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

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 some very good points here.

Personally, I always face lather when I shave. But I bowl lather when I am testing soaps. There's no need to build a lather on my face if I don't plan on using it.

I face lather because it saves time. It just seems awkward to build a lather in a bowl and then try to slather it onto the face, instead of building it right where it needs to be anyway.

Thanks jdog,
I do both depending on mood...today was my revelation. I realized that even when I bowl lather, I still do some on my face...So much of this activity is second nature that we don;t stop to think about it.

Originally Posted by jdog006

You make some very good points here.

Personally, I always face lather when I shave. But I bowl lather when I am testing soaps. There's no need to build a lather on my face if I don't plan on using it.

I face lather because it saves time. It just seems awkward to build a lather in a bowl and then try to slather it onto the face, instead of building it right where it needs to be anyway.

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

Here's why: when you bowl lather for that golden couple of minutes to achieve/build that uberlather

Right there, Thats the difference

I haven't figured out how to mix the Soap / Cream / Glycerin all in the right proportions and correct consistency on my face yet ...

I still might, but not yet

Hi Glen,
I don't know how , call it trial and error (and mostly luck), but I have somehow managed to find the right proportion that works wonders for my face. And the lather...man, that stuff gets rich, even if I do it without soap.

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)

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Right there, Thats the difference

I haven't figured out how to mix the Soap / Cream / Glycerin all in the right proportions and correct consistency on my face yet ...

I still might, but not yet

It takes me less than a minute to build lather, and the creams I usually use cannot be improved by adding glycerin (in fact, they get worse). I also doubt that the brushing - as opposed to swirling - motions I use on my face will add noticeable amounts of lather. So, sorry, but I do not subscribe to this theory.

Regards,
Robin

Thank you Maestro

But at some point, even the barber had to learn this technique and start from somewhere . Part of the allure of it all is exactly what you eluded to earlier; the elusive and seemingly unattainable nature of lather building. The more unattainable, the more we wish it.

I would like to propose the creation of a new camp of latherers:

The FBL (Face & Bowl Latherers) Club!!!. For those of us who enjoy doing both.

Originally Posted by Proraso Man

Finally! Someone who has made some sense of the issue!

I think mugs/bowls are more of for presentation at a barber shop. Think about it- the whole process of stropping/making a lather/straight razor shaving is designed to demonstrate the skill and un-obtain-ability of the barber's skills, lest he be out of business!

Food for thought!

Hi Robin
You da man, man!! This is just an observation/theory...no subscription required . I hope one day to be able to do a quick uberlather. For me, glycerin doesn't improve the lather-ability of lather (so to speak ), but it does increase moisturizing capacity of the cremes I use...it keeps my face extra moist during the shaves. But, that's for me and my skin and may not hold true for others.

Originally Posted by BeBerlin

It takes me less than a minute to build lather, and the creams I usually use cannot be improved by adding glycerin (in fact, they get worse). I also doubt that the brushing - as opposed to swirling - motions I use on my face will add noticeable amounts of lather. So, sorry, but I do not subscribe to this theory.

Regards,
Robin

Originally Posted by BeBerlin

It takes me less than a minute to build lather, and the creams I usually use cannot be improved by adding glycerin (in fact, they get worse). I also doubt that the brushing - as opposed to swirling - motions I use on my face will add noticeable amounts of lather. So, sorry, but I do not subscribe to this theory.

Regards,
Robin

Gentlemen:

I must agree with Robin here.

I bowl-lather with badger brushes and face-lather with boar brushes. At the gym I face-lather, of course.

It takes me about the same time to create great lather with either method: about a minute is all I need for delicious lather.

Regards,
Obie

I guess I'm in The FBL (Face & Bowl Latherers) Club!!! I do both and enjoy doing both...I lather-up in the bowl (Target dipping bowl) so I can have a warm to hot lather and lather on the face to massage it into every bristle.
Reguards,
Mack