Thread: Please help

I've received way more help and tips than I was expecting, and I want to thank all of you. I have not had a chance to try anything yet because my last shave left some razor burn/bumps that I'm waiting to disappear before my next shave. I am going to try and build some practice lather in the meantime. Soap is relatively cheap, and I know I have brands that are verified good quality, especially with the mwf. I will be using the bottled water too so I'm hoping this helps. I'll let everyone know what happens I think I'm close to solving this problem once and for all!

Originally Posted by prodigy

I've received way more help and tips than I was expecting, and I want to thank all of you. I have not had a chance to try anything yet because my last shave left some razor burn/bumps that I'm waiting to disappear before my next shave. I am going to try and build some practice lather in the meantime. Soap is relatively cheap, and I know I have brands that are verified good quality, especially with the mwf. I will be using the bottled water too so I'm hoping this helps. I'll let everyone know what happens I think I'm close to solving this problem once and for all!

MWF is verified good quality among some? Be aware that it is a very hard soap to learn. I would choose others until you get it, then go back at it

Originally Posted by cubancigar2000

MWF is verified good quality among some? Be aware that it is a very hard soap to learn. I would choose others until you get it, then go back at it

I'm also a marine and thankful for your advice. I have read that mwf can be hard to learn on, but that once learned it is a good soap. OK so I also have proraso and tobs sandalwood. I have a badger and boar brush. Which soap brush combo do you recommend for getting a solid foundation to learn from. The two I mentioned I guess are technically creams, so I'm thinking the badger? I only bought the boar because soaps are harder and it's better to have the stiffer bristles. Should I just go ahead and get another soap/cream? I've heard lots of good things about a number of them that are not too expensive.

Semper Fi

You should be able to get a good lather with either soaps or brushes. Experimenting is the key. Just keep trying different ones and methods until it clicks and it will. PM me your address and I will send you a good RR soap to try. Semper Fi

Let me add to the debate. One additional fact about lather making that we tend to overlook, other than it's different in different parts of the country, is the time of year. I'm an uber-lather geek and I get very unhappy when suddenly, on a morning, the lather does not go together as it has. Then comes the ah! moment. The season is changing and the ambient temperature and humidity level are changing. Maybe not radically, but it doesn't take much to change the way a lather reacts. My uber-lather went to hell last Spring till I realized I had to make adjustments. I did, and I am remembering to watch the lather quality as Fall deepens.

Get some liquid glycerin. 4 drops on the puck, into the bowl/mug will help. Also, while I dig the hottest wet towels around, too hot of lather will dry out. A reservoir of hot water to dip the brush tips in is nice enough to keep it warm and wet!
Razorfeld makes a great point. Changes in humidity and temperature greatly effects the face. beard, and lather. Making adjustments is necessary!

Not going to debate this but water does make a difference , I travel all other ther country and used to do quite a bit overseas, my soaps are the same and my lathering abilities stay the same, in west Tennessee I can take and make soap explode in no time at all ,, but come out to southeast New Mexico with the water and different humidity and you have to work real hard to get a good later, so I started using bottled water and the problem went away except for with the humidity being so low I found it did dry a little quicker than in the high humidity of home,, even my body soap has lather issues out here. But YMMV!!!! Tc

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Let me add to the debate. One additional fact about lather making that we tend to overlook, other than it's different in different parts of the country, is the time of year. I'm an uber-lather geek and I get very unhappy when suddenly, on a morning, the lather does not go together as it has. Then comes the ah! moment. The season is changing and the ambient temperature and humidity level are changing. Maybe not radically, but it doesn't take much to change the way a lather reacts. My uber-lather went to hell last Spring till I realized I had to make adjustments. I did, and I am remembering to watch the lather quality as Fall deepens.

You may have a valid point there razorfeld. You live where the humidity can get quite high and I live in a dry climate even though it is not far from you. I just never get disappointed with ubelathers and that's about all I make anymore. Very seldom do I use a crème or soap by itself but I do at times. A Ubelather is so easy and rewarding, I just cant seem to like hard soaps anymore by themselves. This morning I used Le Pere Lucien soap and LaToja crème with a few drops of glycerin and the lather was to die for. It did tend to dry out a couple times so I added a few drops of water to the brush and face lathered it in. Some of the soaps dry easily when using a very hot scuttle and Le pere is one of them. Most of the Razorocks do not. I like my lather hot enough that when I put the brush to the face it is really hot.

Originally Posted by ecormier

drying out sticky gooey sounds like not enough water.... what I look for in my lather, to know I've done it right, is two things: it shouldn't be overwatered enough that the cream falls off my blade while I shave, but it also shouldn't be hard to get off the blade under running water which tells me it's too dry.

right on brother

Ok I've been enlightened to making lather. Turns out mainaman is local and was kind enough to give me a full rundown, from honing to lather making. I was using 1/10 as much water as I should have been. Now I've only made a practice lather and not actually shaved, the lather is night and day different. I also have some razorock on the way and I think I'm going to try a few other quality brands. I feel like there are a lot of personal preferences involved in this topic and the only way to know what's going to be my favorite is to try them as much as possible. I'm also excited because we honed one of my razors on his gokumyo 20k! I hope it's not as good as they say it is because I'm afraid I'll not only want, but have to have one. Thanks for all the tips, I think I'm heading down the right road now and I'll post again after my next shave.