Thread: Disappearing lather

Has anyone noticed that their lather tends to get thinner in the brush as the shave progresses?

This has been happening to me more lately. I lather on my face, and when I set my brush down in my Moss scuttle or latte mug, it seems like next time I pick it up the lather has thinned noticeably.

I get nice fluffy lather to start out, so I'm trying to pinpoint what's causing this.

Anybody else notice this and figure out a way to lick it?

Josh

With extra warmth comes faster evaporation. I noticed this with my moss scuttle as well. Try adding a little more water and pumping it a bit mid-shave.

Actually no, I find the lather at the end of the shave is as thick and moist as when I start. Maybe you need to try another brand of soap or cream or you may just need some more water.

Try adding a "splash" of water to your brush. It sounds like you are not getting our brush properly loaded with cream or soap, but the heat may be dissipating your lather. If necessary, add just a small dollop of cream or hit the soap for a few more rounds to increase lather.

RT

RT,

I don't think that I'm having a problem getting enough soap on my brush, as I've had that problem in the past and now I almost overcompensate.

I use Colleen's soap, and I keep it in a little Pyrex container. I wet my brush, shake it out just a bit, then do maybe 20 swirls, pumping it up and down throughout. Then I lather on my face.

This morning I tried adding a little water and swirling the brush in the scuttle when the lather started to get weak, and that helped a lot. I think it is a water problem... Further experiments are needed.

Josh

I think this is mainly a heat thing as well. I find that alot of heat helps the lather build much better, but if sitting heat is too high then the lather will break down a bit quicker - evapouration maybe or just heat causing molecules to separate. I find a big difference between all natural soaps and commercial soaps. Commercial soaps usually contain chemicals to increase the stability of the lather (sodium laurel sulfate I think maybe a few other as well - this can be hard on some skins). I favour all natural soaps, but building a lather is more of a challenge. I use alot more than 20 swirls. A few drops of hot water on the soap, hot water on the brush, let it drip, or one shake max, then swirl it for a good minute to really load it up. I would try using more soap jsut to see if there is any impact.

Bill

I agree with the above posters that it's likely a heat thing - I experience the same, although, I don't find fault with it -


When I first got into the wet shaving forums (on the old, original 'Wet Shavers Group') we had discussions about lathering techniques, and what I ultimately adopted from those discussions was using great, fluffy mounds of fragrant clouds of shaving lather for the first pass (in order to heat and soften the beard), with thin, lubricating layers (just enough to cover the skin) for the final two passes, the theory being that after the first pass, the beard had already been softened, and additional mounds of lather wouldn't really do much to further soften the remaining stubble - the primary function of the thinner second and third layers of lather was just to lubricate the skin.

So, after the advent of the Moss Scuttle, which I love, I began building my lather on my face, and the reduction in the volume of the lather for the second and third passes just fit naturally into my normal routine.

Bu, hey, that's just me...

-whatever

-Lou

Do you have any hard water issues where you live. That could be the culprit.

I have municipal water, and it's pretty soft.

I didn't have this problem when I lathered in my mug, as best I can remember. Only when I lather on my mug. So I think it's something with the way I'm mixing it.

Josh

I'm new at all this and all, but could it be that the warmer, dryer, winter air in your home is causing the water to evaporate more readily? Just throwing out a possibility.

-Cheers!

-J