Thread: Dry Lather

Hi all,

Jus looking for a little feedback on my lather!
I am currently using Castle Forbes Lavender Cream and on occasion Musgo Traditional Cream.

I soak my brush in my bowl with tap hot water while I have a shower. Shake off the excess water then gently coat the tip of the brush in my cream.

The Lather comes together pretty quick and is like whipped cream. However it takes me maybe 30 mins to shave my whole face but as I get near my top lip and chin I notice little puffs of Dry foam floating about and have to re-apply fresh lather.

Is this normal or am I missing a step here?

Thank you all in advance for your reply and time.

At first, your shaves will take more time. Eventually your skills will improve, and your shaves will go much more quickly. I rarely take more than 8 minutes, but I've been at it a while. Until things go quicker for you feel free to add moist lather. It's a common problem.

Just a few months ago, I had the same problem. Hang in there, you'll get quicker. Try adding a few drops of glycerin as you mix the lather...I find it helps hold the moisture in longer.

Thanks guys!

Had a feeling I was just a bit slow lol.

Yes, the dry floating foam is normal when you take 30 minutes to shave, but as stated by ace, your shaves won't take nearly as long once you get the hang of it. When the cream does dry up, you can always reapply with your brush. Good luck!

Originally Posted by StraightlineNic

Hi all,

Jus looking for a little feedback on my lather!
I am currently using Castle Forbes Lavender Cream and on occasion Musgo Traditional Cream.

I soak my brush in my bowl with tap hot water while I have a shower. Shake off the excess water then gently coat the tip of the brush in my cream.

The Lather comes together pretty quick and is like whipped cream. However it takes me maybe 30 mins to shave my whole face but as I get near my top lip and chin I notice little puffs of Dry foam floating about and have to re-apply fresh lather.

Is this normal or am I missing a step here?

Thank you all in advance for your reply and time.

Depending on the humidity lather will last longer mostly not....

Your result sounds about right... better than average in fact.

Do keep the lather mug handy and refresh the lather as
you shave. Your 30 min will get down to a much lower number
but the best lather will dry out so reach for that brush and
freshen it up as needed. It is not a problem... nothing to
fret about.

Been there too. As you get faster with your shave, you won't have that problem anymore. When I first started straight razor shaving, I applied lather just to the sections I was shaving (lather cheeks, shave, and lather lip and chin area, shave, etc.) Good luck!!

Yeah, my lather doesn't dry out on me now that I've got my methods down. I still take a really long time though, longer than I think I should. It takes me exactly 30 mins to shave from prep to finish. That's two passes, too. I feel as though it shouldn't be taking this long, yet again, I'd rather make sure I don't chop off my face by trying to rush. We'll see if I can't knock down my time some more. Wiping lather/whiskers off on a face towel knocked a good few minutes off for sure; rinsing under water every time just took too long (water doesn't immediately get it all off).

Just add more lather as you need it, to keep things moist and your shave comfortable. As you get more and more experience, you'll develop a method to your shave that makes it go quickly. When I started, my time for shower, prep and shave was over an hour. Now it's a half hour, start to finish, including clean-up. Everybody has to walk before they can run.

Originally Posted by StraightlineNic

Hi all,

Jus looking for a little feedback on my lather!
I am currently using Castle Forbes Lavender Cream and on occasion Musgo Traditional Cream.

I soak my brush in my bowl with tap hot water while I have a shower. Shake off the excess water then gently coat the tip of the brush in my cream.

The Lather comes together pretty quick and is like whipped cream. However it takes me maybe 30 mins to shave my whole face but as I get near my top lip and chin I notice little puffs of Dry foam floating about and have to re-apply fresh lather.

Is this normal or am I missing a step here?

Thank you all in advance for your reply and time.

I think that is the main problem with canned lather most people shave with. It doesn't have enough water content and it provides essentially nothing between your blade and your face.

When you mention whipped cream in describing your lather I immediately think that it's too dry. What I want is more of a meringue, which is thick yet more watery.

You need to experiment with various quantities of water mixed with a quality soap. Different soaps need different amounts of water in the mix for optimal performance.

Another thing you can do is add a few drops of glycerin to make it more slick. You can get a 3-4 oz bottle at WalMart for about $4.00 and it is located in the foot care section of the store.

Obviously another problem you are having is the 30-minute shave. When I started using a straight razor it took me 30-45 minutes and sometimes I'd stick with it for an hour to practice technique, angles, etc. If this is happening to you, just re-lather while you're shaving.

Lathering properly is something that must be learned more than it can be taught because over time it just takes practice to find out what kind of brush, soap, cream, etc. is your favorite and make it work for you. My favorite combo may be different than yours.