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Hey everybody. Fairly new here..about 10 shave under my belt. Question is I have been using van Der hagen shave soap and having a hard time building a good lather...would this result in a skipping razor or more from a technique issue?
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If your face is drying out that can cause skipping (that and bad technique or a bad edge too but as you mention problems with the lather I'm gonna focus there :) ).
If you can't get a good lather from Van Der Hagen, maybe time to try something else? What method are you using to build the lather?
I've never used VDH, but here is what I do for my soaps and seems to result in nice lather..
1) Soak brush in HOT water while I shower
2) Shake the brush out 3 times (Do NOT wring it out)
3) swirl the brush on the soap puck (3 "Presses" in the center while I am swirling) to load, I usually swirl for about 30 seconds
4) Build lather in a cup (in my case a scuttle) and add water SPARINGLY as needed until it's nice and creamy (Can take a few min depending on the soap)
5) Take a good 30 seconds to really work the lather into my face with the brush,,,,really get it in there good
6) Shave 1st Pass
7) Apply more HOT water to my face (keep it wet, always keep it wet always re-apply water before relathering)
8) Re-Lather face
etc
etc
This is what works for me, YMMV but from what you describe I'd focus on your lather, or maybe try a cream and see if that helps.....
I'll take a pluck, too much water too little soap, i.e. soap is too thin. You could swap to a really easy-to-lather cream (like Musgo Real, La Toja, Truefitt and Hill) and see if you still have the problem, or just try and improve the lather. The benefit of using a cream might be that you can strike out shaving tecnique...
try taking some barbaso or other canned cream and adding a small squirt to your lather you make and giving it another good series of swirls it should flufen it up and make a better lather i have done this a few times to thicken it up and make it better
I'll make some up tonight...it ends up thin is my problem...not creamy and fluffy at all. Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes!
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yea be sure to let me know i know it has helped me out alot and if you use use a decent squirt size a small cann will last you months.
Lather building can take a while to master, you can get all the advice in the world but the water you are using can vary the results. I personally have to apply it directly to the face to build a good lather, but using bowls or even your hand are standard techniques. ( using hand allows you to feel how slippery your lather is, but It can be messy)
What kind of brush are you using? My biggest step forward in lather building was switching from synthetic to badger
Agree with the recommendation to try a good tube cream or soft soap. Something like the TOBS creams, Proraso, Musgo Real, etc. lather wonderfully with minimal effort.
In my experience, while poor lather can cause skipping it is usually due to pressure and insufficient stretching.
I have used this soap and still do on occasion. I have found that while learning to lather I was able to lather better in the palm of my hand than in a bowl or face.
I use VDH on occasion, and I don't have a problem getting a great lather. I would say either too much, or too little water. If you don't have enough water, it will be too thick, and you will have a harder time getting through it with your razor. If it's too thin, obviously, it will just we watery. I don't know which you are experiencing, but if it is the first option, I would add a couple drops of water at a time, and whip it up with your brush more. Eventually, you should get a good lather built up. Hope this helps! Maybe whip some up and take a picture to show...might help us understand what the problem is.
Ok here's a picture..it looks ok on the brush. When I apply to face it just seems thin though..is it lack of lather or lack of water you think?
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It looks to me like either not enough water or you're not pumping the brush enough when you're building lather.
As above, try adding a little more water. Like I said before, add a few drops of hot water at a time and mix. Also, you might consider getting a different bowl. Sometimes in a really smooth mug/bowl/etc, you don't have enough "texture" in the bottom to properly whip up the lather. You can also try to do it in your other hand and see how that goes as well.
First I'd try adding more water though. Just a few drops at a time. See how that works and let us see/know :) Good luck!
Agreed, it's too dry..... Need to add water a few drops at a time while whipping
Going to lather my butt off tonight but I did have another question..
It seems like the hair growing back is "healthier" ..its smoother and looks more vibrant..could this be a result of the exfoliating properties?
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It could be that you are hydrating the hair more and the lather itself will do so. It could also be that your skin is looking healthier making the hair look the same.
Used c.o. bigley shave cream tonight...worked awesome!! Gonna perfect my lathering..kept face wetter and it skipped way less!
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lots of things to try. Since ther are a lot it pays to just tinker.
Experimentation with shave soap is not expensive. If you can find
It Williams shave soap is as inexpensive as it gets. VDH is cheep too.
If you have a boar brush the practice will break it in, which is good too.
Remember that tou can lather 50 times. If you shave 50 times... Hamburger.
Glad to hear it is working better for you. If you are still skipping after you perfect the lather, try stretching the skin back and improving shaving angle. If those are both fine, then you may have a not so sharp razor(not dull, but not sharp either).
I use VDH soap,too.I like it.Its cheap and i can get it local.I always swirl up my lather,go strop my razor while the lather "settles down" then give it a few good swirls before each application to me face.
To cure razor skip i did two things:
1-Shave Secret oil.My razor just starts and glides soooo smooth with this stuff
2-I finally learned the true meaning of no blade pressure.It made a HUGE difference for me
Also,i noticed in your pic that your cup has no soap in it.I leave my cake of soap in my cup at all times.Am i not supposed to do this?Or is this something that may help you lather better?I dont know.Hopefully someone with more than my 2 months of experience can sort me out....please?!?!
Many of use load the brush with soap from the soap container and build the lather in a separate bowl. I prefer it that way, I never saw the usfullness of shaving mugs.Quote:
Originally Posted by shinyribs
This has always worked for me. I think that some of us overcomplicate a very simple process. Just use more or less water until you get a lather that keeps the beard moist while you shave. I just leave a puck of soap in a oversize coffee cup. Most brands of soap seem to work fine, they just smell different. The only luxury refinement I have found to be beneficial is Proraso pre-shave.Quote:
Originally Posted by shinyribs
It is a preference thing. Worst case you will end up digging the soapQuote:
Originally Posted by shinyribs
out of the mug with an old dull bent butter knife.
Having a puck of hard soap in a mug works well with a half face half
mug lathering strategy. It is common for many to use too
little soap so the puck in the mug solution makes it easy to
get enough.
Many of my mugs are a bit too deep so I toss in a puck of
Williams and then on top of that I toss in a high end puck.
That way when I run out I am not out of soap...
I've added more beard prep and grapeseed oil to my regimine...as well as lathering better and improving my stropping...has helped tremendously!
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