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I have been experimenting with this lately.
I don't get the same lather on the face as I do in the scuttle, or at least not as fast. However, lathering on the face seems better for softening the beard and feels slicker with better glide with the same brush and soap than in the scuttle. Lathering in the Moss scuttle produces lather that looks great, but does not perform as well...
Wondering if other people notice the same.
Cheers
Ivo
Yes absolutely. I started using a bowl and then Moss Scuttle to make my lather as that's what everyone on B&B was doing when I got into wetshaving. You can make a great looking lather that way but slowly I cam around to lathering on my face.
I find that the time spent lathering on the face means I'm spending longer actually working the soap into the beard, and lifting the bristles, rather than spending that time whipping up the lather in the bowl. I found I got a much better shave that way, and my skin feels nicers afterwards. The lather seems thicker and less fluffy, and yields a much smoother shave with a straight. Also there's less to clean up after the shave.
The only downside, it is quite nice having hot lather from the Moss Scuttle in the winter! :)
I actually sold my scuttle last week, as I couldn't remember the last time I used it.
I saw the ad for the scuttle, Iwan
I think I'll keep mine for now... Living in FL - so not that cold in the winter here but I still like a warm brush myself :D
I also know that mparker lathers on the face and is very satisfied with the results(this is why I started experimenting, actually). I am surprised more people don't do it - if results are indeed better, and there is less stuff on the counter / to clean...
Cheers
Ivo
I hate to hear that! The scuttle was designed as a "resting" place for your brush and the benefit was that it kept the lather warm. Although it's possible to build lather in the scuttle, that was not the intent of the design.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iwan
RT
The reason you notice a difference when you lather on your face is simply because you spend more time working the lather directly on your face, instead of building the lather in a bowl or mug and then applying it. I now build my soap lather directly on my face, but I still prefer a bowl for creams.
RT
I still have my scuttle, but it's holding batteries for my wiimote at the moment. My problem is that warm lather sounds really great, but it's probably more attractive to the northern members. Living in Houston, I prefer the feel of cool lather on my face.
I'll probably haul it out sometime in late january, and use it through early march, then it's back to lathering up on my face.
I've stopped using hot towels for the same reason. I just wash my face with a nice soap (williams shaving soap works very well), then rub on some conditioner then strop, rinse, lather, and shave.
Re: conditioner
As Kyle has posted at B&B (and I have noticed myself) some conditioners actually may impede shaving by unnecessarily strengthening the hair. I have used several of them, and the shave quality has been different. Lately I don't use any, btw.
Wondering what is the best conditioner to use in people's experience
Cheers
Ivoo
Yes, Randy - I was talking about soap. I don't use almost any creams.Quote:
Originally Posted by rtaylor61
I think I prefer the idea of using a soap to start with, and then I get better glide and protection with them, too. So it's a no-brainer. I have only heard that creams may be more moisturizing... Anyway, I have (had) a couple of them and the Lucky Tiger shave lotion is actually quite nice. I may get some more just for the scents / moisturizing effect.
Cheers
Ivo
I had a bunch of english creams and loved the smell but disliked the shave. I kept coming back to them figuring it was just a matter of technique, but after a year or so I just decided it wasn't worth worrying about and gave them to the wife to use for shaving her legs.
The only creams I use nowadays are cremo cream and palmolive, both shave very well. Pity about the smell though.
Randy,Quote:
Originally Posted by rtaylor61
I prefer building my cream lather on my face. I find it gets worked into the beard better and makes for a better shave.:y
I also like the English creams too..
I also prefer to build the lather on my face. It feels like it gets worked into my beard better. Besides spending longer working it, I also think applying to the face with all the added air from mixing in the bowl makes it less effective. Just a theory, but hey what do I know. :)
Jordan
Alright fellow New Yorker:yQuote:
Originally Posted by jnich67
I use L'Oreal for men, and it works well. Though I don't remember which formulation I've got (thin hair, oily hair, etc).Quote:
Originally Posted by izlat
Anybody here on SRP tried the Feather pre-shave?
I build the lather directly on my face as
well. I typically spend a couple of minutes
lathering.
Terry
I prefer lathering on the face, whether it's soap or cream. I can make great lather in a bowl but it just doesn't work as well as lather built on the face.
I go back and forth - if I'm in a rush, I'll build the lather directly on my face.
When I do use a bowl, its because I want to keep it warm - but I also scrub the lather in/onto my face (especially for the first application) to work the cream/soap in and set up the bristles.
I find that since I switched from the DE to straight, I use my soaps more.
The one cream I really like is JM Fraser - a Canadian product that's been around for years and is manufactured by a company geared towards the barbering/salon trade. Its probably the slickest cream I've used and the cream that I own that performs the best with the straight.
I need to try some of Colleen's soap, as well as some other soapers, but want to work through some of my already too-big collection of creams and soaps.
...but I grew up in Jersey so I'm often told I don't count :pQuote:
Originally Posted by RichZ
Jordan
I use a high-glycerin hand-soap that builds a lather rather slowly (Sappo Hill). I build the lather on my face for the same reasons given by others, but also for one other reason: I _like_ the time I spend with the brush to my face. Those few, easy, meditative minutes building the lather is, for me, one of shaving's sybaritic pleasures.
Darned skippy. It's a real shame plunking down $$$ on a nice brush only to use it like a mop.Quote:
Originally Posted by deepweeds
My Little Cutie (ivory + super) works great but I am feeling the need to get another brush - such as Rooney Finest, Simpson Super, and lately Plison HMW... I don't need this but I reckon I might enjoy it...Quote:
Originally Posted by mparker762
In fact, I'm off to post a WTB
Cheers
Ivo
Ivo, you have no idea how difficult it is for me not to make a bristle type joke :rolleyes:
Ilija - fire away! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
Yeah and then you'll start making me apologize to your Ivory + 18mm Super Finest Raccoon bristle brush and then I'll be obligated to b/c I'm your friend, there's just no way to win the argument :gthQuote:
Originally Posted by izlat
Eh... I can be a bit quick to jump, sometimes... almost kicked a porter's ass yesterday because he snapped one of these lane belts at the airport lines and it hit my little daughter on the nose... I didn't want to get arrested, of course, what with being a foreigner and a 'knife' handing from my back pocket, as a fellow traveller pointed out ("Excuse me, are you traveling with us to London - because you have a knife hanging from your back pocket?" - No, but it's nice to know you were looking at my ass
I was just sending off my wife and kids for vacation. $2800 airfare, 3 weeks bachelor :eek:
Cheers
Ivo
Ivo, it all depends on how tall your daughter is and if he could see her. I also find myself bumping into kids if they're so short that I don't even notice them and they HAVE TO stand behind me for some reason :thinking: But if he knew where she was and was just being careless, I'd do something even worse... Call my lawyer :rant:
well, the little one is 3. However, it could have hit a grown up in the nuts... :eek: and it was packed with people.
I just called him a moron and left it at that, because, if I have to be honest, I have seen this before in my travels (with both other kids and adults) and I had already told her to stay further away from the belt line several times. Kids, you know them...
I first just growled at him to be more careful and then he responded that it 'wasn't intentional' and rolled his eyes. Really? Like someone would do this intentionally! It was then that he earned the moron name.
Cheers
Ivo
On a good note now that you're all alone, you can order up some blades from RW, BE, DR and LL for evaluation without the wife taking a close look at the finances :w
Ilija,Quote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
I am seriously thinking I need to stop buying razors altogether. I don't have a Maestro, and I returned the TI LE. No Bill Ellis or Robert Williams customs either. On the other hand, I am very satisfied with what I have. I am in a brush splurge mode right now...
And I might spend some money in Miami. I love Miami :D
Cheers
Ivo
Quote:
Originally Posted by izlat
I take it you haven't seen the beast that Robert Williams just posted to the restoration section? That'll make you reconsider your "no more razors" policy...
No, I haven't - and it's no policy - so I'm off to check it out
Thanks for the heads up
Ivo
I was very happy making my lather in my great big latte mug, but this thread got me thinking. So I decided to try out lathering on my face with my Vulfix best badger brush and some ClassicShaving.com soap. (Confession: I was traveling, so I used a DE....)
Dang it, I got the best shave I've had in a while, and it saved me some time, too. I have a really thick beard, so I usually spend several minutes on beard prep in addition to a couple of minutes whipping up the lather.
Lathering on my face allowed me to combine those steps, cutting my time down by five minutes or so. It was fun, too.
So call me a convert.
Josh
I've lathered on my face for the last two shave because I'm trying out the Prorasso shave cream and I don't have another mug other than the one my soapcake is in.
I read somewhere to squeeze a small bit into the palm of your hand and then use a wet brush and work the cream in your palm for a few seconds before transferring to your face.
It worked very well and I completely understand the benefit and satisfaction of working the lather on your face for a few minutes. It IS therapeutic! And what a great lather!
When I first started shaving with a brush, I did some experiments where I mixed up several bowls of lather in succession with different ratios of water and Proraso cream. From this it seemed that a fluffier looking lather was slicker. So my goal since then was to make my lather as fluffy as possible.
The lather I'm getting on my face isn't nearly as "pretty," as someone else said. But I've learned that that doesn't mean it's not going to work. Although today I didn't shake enough water out of my brush and I was slinging gobs of gooey lather everywhere at first...
For soaps and creams that require a precise ratio of water and cream, a bowl might still be better. I say just use another cream. :)
Can't wait to try out the big batch of soap samples that just arrived from Colleen...
Josh
Great post! I decided to try working cream on my face. Well that was several days ago and I have been doing it that way since. It really does work well. Thanks for starting this tread! :tu