my face half the time it is when I face lather.