Thread: C&E Nomad question

Put the brush in a container of distilled water. After 5-10 minutes, squeeze the brush a couple of times, then flick out most of the rest of the water a couple (or three) times. Stick the brush on the soap and swirl and plunge for a minute.Transfer to bowl. It should be sticky - tacky. Maybe add a smidgen (half a snurdle) of cream and/or 3 drops glycerin. Now, add 3-4 drops distilled water. Swirl, plunge, beat. Continue adding 3-4 drops distilled water and swirling/plunging/beating until, when you lift the brush, the "peak" curls and collapses on itself. Lift the brush. It should have a shiny lather on it. Apply to face in a painting motion.

For me, this works every time, with any soap.

Well the swirling in the soap is something I normally only do for about 10-counts. Maybe it is not loaded with enough soap ...
Will try everything out anyway, the distilled water and heavier soap loading of the brush.

#1 on that advice, you need to really load that brush up before you hit the mug, 10 swirls just doesn't do it.

I use C&E sandalwood and its always lathered fine although the brush i was using was two soft so the lather was always rather airy. I switched my brush and ive gotten great lather ever since.

Here is one mans trick:

Soak the brush in a mug of warm water.
Splash a teaspoon or two of water on the puck of soap.
Splash some cool to warm water on your face.
Let the brush, soap and face "soak" for a full minute.
Splash some cool to warm water on your face.
Shake out the brush so it no longer drips perhaps a bit more.
Swirl the brush on the puck so it picks up lots of soap. If you
start to get big bubbles before the brush is well loaded invert the soap
and brush (only works well after the puck has glued itself into the soap dish).
Inverted the watery stuff seems to work down inside the brush which is good.

Now move the loaded brush to a place to build the
lather. You can do that on your face, palm, mug or in a bowl.
Keep adding warm water in teaspoon or two additions. It will
often take four or five times as much water as you might
expect. My current favorite lathering bowl is a pint plastic
kitchen storage container about the same size as the
VDH lathering bowl.

This is one of a dozen ways to get a good lather.

YEEEES!!!! I just had a great shave the lather was close to perfect.
What i did was load the brush upside down, for almost a minute. Then I face lathered instead of in my bowl an the result was a nice creamy, sticky, yet moistured lather. I can indeed say it gives is a total different (read: better) shaving. Next step is to learn how to shave xtg

Originally Posted by Mikali

YEEEES!!!! I just had a great shave the lather was close to perfect.
What i did was load the brush upside down, for almost a minute. Then I face lathered instead of in my bowl an the result was a nice creamy, sticky, yet moistured lather. I can indeed say it gives is a total different (read: better) shaving. Next step is to learn how to shave xtg

Glad you got it figured out. I had the same problem when first learning to lather. Turned out it was TOO thin of soap (8-10 count loading, I now have settled at 15) and TOO much water. Adding as needed I've discovered the proper amount of water needed for several of my pucks and can leave that in the mug to lather with. A tip that helped me was to keep the puck moist. A moist puck softens and loads the brush better. I get better lather from a puck after the third continual day than for the first three days. (and I don't uber-lather with mixed products, or upside down load, or do a lather dance...not speaking against them, just speaking to simplicity)

Peace,

Originally Posted by Mikali

YEEEES!!!! I just had a great shave
....snip....
Next step is to learn how to shave xtg

Some folk never need XTG.
My most comfortable shave stroke is about 45 degrees
left and right of WTG. Coming at my whiskers from the
side is all I need to finish up a shave.

Not that you should not try it but you may find
that you do not need it for a fine shave.

Have fun...

Originally Posted by Mikali

YEEEES!!!! I just had a great shave the lather was close to perfect.
What i did was load the brush upside down, for almost a minute. Then I face lathered instead of in my bowl an the result was a nice creamy, sticky, yet moistured lather. I can indeed say it gives is a total different (read: better) shaving. Next step is to learn how to shave xtg

i found that other soaps respond similarly, i.e, L'Occitane Cade really only works for me when I face lathered, otherwise it dried out very quickly. I believe it has definitely to do with the ratio of soap/water & volume... the bowl seems to allow for billows of lather which face lathering doesn't so much. I don't think you need to load upside down though..