Thread: Lather experiment.

Well, I'm fairly new to the world of straight razor shaving. Along with that comes inexperience in making lather. I bought the Van Der Hagen kit with the small bowl, the boar brush and the soap. I wanted to start out with some of the cheapest so that my technique would have to be decent in order to get a decent lather. Since this post is about lather, I'll get right to it.

I've had decent lather and I've also had really awful, suds type lather. I couldn't tell when I'd get on and when I'd get another. So today I decided to try a few different variations to see if I could figure out what was up. First I ran the brush under hot water for about twenty seconds until I was sure it was completely soaked. I shook out the brush with three hard shakes until I was certain most of the water was out. Next, I loaded the brush with swirls around the moistened soap for about three seconds or so. Then I started swirling the brush in the bowl with moderate pressure applied.
The result: Nothing. I got absolutely no lather.

Round 2: This time i tried loading the brush for probably 30 seconds. I still only put the tips into the soap but it was a long loading time.
Result: There was a bit more lather, but it was still very sudsy.

Round 3: This time, I loaded for three seconds and tried lathering on my hand for the first time.
Result: Excellent, thick whipped cream type lather. This was by far the best lather that I have ever conjured up, and it took the least amount of time of any of my other attempts.

Round 4, 5, 6, 7: That's right, I made probably about ten batches of lather today just for kicks. I didn't even shave!
Results: Using same technique, and a little more soap this time, I made quite a bit of lather that was very thick and felt fantastic on my face.

Round 8-10: I decided to try the bowl again. Same amount of loading time, around three seconds.
Results: A lot more lather than I usually get, but it was less than satisfacory in the quality department. I could still see my skin through the lather quite clearly.

Conclusion: Lathering in my hand was extremely successful. Anyone know why it was so much more successful than the bowl? Is the bowl too small? Is the brush too stiff and not able to hold enough water? Am I simply putting off the inevitable by not purchasing a better brush or larger scuttle? I'm going to try my luck with some of CarrieM's lime shave cream and see the difference. Any advice or previous experiences would be appreciated!

I'm no expert but if the difference is between hand and bowl lathering I suspect you have a pressure differential. Do you hold the bowl in you hand while you bowl lather...try that. Maybe a little more pumping action in thw bowl. Hope that helps!

When I first started I had the same kit and the same trouble and I found a solution in the same manner. Just keep working between your hand and the bowl, you'll get it. It is a combination of knowing how much to soak the brush to how much water actually stays in the bristles. I would recommend soaking your brush in the bowl of water for about 5-10 minutes then start over. You will also find after a break in period that brush starts working better this is normal. Just take your time and enjoy.

I've never used Van Der Hagen, but I do know different brushes behave differently, as do many soaps. Just like your learning, it's trial and error. You should be able to build lather in your bowl, loading for more than 3 seconds shouldn't hurt it, as a matter of fact, it should help it. When you load, don't be afraid to let the bristles of the brush fan out a bit to pick up lather. When you transfer your brush to the bowl, you should swirling it around, even mashing it (fanning out the bristles) a bit to make good lather.
In most cases, Suds are the beginning. Your hand is a different texture than the bowl, that's why it lather's quickly, I think your giving up to quick on the bowl. (Granted, 1-2 minutes, you should have lather) Keep swirling the suds around, pushing them down from the sides, until lather starts to form. If you are shaking out all the water from your brush, (which is good), you may have to add some as you go, This is normal....Check out Youtube. Search for Mantic59

He has some video's on lather building, shaving, etc...They're very good and entertaining....

+1 on the Mantic vids...very helpful!

I usually face lather however when I use my scuttle I find even using the same brushes and soaps the technique for building lather changes. I find using the same amount of soap and water gives me poorer lather with the scuttle. I need to decrease the water in the brush to get the same lather quality using the scuttle.

I definitely noticed an improvement in the scuttle when I held it in my hand and when I soaked it in warm water.
Is it perhaps the grooves in my hand that let the soap become more aerated as I lather? just a thought.

I sometimes notice an improvement with lather when I lather directly on my face or hand. A bowl can be a little nicer for a three pass shave because you make all the lather you need once. That idea about how your hand aerates the lather better actually makes a lot of sense. Also, sometimes it's quicker to skip the bowl if you're in a hurry in the morning.

Originally Posted by con16721

I definitely noticed an improvement in the scuttle when I held it in my hand and when I soaked it in warm water.
Is it perhaps the grooves in my hand that let the soap become more aerated as I lather? just a thought.

If you find a bowl with a textured or grooved surface that might get a similar effect.

Any ideas on where I might find one of those?