Thread: Glycerin ON soap

I'm sure bowl-lathering has its advantages, but I really don't see myself having all that... equipment for shaving. I want more of a "one container" approach. So since some people have done it, I'll try adding the glycerin to the soap bowl directly and see what I get.

I just started adding glycerin and find that it makes the slickest lather. I just squirt a bit into the bowl after loading the brush and before building the lather. For anyone looking to add this to their routine, you can pick up a good size bottle of pure glycerin at the pharmacy for about $4. This also works well post shave to cut down on any redness. Just squirt a small amount into wet hands and rub all over your face. I've found this to be very soothing if you've been to rough with the shave, but it also doesn't give the nice, tight, polished feel of a good aftershave.

Originally Posted by zappbrannigan

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to (or has an opinion about) add glycerin directly on the soap when making lather? I want to try this because I'm really not interested in using a bunch of different vessels just to make my lather, and my soap is already in a bowl/mug.

I've got super hard water, and so I have issues getting a decently moist and slick lather when I don't go with my ultimate combo: L'Occitane Cade soap and Nivea shave cream. I'm hoping adding glycerin to the mix will help here. The other soap/cream combo I've been trying is MWF (grated and pressed into a mug) with Kiss My Face or Spiek. Neither one performed all that well when I tried it.

My method for lathering is to load the brush with soap, put some dabs of cream all around my face (saw a barber do this once) and face lather away for about a minute or two. I figure if I add the glycerin to the top of the soap before this, it'll get into the brush and onto my face.

Hard water -- grab a jug of water for irons (demineralized)
or distilled water. Less than half a cup is all you need for
lathering. Some folk are happy with the results
of a Brita filter. A gallon or two of good water
will let you learn more about what your tap water
does to your lather if nothing else.

Too much glycerin may prove counter productive so
find some trick to deliver measured amounts. Drug
stores often have dropper bottles they will sell for
a buck or two. Perhaps a hot sauce shaker bottle.

I am going to speculate that you water is not
too bad and a fine lather can be had with a bit
of practice. A pea size bit of Proraso on top
of a hard shave soap like L'Occitane can make
a lather with less effort.

I can understand not wanting too much stuff. It’s not my problem but what is my problem is that I don’t have very much space. Two bowls on my “counter” is really pushing it. I have foregone making uber lathers to my dismay because of it. Just today I think I may have come up with the solution - cuz I really want to try making uber!

I am going to buy two bowls that will stack into one another. This way when I am all done I can place my mixing bowl under the other with the soap in it.

Just a thought! Might work for you too.

Having some stackable bowls is a good solution, one I might try in the future, but as of now I have a really neat bowl and mug (with a different soap in each) that I like a lot, plus a 3rd, smaller bowl where I keep my pre-lather soap (hence why I already have more stuff than I want to).

My issue wasn't the ability to get good lather in general, it was getting good lather from the MWF. When I use L'Occitane and Nivea, I get a fantastic lather every time.

Anyways, I've experimented a bit with MWF and glycerin, putting it directly on the soap, and it has definitely improved things, but the results have varied. Just another little nuance to master, but it's definitely better than it was before. So in conclusion I'd say that in response to "can you put glycerin directly on the soap?" the answer would be "yes." Might not be as good as in a bowl, but it does work.

I mentioned before that I've been adding pure glycerin to my lather, and today I actually rubbed a bit straight on my face for a touch up after my second pass. I usually do one WTG, one ATG, then some touch up without relathering. Before my touch up I applied lots of water and a bit of glycerin, and it gave a very slippery surface which also gave lots of feedback. It seemed counterintuitive at first, but just water and glycerin gave great results. I also found that with a very slight angle I got NO irritation, and got a TON of audio feedback. I could hear the last remaining stubble being removed, and avoided the redness that I used to get from going over trouble spots with extra passes.