Thread: Thought on superlather

From what I have learned, a superlather is a combination of shaving cream, shaving soap, and a few drops of glycerine. This got me thinking: is the shaving cream necessary? The reason why I am asking myself this question is that a superlather is basically double the amount of soap/cream and glycerine. So, would not loading the brush with twice the amount of soap we normally use produce the same effect?

To be honest, I have not felt any advantage of a superlather. I am not saying that those who use superlather are wrong. Far from it. It could well be that I have not seen a difference because Arko soap, Arko cream, Tabac soap, Martin de Candre, Body Shop cream, Palmolive classic cream, and Williams cream can perform well on their own. And the fact that I like thick lather is kind of a similar texture to a superlather.

Technical Foul: hehehe

Ok just to keep everything straight

Superlather= Soap + Cream which is a very old combo hardly ever even discussed any longer

Uberlather = Soap + Cream + Glycerin (3-5 drops)


But anyway to answer your question the difference should be a thicker richer lather then usual and a softer feeling face when yer done..

Not all combo's work that way, some are much better then others, some have little difference, the one I have been recommending for years is what I call Lanolin Overload
MWF + Musgo Real + 5 drops Gylcerin

Their are quite a few proved recipes out there that you can find by searching

Uberlather or Überlather

But keep in mind if you are getting good lather without it, then don't bother, some of us with Water issues have made an art of these Uberlathers.. If I had the water my Sis has in Colorado I probably never would have made an Uberlather, but here on the ranch, my water flat decimates most lathers

ps: I have never made an Uberlather loaded on the brush, it has always been made in a Scuttle of some type

Originally Posted by gssixgun

But keep in mind if you are getting good lather without it then don't bother, some of us with Water issues have made an art of these Uberlathers..

ps: I have never made an Uberlather loaded on the brush, it has always been made in a Scuttle of some type

I meant loading the brush twice as much as one would normally load, and then taking the brush to a bowl containing a few drops of glycerine.

I did not think of water hardness. I had a water softener installed way before I got into wet shaving and did not realise that it was also helping with the lather.

I was experimenting with Uberlather because I had a few tubes of Arko that I opened in (end of) 2012 but which were left unused because I had been using MDC (and sometimes Arko stick). It was the only way for me to use them up.

Somewhat related to Uberlather:

While experimenting with the various Arko creams I had, I got the impression that shaving cream does behave differently if left unused for a long time after opening. I compared Arko sensitive cream opend in 2012 with a new Arko sensitive cream (opened this week) using the same Omega boar brush, and got two different lather texture.

I tried super lathers before and for me they didn't seem to have any extra benefit that good quality soap offers.

I'm not a fan of Arko or Williams and rather than dick around with mixing and buying additional stuff, I just buy some good quality and be done with it.

My favourites are the old P160, no longer available but Razorock makes a very good copy,
I also have some ABCBA that I use sparingly which is also great
Cella
Truefit & Hill
Valobra

I have a preference for Italian tallow based soaps but there are many good Glycerin based soaps also.

I have hard water, but don't really have to much difficulty

I think I have enough soap to last me for another 30 years.

I say, Use quality soaps and creams as opposed to trying to make the cheap stuff into something great.

Originally Posted by 4freek

I tried super lathers before and for me they didn't seem to have any extra benefit that good quality soap offers.

I'm not a fan of Arko or Williams and rather than dick around with mixing and buying additional stuff, I just buy some good quality and be done with it.
...

I say, Use quality soaps and creams as opposed to trying to make the cheap stuff into something great.

I've never tried Williams Mug soap, but would try it one day just for the fun of it. I agree that a soap should be able to perform on its own. In my case, Arko fits into this category, but VDH did not. I threw away 3 pucks of VDH because no matter how much I would load the brush, I would not get any cushion from it.

Originally Posted by patricksrp

I've never tried Williams Mug soap, but would try it one day just for the fun of it. I agree that a soap should be able to perform on its own. In my case, Arko fits into this category, but VDH did not. I threw away 3 pucks of VDH because no matter how much I would load the brush, I would not get any cushion from it.

Williams is not as nice as it used to be. But for a couple of bucks a puck in Wally world, give it a go. The Williams from the 70's was nice if you can find it, but expect to pay a premium. Same thing for Old Spice shave soap.

I think Williams can be made to work well but there is a bit of a knack to it according to some, which includes soaking the puck, a certain degree of brush wetness, temperature, alignment of stars, and wind direction. Usually these things work out simply by holding your mouth just right,

I didn't take the time to read all the replies, but the bottom line is... find yourself any good soap or cream, and don't worry about super/uber/[insert name du jour here].

A good soap or cream is all you need, even a low end soap/cream will work fine if you figure out what it takes.

The Williams Mug soap, that many lament on being inferiour these days, works great if you don't bother lathering it, but rather just rub it on your face with water... slick as all get out. Once you start whipping air into it with a brush.... not so good, I find it just dries out. On the other hand, that WIlliams Yummy Verbena scented soap makes a great shower soap! <grin>

Williams + a lot of water, and little air, is great. If you are in a financial bind, a simple puck of Pears clear soap and any ol' brush will produce very good lather for straight or DE shaving. Remember, wet shaving means WATER... the soap/cream is there to keep the water on your face and to add glide/cushion, and, of course, break the surface tension of the water so it penetrates your beard, BUT, you should have already used a hot towel or a shower to do that, not to mention it's an indicator of where you have already shaved (another reason Barbers used it in the old days).

Other options include, but not limited to:

Taylor of Old Bond Street Creams.... (Personally, I don't like their soaps, I found thin and low cushion lather)

QED clear soaps (I don't think Charles has these anymore?)

Anything RazorRock. Happy with all creams and soaps that I have tried.

J. M. Fraser creams (watch the water/cream mix! If you get it right... it's a great product)

D. R. Harris (It's all good, soaps and creams).


There's tons more.... but, those above should get you settled in to the point where you can pick and choose from what is left without worries. You can always revert to something trusted until you either figure a new soap/cream out, or get rid of it.

Local water plays a big part in lather... hard water can really disrupt your lather building..... Some gents go as far as buying distilled water for shaving..... I can't imagine having water that hard, but then again... I've been to Saskatchewan, it it was HARD WATER in some places.......<shudder>.

Regards

Kaptain "I like to LATHER it on" Zero

PS: Glen, what are you doing answering posts?!?!?! Get back to fixing my razors, eh!

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

I didn't take the time to read all the replies, but the bottom line is... find yourself any good soap or cream, and don't worry about super/uber/[insert name du jour here].

So far I have been happy with the soap I've used except VDH, Wilkinson Sword, and Kaloderma cream. The latter was good except for one thing: it was itchy for me. I happened to have 3 tubes of Arko cream that I had not used in two years and thought it would be nice to experiment a bit. I wanted to quickly reduce my options to Martin de Candre, Tabac soap, Arko stick, and Palmolive Classic cream. I love the latter so much that I have asked my brother to bring me a few more when he visits from France in December. You can buy it for less than CDN $3.00 there.

Originally Posted by kaptain_zero

The Williams Mug soap, that many lament on being inferiour these days, works great if you don't bother lathering it, but rather just rub it on your face with water... slick as all get out. Once you start whipping air into it with a brush.... not so good, I find it just dries out.

I had no idea, I'll have to try this, I know I have at least 3 bars of Williams kicking around in a drawer.
Worst case I can always just use it as bar soap for hand washing

Thanks for the tip!

Originally Posted by 4freek

Williams is not as nice as it used to be. But for a couple of bucks a puck in Wally world, give it a go.

People not into wet shaving will think I'm crazy, but I know people here will understand. I just like building lather. From time to time, I would whip a lather even if I am not going to shave. The activity is very relaxing for me. Williams Mug soap is cheap enough so that I can have fun without spending too much.