Thread: The Perfect Lather

Thanks a lot !!!... keeping the lather warm during the whole process seems like a very interesting idea specially because it gets cold from the second pass on....

Interesting!
I'm going to try this. The technique will probably benefit from the use of a scuttle, so I'm going to try it that way and report back...

Skin food, however, isn't free... and this technique would probably go through a lot. On the other hand, I've never had much use for Trumper's skin food... I just don't agree with it, so hopefully this will give me an excuse to use it. I've always used it as ASB before. I've never heard of using it as a lather base.

Filling the sink two times seems like a big waste of a natural resource to me. Got excellent lather with less than lets say... 100ml of water, maybe less. Just a little reminder that it's not infinite.

So.....

That sink that you're floating your lovely shave brush in....is that the same sink that the family uses to spit in after brushing their teeth? Or wash their hands in after taking care of business on the throne?

I have never taken to the idea of making use of the sink as a hot water recepticle for the above reasons.

Actually I suppose it's the same sink that I wash my hands and brush my teeth in. However, I do usually give it a good wipe down and rinse before shaving. To each their own I guess. Anyway, my hands stay fairly clean!

Initially, I was using a small bowl in a big bowl of hot water but that only kept the lather warm. This way, with a big sink full of hot water and a smallish mug, the lather actually gets hot between shaves - it's great in winter!

" Fill sink with very hot water (my hot tap does the job fine) and a few drops of EO (if you want a little luxury)."

I've been trying to figure out what EO refers to, without success, so I'm just going to have to ask -- What is EO? Please enlighten me.

EO is Essential Oil.

You can buy scented oils derived from various things, like coconut, sandalwood, rose etc... and you can add these to lathers or to hot water in order to release the scent of that particular thing.

People who make soaps (and there are several on this forum) add EO to their soaps to give the soap a scent.

It's worth also saying that the EO adds nothing but a nice smell - but I find that shave soaps often don't have as strong a smell as creams.

This method seems really interesting and certainly novel to me, I admire your creativity.

I would advice not to use 4 tsp of glycerin to build your lather as your skin may dry out, moderation is key here. A few drops should be more than enough.

What is wrong with using a good soap/cream along with good lathering skill to build your lather? or if you like it, some uberlather? One thing you did not mention is what soap you use for your routine. A good soap/cream or uberlather would certainly not dry out on you during a shave. Perhaps you may want to check scuttles to keep the lather warm more efficiently. I like the way you load your brush, which I never soak for so long, but I would add the water you used to soften the soap to your bowl. You asked for improvements, right?


Al raz.

Originally Posted by rupert87

I wasn't sure where to post this so hopefully this fits in alright. I think I've just perfected my lather routine which I wanted to share with others here, in the hope that others will benefit and that it may even be improved.

The recipe stems from an old post on the B&B forum.

1. Fill sink with very hot water (my hot tap does the job fine) and a few drops of EO (if you want a little luxury).
2. Submerge shaving brush and a clean (soapless) mug in the hot water. Leave these for at least 5 minutes.
3. I found a shaving soap gives better results than cream. I should also mention that results are better with soft water: swirl 1tsp of hot water over the surface of the shaving soap, and then allow to drain off and leave for at least 1 min.
4. Drain out the sink and replenish the hot water, empty the mug and sit it in the hot water.
5. Ensure there is no standing water on the surface of the soap.
6. Shake out all the water from the brush. It should be almost completely dry.
7. Load the shaving brush DRY. You should just see a slight patina of soap coating the bristles but certainly no lather.
8. Add 4 tsp of skin food to your shaving mug and start building lather. If you haven't got any skin food, you can use glycerine. Continue to build the lather with water until the consistency is right.
9. That's it - enjoy the finest lather you've ever experienced. If you keep the mug submerged in the hot water for a second pass, it might be worth adding a little more water as the foam will dry quite fast with all that heat around.

My soap is TOBS lavender.

A question, what is Uberlather?