Thread: Lather going dry on my face

Quickly little update.

I went and got a seperate dish for my soap, which resulted in much wetter lather. I also expanded my beard prep a bit. In the shower I shampooed quickly, then brushed on some MWF for a few minutes, then on the advise of someone here in this thread, I worked conditioner vigorously into my beard for a few minutes. My goal in this was to really work the hairs around and open up the scales to allow more hydration and easier razor access.

All in all I had a much better lather. I also had an awesome shave overall, my best one yet really. Besides the lather, I also had a great stropping session that really put a keen edge on the razor.

Thanks again everyone, I dont' know where I'd be without SRP!

I've seen a couple videos about making uberlather, where you mix soap, cream, and glycerin to make your lather. Well I don't have any glycerine, but I decided to try the soap and cream mixture to see how it went.

I loaded up my brush with VDH soap and put a bit of Arko cream in my mug and went to town. Produced the best lather I've ever made, much better than cream or soap by themselves, and it didn't dry on my face one bit. Had lots left over after 4 passes too. (With my DE)

I haven't been using MWF for long, maybe a third of a puck's worth, but I experienced the same thing. I found I could just wet my hand and pat the parts that were getting sticky, then give them a light pass with the brush and the later was as good as when I started. I only lather part of my face and neck at a time, though, and before I lather a new section I wet the skin again. That seems to fix the stickiness.

Note that MWF fits in an 8oz cottage cheese container
from my local market (I happen to like cottage cheese).

This will let you keep the puck in something not
your lathering bowel. I find that brushing water
on the puck. Then soaking the brush in the
lathering mug full of warm tap water sets things
up for a fine lather.

Dump out the water from the lathering mug and
shake the brush a bit. Then pick up some of
the softened MWF from the puck and begin building
a lather in the mug. I add water drip by drip. I use
a metal mug so I can warm it quickly from the outside
with tap water. Building a lather takes much more
water than I expect but if I try to add it all at once
the lather is more like soup than lather. Dribble by
dribble is important.

Lately I start the soak of the brush, puck and my face,
walk to the kitchen and start a cup of coffee. About
a min later I am back and I can start the lather but
get distracted by the aroma of fresh coffee so I splash
a little more clear cool water on my face and go have
a sip of that fresh coffee. Too hot to drink I get back
to shaving, I finish building the lather and select a
razor and 15 min later the shave is done and the
coffee is at an ideal temp for drinking.

If I rush the coffee I burn my mouth. If I rush the
shave I don't get a good one.

I have my MWF in an old shaving mug ( its a snug fit ). Usually what I will do is fill the sink basin with fairly hot water, and soak the mug with the MWF and my shaving brush while I strop my razor. I think this method helps soften it up a bit so it will be easier to load your brush with the MWF goodness.
I use a bowl to whip up a nice lather, it is just a basic kitchen bowl, nothing too fancy here. If I start on the right side of my face, sometimes the left side will dry out since I am still learning, and shave carefully, taking my time. You can "refresh" the dry lather with another pass with a brush still loaded from the previous lathering. I can not stress enough the importance of a re-lather for a second pass or touch-up. Lack of doing so has resulted in some weird nicks that ruined an otherwise decent shave. I happen to like MWF quite a bit if you can tell