Thread: lather seems to dry out

I have recently bought crab tree & evelyn nomad shaving soap, and it seems like I have a nice whip cream like lather built up, but as I am shaving it feels as though my face is drying up and the razor is having some friction any ideas on how to fix this ?

more water

Seriously, it's a pretty decent product, but hydrate it more...

In my experience, Crabtree and Evelyn soaps make a serviceable but not very lasting lather. I see lather drying more when the lather is made in a bowl than when it is made directly on the face. What I do when that happens is to add a couple of drops of water and revive the lather on my face, there is no shame in that. Adding a drop or 2 of glycerin to your lather may also help the lather retain water. I am not sure how you prep your beard but beard prep is your friend here, do not skimp on it. Shower or wet your face thoroughly immediately before you shave.

Al raz.

Yes, I too have noticed that Crabtree and Evelyn (C&S) shaving soaps dry quickly, especially now that the weather is getting dryer here in the northeast US. My simple solution is to set aside the C&S soap for the winter and use Williams.

Originally Posted by Antenna60

Yes, I too have noticed that Crabtree and Evelyn (C&S) shaving soaps dry quickly, especially now that the weather is getting dryer here in the northeast US. My simple solution is to set aside the C&S soap for the winter and use Williams.

C&S is how I refer to Czech and Speake. Their soap is incredible.

ok thanks, but what are some key points to look for to know you have the right water to soap ratio ?

Originally Posted by seconddark

ok thanks, but what are some key points to look for to know you have the right water to soap ratio ?

To learn a soap, this is what I do:

• Soak a good badger brush while I do something else to ensure it's got a lot of water in it
• Put a little water on the top of the soap puck
• Shake out the water in the brush and squeeze it, leaving it on the dry side
• Swirl the brush on the soap for about 30-45 seconds
• Dump a small amount (about a teaspoon) of the water that was on the soap into a lather bowl
• start building lather in the bowl
• to add water, just transfer whatever amount I can by holding my index and middle finger under the tap and transferring to the bowl
• continue to swirl the brush and add water a little at a time
• Observe the changes in the emulsion as you add water

Things to keep in mind

1. Great lather will be the consistency of yogurt
2. It will easily rinse off your razor under running water
3. If you're using a boar brush, you'd be better off starting with more water (ie, don't shake out as much) because they don't absorb as much water as badger brushes
4. Great lather is as important to the shave experience as a sharp razor, IMHO
5. As you learn your soap using the above procedure, you'll have a good idea of the soap to water ratio needed for that soap.

FWIW, I don't have any problem with lather lasting that's made in a lather bowl. I hope this helps