Thread: Lathering Up

+1 my first container was a small tupperware container . I do have a mug I use to lather cream with, a ceramic container for croaps, like razorock...their container sucks (tiny tiny tiny), but the croap rocks. I use whatever the soaps come in and face lather from there. Some of my soaps tend to dry out if I go to the container, mug/bowl, then face. Also I have pretty hard water here as well, and its a PITA when trying new soaps out!

Originally Posted by EggSuckingLeech

So followup question. Let's say I decide to take the soap out of my scuttle (allowing me to lather in there properly) and I put the soap in a small tupperware container. Can I cover the tupperware after use or do I need to let it all dry?

Most of the bowls, etc that pucks come in aren't air tight so they allow some drying, but some like SRD have screw on lids, but don't have any space for water to collect except on top of the soap. If, for some reason, you have standing water, I'd pour it off and maybe not put the Tupperware lid on tightly until it had dried some. Good Luck, and Good Shaves!!

Regards,
Howard

I noticed when looking at scuttles that Dirty Bird Pottery has a warning on her website that using boiling water actually breaks down the lather. I have my water heater set on 135 and that gets me a nice warm lather.

Originally Posted by Scookum

I'm a scuttleler (is that even a word?). I use a scuttle to keep the lather warm, sometimes I use a soap or a cream so my scuttle is a lather bowl. The problem I seem to have is using boiling water in the scuttle, it tends to dry out the lather so I have to add some water for the second and third pass.

I don't have one approach. The pucks I have each reside in their own mug, mostly old coffee mugs which I have by the dozen. I generally lather in those mugs or load the brush and lather on my face. I also have several soaps in wooden bowls and cremes in jars. I load the brush in the bowl/jar and often build the lather in a separate mug -- one a bit larger than the others. Same function as a scuttle I guess but I like the size. I think it was originally intended for lattes but my wife hasn't missed it yet. This works for me, cuts down on the mess of transferring wet soap and lets me enjoy a variety of soaps and cremes.

What I've been using is a Surabachi as a shaving bowl for the past number of months. Photo

By rubbing the round, or the stick, or the cream into the indentations in the bowl I'm able to get the right amount of soap for a shave, and I'm able to keep the dry soap in its original container. Seems to work well for me.

Ooh, those indentations look nice. I'm ordering a Norpro Stay Cool/Warm Dip Server for affordable warm lathering tasks. Now I wish the insert was a grinding bowl!

2nd what Gashooter has read about boiling water killing lather.

i like the Surabachi idea. would be great for sticks

I keep the puck of soap in a little bowl or the container it came in. I normally put a little hot water on the soap as I shower. I soak the brush in a bowl filled with hot water almost floating in a sink filled with hot water. I don't actually want the bowl to float and become unstable and tip over while shaving. I load the brush on the puck, and when loaded, that's really the last of bowl usage, other than to store the brush in as I shave. I build the lather only on my face, dipping the tip of the brush into the hot water from time to time. When I store the brush between passes, it's stored in the bowl almost floating in a sink full of hot water. I don't really like using my vintage scuttle.

However, if I'm using cream, then it's entirely different; I build the lather in the bowl, adding water via a dribble at a time from my fingers.

This is the question I have not been able to answer. To lather with soap in the bowl or with soap out of the bowl? So far I have been leaving it in the bowl because I dont feel like I get enough soap on the bristles to make a good foam. Perhaps I didnt load them enough, I dont know. I know Im not getting that super thick lather I see in most youtube videos but its normally thick enough to shave me pretty well. I also want to try a different brand of shave soap with a better odor. Maybe it sounds goofy, but I dont really care for the smell of the puck I use now. Sigh, so many options. I would love to be able to browse a brick and mortar shave supply store.

Originally Posted by EggSuckingLeech

. . .

So followup question. Let's say I decide to take the soap out of my scuttle (allowing me to lather in there properly) and I put the soap in a small tupperware container. Can I cover the tupperware after use or do I need to let it all dry?

Some soaps (e.g. Proraso) are fairly soft, and it's easy to load them onto a brush. If they dry out, no problem.

Some soaps (e.g. MWF) are _hard_. I found that MWF worked best if I let a bit of water soak into the top for a few minutes. So I'd be inclined to keep it covered and just a little moist.

Experiment, and report back . . .

As a matter of legend, my father told me that during WW II, the US Army was wondering if it was OK to have soldiers share soap in the shower. They did some testing, and couldn't make _anything_ grow on soap.

Charles