Thread: Cushion? So what is cushion?

Originally Posted by sachemo

The denser the cream the more of a protective barrier it gives between the razors cutting edge and your skin.

When I first read about the concept of cushion years ago, that was the definition, and I accepted it.

But think about it. I reality, this means that "more cushion" (which is typically seen as a sign of quality of lather) also means "less closeness". Alternatively, "more pressure", because you somehow have to get the blade onto the skin in order to get a really close shave.

Someone (I forget who it was, because he deserves credit) likened "good" lather to a protective film. It should allow the blade to glide across the skin with minimum resistance. For convenience reasons, it should also be as thin as possible, because who wants to rinse their razor several times during a shaving pass?

Which is why I moved away from "thick, rich lather" to "minimalist optimal lather". Meaning, I shave with something that more resembles clotted cream than meringue. Using a select few shaving soaps and creams, this lather actually works, and it is both efficient, and convenient.

So, no cushion for me, please. Unless we are talking about wooden chairs.

We all have are preferences on our individual lather optimum, I adjust my lather to my comfort zone based on my own shaving techniques and habits. I adjust the cushion to where it works the best for me usually more like a greek yogurt not meringue, I understand what you are saying though RobinK.


Scott

In my mind (however small and insignificant it might be) there are two properties of a lather that are important to me. I label them as slickness/glide and cushion.

I have found lathers that are plenty slick, but lack in protecting the skin from the edge (glycerine soaps are very slick but seem to be light in cushion, creams seem to be the most protective/cushioned, but can be sticky if too dry) and some soaps/creams offer both in spades. I am not sure cushion is provided if there is no slickness. The edge would just stick and skip.

What it actually is.... I dunno..... I think of it as that thin layer that the edge/bevel glides on... a combination of soap and water... the actual lather is just a way to keep water on the skin without it running off.
A plain water shave would not work for me... I have tried... the razor just sticks in several places and if I were to push it, I'd be sorry. The addition of some emulsified oil/fat helps the blade glide across the skin. It is kind of the same as motor oil in an engine, there are lots of moving parts and most of the oil just sloshes around, acting as a coolant on various parts, but there is always a very thin layer of this oil that keeps metal parts from actually touching each other while moving. It's why your engine can last so long.


Barbers and their infernal "warm ice cream". My dad was an old school barber... one of his favourite tricks was to get some unsuspecting kid to try tasting the whipped cream looking stuff coming out of the lather machine.

In a barbershop shave of yesteryear, as I remember it.... First lather, then steam towel.... remove lather and then steam towel number two.... then re-lather and shave. As the steam towels provided the moisture, the lather could be a touch drier. While those lather machines and the default lather they produced was less than optimal, it did serve the purpose required. One was to add some slickness, then it was a way to capture the stubble being shaved, so it didn't end up in the customers collar, and third, it was a visual guide of where the skin had already been shaved if it were a 2 pass shave. My dad always had a barbers towel over his left shoulder which he used to wipe the lather off his razor. The lather machine was a time saver over brush and soap, and had a much lower chance of dribbling water down a customers neck and into his collar. Back in the 50s and 60s, gents in suits would stop in for their shave before going to the office in the morning... it would hardly be acceptable to have lather stains on their shirt collars.

This brings up another tidbit about the wide blades "for barbers use" we see from the old days. If one goes back in time far enough in England, it was common for the barber to go to the customer. The wider the blade of the razor, the more lather it could hold before needing to be wiped off. As the barber was in the customers home, he was unlikely to carry much in the way of towels or have his equipment carefully arranged at his fingertips as he does around his barbers chair, so reducing the number of times the razor had to be wiped/cleaned was important. I'm quite sure my dads razors at his shop were mostly in the 5/8" size, not the huge W&B type wedges from the 1800s.

And.... my dad, while spending much time on making pasted strops and honing razors at home, never used a straight for shaving himself. He would use a DE with his preferred Wilkinson Sword blades. However, he frequently used a straight for hair cuts, and as a young lad, when it was my turn for a hair cut, I always asked if he would use the straight, as I really enjoyed the sensation over the use of clippers and scissors.


Regards

Christian

Cushion is created by the amount of oil or fat, lanolin etc. in the soap, and how it reacts with the other ingredients. Probably why most artisan soaps are epic fails as far as shaving goes.
Unlike Robin, I prefer a thick, creamy lather....
Yes, you can wipe away the whiskers and lather, but oil or fat, glycerin etc. is what remains to give you the glide. Probably why Gillette use mineral oil in their latest 5 blade incarnation...

I have a Musgo Real Clasic hard shaving soap witch is a real disaster on the lather. It creates loads of lather but it disappear just as quick as a chicken shits. The residue left on the skin is very slick and gives a comfortable shave. When finished shaving and rinsing under cold or warm water you still can feel the oily surface. This should point to a good cushion as the blade slide on the oil.
Am I right or wrong on this?

Originally Posted by Ullmencott

I have a Musgo Real Clasic hard shaving soap witch is a real disaster on the lather. It creates loads of lather but it disappear just as quick as a chicken shits. The residue left on the skin is very slick and gives a comfortable shave. When finished shaving and rinsing under cold or warm water you still can feel the oily surface. This should point to a good cushion as the blade slide on the oil.
Am I right or wrong on this?

Sorry, a little OT at first. I use the Musgo Real classic hard shave soap and it generates a rich, slick and stable lather for me. It does not disappear.





Back on topic. If the residual slickness after shaving is cushion, then I could go along with that being what others refer to as cushion. Probably why I look for slickness in a soap/cream. May be slickness and cushion are one and the same.

Bob

I discount the whole concept of "cushion." In practice, using a straight is about like using a squeegee as far as what remains behind. I do know that soaps with tallow content seem to leave my skin feeling moisturized but getting back to what happens, a sharp blade removes the lather, whiskers and a does a good job of ex-exfoliating the skin. Any claim that there is something undefinable between the steel and the skin is a myth.

Lubrication in the process helps the blade move without irritation and that is the lather's purpose.

Hi Bob.
I can get a lather that stay stable when I face lather, but when bowllathering,(as I prefer to do) it just fade away as soon it hits the face. No matter what water ratio I use, but the glide and the "cushion" is there and is realy good.

I agree cushion is myth. I have had soaps that produce literally 3 inches thickness of lather and I was not impressed with them. On the other hand I have had soaps that were really thin yet gave a great shave.

I think what folks refer to is really lube not cushion. They think of thick lather as cushion and that is the issue. If cushion meant something Gillette Foamy would be king-har har.

Originally Posted by Ullmencott

Hi Bob.
I can get a lather that stay stable when I face lather, but when bowllathering,(as I prefer to do) it just fade away as soon it hits the face. No matter what water ratio I use, but the glide and the "cushion" is there and is realy good.

Yes, I normally face lather also. I just did that one bowl lather to show someone else that Musgo Real Classic hard soap can be successfully lathered. Glad you have success with it face lathering. Really nice soap.

Bob