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Just curious who out there uses a bowl for soap prep, I started with a bowl and was more annoyed with it. I switch to using my palm then I can also use the soap on my hand to start my face and it isn't wasted as well as get a feel for the soap and water ratio, heat, etc!
The reason the bowl annoyed me was I get up early and I felt whenever I hit the bowl with the brush handle I would wake up SWMBO at 5 am. Once I tried prepping on my palm I wondered why I ever used a bowl.
A drop or two of water for a few minutes on the puck softens it up just right.
The making of suds takes place in my beloved scuttle. Each and every time.
Nothing beats the feeling of copious amounts of warm suds for all the passes.
IMHO that is:)
I use a scuttle when I make an uber lather but lately I have just been loading the brush and face lathering. I tried palm lathering once as an experiment and it worked well to build a lather. One problem though is that I use both hands while shaving for 3 passes so unless I grow a third arm and hand it is not the greatest for me.
Bob
I am with you on that, some warm water dripped on top does help a lot. I have both a metal bowl and a scuttle I use. I also build on the face too. It all depends how much time I have.
Maybe I explained palm prep wrong. I don't use my hand to apply.
Step 1: I load the brush with soap, VDH puck
Step 2: Cup non brush palm slightly
Step 3: Build lather for the brush in circular motions and by pumping brush, get proper mix.
Step 4: Wet the face, apply what lather is on my hand to my face then clean off the prep hand
Step 5: Use brush to apply and build more lather on face, shave and so forth!
This method leaves me so much lather I have a ton to wash out of the brush and a great shave IMHO!
Hope this clears up any confusion.
No, I understood the how of palm lathering and should have added a smilely. I just choose to bypass having to clean off the prep hand by lathering directly on my face. I still have a ton of lather to wash out of the brush after a 3 pass shave also. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Bob
No prob just making sure, reading through the 2nd time I thought I was unclear.
How do I prep my soap? I get it wet. :p
I used to hit the bowl and get annoyed by the sound too, so I switched bowls. I use VDH Luxury soap as one of my pucks. I melted the puck into my new bowl, and now use that bowl to accumulate soap on the brush before lathering it on my face. I add a bit of water to the bowl, as needed. Works great for me. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Minnebrew
i have one wooden bowl set up with Proraso green from the plastic tub
i also have a ceramic bowl with the same , and a pewter bowl with taylor of old in it ..
i generally fill the bowls to the top with hot water while im in the shower , and then fill the sink with hot water with just enough to almost get into the bowl ... ive noticed only the ceramic bowl holds it heat but either way the hot water keeps the soaps soft for me and allows me to get a good lather with just the water in the brush ...
on a side note i used cold water last night and it really brought out the soothing feeling of the Proraso , prob didnt help with the beard though ..lol
I use the tub that the soap comes in, and then face lather or use a scuttle.
Yeah, I'm trying to figure this one out. Most of my soaps come in tubs or I put them in something, A mug, Those little glass desert bowls with the plastic lids, Anchor Hocking. Anything. Once the puck has been used a few times and has secured itself, I just put some warm water on top to soften it a bit, then I go to my scuttle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Firefighter2
if I'm using a DE, I usually just use a mug with a soap puck in it. I like Ogallla Bayrum and Sandalwood. Good stuff. I didn't care too much for VDH. It's been banished to under the counter. For less expensive soaps, I like Williams better. VDH just didn't do it for me.
I microwave a drops of hot water (our sink water will never get scalding hit) and dribble it in the soap in the bowl and leave it for a few minutes. I think it's necessary recourse for hard soaps likely Tf&H.
They have these little palm bowls. As I recall Classic Shaving used to sell them, made of horn I think.
I never add water to any soap no matter how hard. I just load up the brush with hot water and adjust the amount of water in the brush to the particular soap or cream I'm using and just twirl to load the brush. Then I just build the lather on my face. Sometimes I'll use a scuttle but it's only to keep the brush warm.
I have been warming up to the idea of using a scuttle. Just now reading the words of Birnando, "beloved scuttle" I just got pushed over the edge. Some day in the near future I hope....a scuttle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Birnando
Two days ago, I figured today is the day and ordered a dirty bird scuttle. I've been wanting one for some time now and I went for it. When I got a confirmation email it informed me that, the normal wait is four weeks or so, BUT, with Christmas orders and the people making them taking time off around then, I could expect to get my order in February!! I guess I'll just keep using my wood bowl that I found in the back room. Seems like everything I order lately takes forever to get. Oh well, I'm sure there are other people in the world with bigger problems than waiting for a scuttle.Quote:
Originally Posted by WW243
I also use the tub/bowl that the soap came in. I'll load from that then go directly to my face. I've only ever owned a mug and that was a Kent into which I had some Palmolive shave sticks pressed. I eventually sold that as I found it was easier/quicker to face lather with a shave stick.
I just soak the brush and the soap in a little hot water for a minute or two then drain the bowl and squeeze the extra water out of the brush. I go to work and get the suds going. I sometimes use a lather bowl to really get a creamy mixture. Works pretty well but that's one way of doing it.
I started with a bowl, but now only face lather. I shave in the morning. On each side of the bathroom is my wife and my daughter, both of them are not pleasant if you wake them up in the middle of a sleep.
I would be face lathering no matter what, anyway, it's faster and I have public trans to catch in the morning and try to keep a two-pass shave (99% of the time with a straight razor) below 5 minutes. If I have a soap that gets a little less cooperative over time (like tabac), then if I use it that day, I'll wipe a wet brush across the surface right before I go in the shower, and it'll soap just fine.
Its interesting to see all the different methods people use. Me, I have a soap puck melted to the bottom of a shaving mug. I just have an appropriate amount of hot water loaded into the brush, i stick it in the mug and whip up lather in about 15 seconds, then apply to my face :shrug:
I'm a newbie but once I had warm soap suds that was a game changer and bought a Angsar scuttle. Water is 164* and gives 3 passes very well...also what ever soap I'm using about teaspoon hot water on soap, once I'm out of shower I pour the water into pre-wamed skuttle and load brush..this I learned by the experience of others here.
Lots of hot water and soak brush for about 15 minutes, does it ever time!
I soak my brush in hot water for about 2 minutes then build up a lather with the mug and puck.
b4 I get in shower i draw hottt water in my bathroom sink and fill the little bowl that comes in the vdh kit for my brush. then puddle hot water on my soap, whitch is melted into a big ceramic soup mug, and I set the 2 in the sink of hot water. when I'm out of shower pour water off my soap and out of vdh bowl then refill vdh bowl. set brush back in water as I put on deoderant etc... then lather up n apply
I use a shaving mug. A little hot water on the puck and let the brush soak for a bit in my brush scuttle. Then load the brush, apply to face, and put the brush in the brush scuttle so its at hand for multiple passes.
How do you get the proaso out of the plastic tub? Does it just pop out?Quote:
Originally Posted by gooser
As for how I lather, right now I just lather right out of the tub my soap comes in.
I wet my brush and swirl it on my
soap then start lathering my face.
This has always worked out fine.
Terry
Here's my take: if I'm doing "The Fat", I keep it in a ceramic bigger than coffee mug bowl and soak the badger for a cpl mins in hot h2o. After the 2 mins of brush soak a shake it out pretty well and give it an intro to Mr Mitchell sans water. This will load up w/in 1-2 mins then. I then dip a cnr of my loaded brush into some hot water and face lather...you have a good brush so why not use it on your face the whole time.
If I'm using a cream (c.o. Bigelow) I'll soak the brush and give it one shake then build in my bronze bowl. Sometimes I'll intro the brush to a glycerin soap a few rounds then go to work with the cream. Seems to be good thus far...but it's all subjective my man. Experimenting is the fun part:gl:
I may have started this thread pleading for hand lather but I am back to bowl whip and have really made it work great. I go until the bowl explodes with lather by playing with hpw much water I add.