Hi lads, I've had some bad luck with both. What's your favorite lather? Is there a soap that doesn't dry out your face leather?
Printable View
Hi lads, I've had some bad luck with both. What's your favorite lather? Is there a soap that doesn't dry out your face leather?
My favorite lather is a thick, rich , moist lather that stays consistent throughout the shave; softening the whiskers to the point that my straight razor develops a smile. If the lather smells great, that a plus too. :shrug:
If you control the water, most all soaps will perform satisfactorily. Some, of course , better than others.
Hirlau is correct, as usual.
You have to learn how the soap/cream, brush and your water interact. Since my water is fairly consistent (Lake Michigan) I try to find the correct brush for the soap in question.
My goal is to have a brush for each. Lofty aspiration, but doable.:y
Dave
It takes some practice for each different soap or cream you use. Start heavily loaded. Don't skimp trying to save money. You will learn the correct amount but when starting it is much easier to know you have a fully loaded brush. Then keep passing the brush quickly under a tap or dripping a few drops of water at a time into your mug and bowl. As you whip up lather you will notice it goes from clumping the bristles of the brush to exploding outward in glorious lather. Just keep adding bits of water at a time.
There is no foul for adding a few drops of water to your brush at any time during the shave. If you have taken your time and the lather is drying out, pass it under the tap. Not only will the lather be mor moist it will heat up if you use hot water.
You will get there
Makes total sense. Thank you for the wise words, kind sir.
Well, I certainly didn't skimp; the soap was $15, which seems pretty pricey. I will give your tips a try; thank you very much!!
I think "don't skimp" in this case means, "go ahead and swirl a _lot_ of soap into the brush." Once you add water to it, you'll probably have made considerably more lather than you need for a shave, which is a good situation for a learner even though slightly wasteful.
I'll be trying a new cream tonight. Truefitt & Hill Shave Cream Tub - Trafalgar, scheduled for delivery this afternoon.
Nice stuff. Lathers very wellQuote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
I don't know about the cream, but I was gifted the Trafalgar aftershave balm & it is by far the best I've yet to try, the scent is out of this world,,, I'm afraid to buy the cologne, as my Clubman will get jealous.Quote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
I'm most definitely in the "anything goes" camp; I have a cabinet full of creams, 'croaps', and soaps, and seem to find new ones to try all the time! I enjoy experimenting as well as the different scents, and really haven't found any that don't work.
I have only two brushes... a boar and a best badger... and I switch back and forth based solely I'm how I feel that day, not on which lather product I'll be using. I find that I can get what I consider to be good lather no matter what products I employ. Sure, I have to use different techniques, but that's part of the fun!
For me in the begining, soap seemed to give me more problems but now its normal buisness.
I too just received some Trafalgar cream in the mail today. The scent it out of this world great and can't wait to see how it preforms tomorrow. I can see getting the aftershave balm as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
Wow, I definitely have a new favorite cream. I was loving my Truefitt & Hill Ultimate Comfort - but this Trafalgar stuff is amazing. Much thicker lather.
Cream or soap? Croap! I think pretty much everything I own is a soft soap. The hardest "pucks" I have are MNS. Even thoughs I was able to squish into a tub. It gives me one of the most rewarding shaves when I face lather it. Although I did notice it, and several others were drying out a bit this past summer. When it was 115* outside, and the AC was blasting away, by the time I was done w/ face and moving on to my head, it was needing a heck of a lot more water than usual.
The technically most perfect cream or soap for that matter I have ever used is Baum Be. I have all the best ones and it puts them all to shame. The scent is OK. it's just the thickest and richest lather that stays on your face forever and you only need a pea sized blob. If I could combine that with penhaligon's Sartorial scent I would throw away every other soap I have including MDC and castle Forbes and C&S and some others.
Wow. That is some endorsement. I'm glad it works that well for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
I have Baum.be and the others you list. For my water and brushes, I have to stay with Czech and Speake.
The MdC, Castle Forbes, TOBS, Truefit and Hill, etc. all perform great. I have no complaints. Hirlau said it best to the effect any soap, if prepared correctly, will give a good shave. Seeking the ultimate shave is the fun part of this hobby.
I shaved with old formula and new formula Williams this week. The shaves were not bad. Two bucks for a puck of Williams or $60 for MdC and I enjoy the best bang for the buck.
Dave
I visited my first Art of Shaving Store (San Jose CA) on a business trip this week. Although most of their products are overpriced (Mall Store) I find there shaving creams to be exceptional. A small almond size amount goes a long way. I purchased one each of their Lemon and Lavender Shaving Creams. I'm finding I prefer them to my Trufitt and Hill shaving Creams.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stroppingyoungladd