I cant seem to keep my lather warm during my shave time. I soak the brush in very hot water but, towards the end my lather always gets cold. Any ideas on how I can keep my later warm all the way through the shave?
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I cant seem to keep my lather warm during my shave time. I soak the brush in very hot water but, towards the end my lather always gets cold. Any ideas on how I can keep my later warm all the way through the shave?
Scuttle - works great. You can either by an older one or a Moss scuttle or do what I did, make you own.
This is going to sound crazy but, how do you use one of these mugs?
This is what I do ---custard and ceramic bowl combo. Hot water in ceramic mug --if anything it overheats my lather and dries it out. But you can work on how hot the water is and how much you fill the ceramic mug with water. Later,
Justin
My method:Quote:
Originally Posted by canman23
Before starting a shower, I take the mug and fill it with hot water and put the ramikin (smaller bowl-type object in the picture) into the mug ( thin O-ring is just there to provide a cushion between the two and to secure it a little more).
After the shower, I put my cream in the small top, wet my brush and whip up the lather. The hot water will keep the ramikin warm while I shave and that will keep the lather warm. Add water as necessary to refresh because it might dry more quickly being warm.
That's it.
Here's another tip if you use soap rather than cream.
Use the scuttle for building a lather but don't keep the soap puck in there. The soap tends to insulate the heat, defeating the purpose. Also, the soap can soften or melt ( especially glycerin based soaps ) and you end up with too much soap in the soap/water ratio.
You'll probably have to experiment a bit, but that's half the fun. The DYI models work well. I've made one and love it. Out of pocket expenses were $3. Thrift stores are great. :-) Folks that have the nice moss scuttles rave about them. They look slick also. IMHO, warm lather is really worth the little extra effort.
I've never understood this thing about hot lather. I remember when I was a kid the barbers used a hot lather machine to dispense lather for shaving and in about 30 seconds it was cold. I remember there was this guy on the sister site who bought one of those commercial hot latherking machines to use for home shaving. If I want hot lather I have a real high tech. solution for you but it will require advanced equipment and months of practice.
Just hit the brush under the hot water tap for a second.
lol agreed!Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
My experience is a little different. I've had the same feeling about the hot lather at the barbers. It didn't take 30 seconds at all to cool down, it was almost instant.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
However, I do find that the warm lather I put on my face from my scuttle lasts longer, maybe a minute but it's all I need. The brush run under hot water still cools off by the time I apply it to my face.
Basically, I just enjoy stepping out of a warm shower and placing warm lather on my face. Let's of a shock, especially in winter.
Yep ---I dig the hot lather.
Justin
Personally, this is how I do it:
First I fill the mug with hot water from the hot water tap and let the brush soak in the mug. This will heat up the mug and load the brush with hot water. Then I empty the mug and fill the sink with about an inch of hot water, as hot as I can get it from the hot water tap, and let my mug sit in the hot water while I work up a lather in it. I let the mug sit in the water while I shave too, to keep it warm. I need to empty the sink and pour in some more hot water about half-way through the shave to keep the lather warm, but it works for me.
/Nicholas
Check out my posting from 12/27/06. Works great for me!
Personally I don't worry about hot lather at all - by the time I whisk it up in my mug it's cold and I just put it on that way. It's never been an issue for my shaves (I have had warm lather using my scuttle). But then again, I shave in a warm-ish climate, so maybe it doesn't matter so much...?
James.
The other day I was warming up some chicken noodle soup in the microwave. I have been a little under the weather for the past month. Anyway, I pull the soup out and I am being very careful because the bowl is so hot. Then inspiration struck. I think that straight razor shaving tends to have an affect on how we view things, as this would never had occurred to me otherwise. Stick the whole darn set up in the microwave. So I tried it last night.
Now here is what I did, I filled up my shaving mug, the one you see as my avatar, with water and stuck it into the microwave for about 3 minutes or so. There is no soap in the mug, as I like to charge my brush with soap, and then build in the mug. The key is that your mug need to be able to get hot in the microwave. Pottery mugs seem to work well with this, though I am sure a variety of stone type wares would work. The bowl I was using for soup is just a plane old cheap bowl I got at target. Just make sure it is microwave safe, but that it will get hot with the water in there, and I am talking really hot.
A word of caution, if you are using distilled water. Microwaving distilled water can be dangerous, as it will not necessarily boil, do to the lack of impurities. It seems to just store the energy from the microwave. When you go to move it the motion can and will disrupt this balance, causing a flash boil which will burn you. Now, in my microwave, three minutes is not enough to get it to this point. It generally takes about five or six. But different models are... well... different. So test yours first if you are using distilled water. Just take a fork or something at tap the surface of the water before pulling it out of the microwave. This way you know it isn't going to flash boil on you. Still, be careful. The flash boil can really be violent and it will splash a lot.
Ok, back to the process. So, now that your mug is nice and hot, carefully pull it out of the microwave and take it to the bathroom. Put you brush into it and then place your mug into the sink with a little hot water. You will have to see what level work best. If I get any more than an inch of water in there, my mug tends to tip over which can be disastrous when you have a good lather going. start your prep. Strop, towel you face whatever you need to do. The act of doing your prep while the brush sit in the hot mug will get the brush all toasty too.
After you've stropped, you've toweled, you done all your prep. Take the brush out and let it drain a little if you need to. This all depends on your soap and brush and what ratio of water to soap you need for a good lather. Dump the water out of your mug and put it back into the sink to continually keep it warm. Charge you brush and go to town building your lather. If you've timed it right, and your mug retains heat well, then the heat will transfer to the lather. Get the lather going and apply to your face. Park your brush back into the mug with in the sink while you shave.
This worked pretty well for me last night. I made the mistake of doing the mug heating before the shower though. By the time I got out of the shower, my mug had cooled to much for my liking. If your mug will retain the heat that long, then go for it. This method kept my lather warm through three passes, and I am still a newb so thats a good 20 - 30 minutes. The problem with the method is the the timing, everything revolves around that mug staying hot. I ordered a moss scuttle, but it wont be in for a couple weeks, and sense I really like the hot lather, this is what I settled for. I was pleased with how it worked, though I may see if I can get a imitation scuttle going with some of the other guy's techniques of a bowl within a mug type deal. Again the problem is the critical timing of everything. To me, the moss scuttle was worth it just because I will be able to relax and take my time. I want to enjoy the shave and the whole experience, and not worry if my mug is staying at the optimal temperature. But, it does work.
Matt
Actually, I think the definition of "microwave safe" is that it WON'T get hot in the microwave.
Some materials absorb microwaves, and thus get hot. Others don't absorb, and don't get hot, unless they get their heat from their contents.
The call, therefore, to find containers that will get hot by themselves in the microwave, but are also microwave safe, is a contradiction. I think it's a great idea, though, to find a NON microwave safe mug or bowl and let the microwave heat it up, as you said
90 degree F average warmish????!?!?!? I must live in an ice box!! :roflmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Matt,Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentriv
If you put the mug in the micro and start a nuke cycle at less than full power (you'll have to experiment on what time/power works for your microwave/mug combo... 10-min works for me) it'll be done heating just about the same time you're out of the shower, toweled off and ready to start the shaving routine. Be careful though... I've found the lather you make this way can be so hot it burns your face. Also, not all soaps take to being this hot as they seem to dry out real fast... others work just fine, though. Cheers!
Quote:
Originally Posted by azjoe
I've seen that when I would boil water and put it in my scuttle and soak my brush in it. The lather was really a little too hot.
Yeah..., I was wondering about that. After I posted I started to think about the definition of microwave safe. I always figured it had to do with actually damaging the container, but this definitely makes sense as well as you could easily burn your self.Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew Groves
Anyway, I shall try lower power for sure to see if I can time it right. Unfortunately, my shower time varies. Sometimes I like a long shower and sometimes not. I never know until I actually get under the water.
Today I didn't bother to throw it in the microwave. I had picked up some proraso and was eager to try it. I just got my brush nice and wet with really hot water. Put some cream in the mug and got the lather going, it was so much nice and quicker then the william's. I let the lathered up mug sit in the sink with hot water while I stropped up. This seemed like just enough time to heat everything up. When I put the brush to my face it was very nice. I wouldn't say hot hot, but very warm lather.
The mug transfers the heat well. I have to say there wasn't a whole lot of difference between this and my microwave method. Sure the microwave was a little hotter, but the difference was so minor that the saved time and convenience was worth it. That proraso seemed to take the heat well too. It didn't dry out and stayed nice and full while I stropped and through the shave.
Matt
i'm sure someone has already thought of this, but does anyone use somthing like this? Just thought it might be a great way to keep things warm...of course you need a non USB one...unless you have a usb in your bathroom
how does it work for you??
http://www.techchee.com/wp-content/u...er33251206.jpg
here's how I did it:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=15926
I share the same opinion.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
It's futile to want piping hot later for the length of your shave. The best you can really hope for is a bit of warmth when you first apply it with the brush, because it's going to cool just a few seconds afterwards. Hot water on the brush is as far as I'll go to obtain that sensation, but most of the time I don't really bother. I measure a lather's quality by its consistency, not its temperature. :)
I'l share my El-Cheapo method FWIW:
I put my shaving bowl on top of one of those $10 electric coffee cup warmers--I actually have to switch it off halfway through or it gets too hot.
My current job doesn't pay half enough fork over the $ for a super scuttle:(
I have been thinking about this and the next time I shave I'm gonna start by holding my mug (with the dried, half melted gob of soap in it) upside down under the hot water tap and hot that ceramic mug up until I maybe can't even hold it. Then, I will use the hot water tap to wet my brush and off I go. I think the mug should stay hot a little longer than the foam.
I like/enjoy warm lather. I went through several different lather warming ways till I got my Georgetown Pottery Scuttle. ~ $48 shipped
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...r/IMGP0822.jpg
I prewarmed a cereal bowl and after lathering let it float in the sink. This is a terrific way but I didn't want to bother taking the bowl out of the water when I rinsed and put it back..THree passes = three rinses..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...r/IMGP0549.jpg
I'm told of the great results with a "salsa cooler" a bowl within a bowl. Designed to have ice in bottom bowl and salsa in the top. Hot water in the bottom and lather in the top works very well. From Walmart/tTarget ~$10.
I also have and used the plug in mug warmer. that worked like a champ. $5 Walmart in the candle section..candle warmer.
I also float a bowl in the sink like TOB does.
Before i get in the shower i run hot water into the bowl and let my badger brush soak up the water while i shower. When i come out, the brush has soaked up a good deal of warm water. I then dump out all the water, place the bowl and brush under the faucet and fill the sink with hot water. Dump the water from the bowl, then whip up some lather, and let the bowl with the brush in it float in the water as i'm shaving.
Simple. No fancy gadgets or special bowls. Just a nice zen looking $5 bowl i picked up at target for this purpose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by steve
I like that,simple and maybe most ppl have it at home.
RPR.
Cold lather will close your pores, keep it warm as possible.
Leave bowl and brush submereged in sink of very hot water while you shower.
Make lather with fresh hot water when out of shower, having run brush under the fresh hot as it comes from the tap.
Refill sink with fresh hot then begin stropping while face is lathered, keeping bowl of lather and with brush in it floating in the new hot water. The lather will keep beard soft while you strop. Add more if it has dried out on your face while you stropped.
Make sure there's enough lather for 3 passes and finishing touches. If it gets too dry wet and whip it to required consistency adding a few drops of hot water and ensuring brush is still warm
Moriarty