Thread: Cushion? So what is cushion?

Originally Posted by Moonshae

I've always assumed, with no evidence to back this up, that cushion is a property of a well whipped lather that forms a cushion under the whiskers that helps to lift them.

But that is the key. As the blade approaches it pushes the soap up and away and then onto the blade. Is there really anything left behind to cushion the shave.

I submit you could get a perfectly great shave with just water. For a long time barbers used a lather king machine for lather from probably the 1940s or maybe earlier. Have you ever seen the stuff that comes out of that machine. I don't think anyone here would care to use it and it certainly has no cushion. I can tell you that from experience.

So why would barbers use soap without cushion if it was so important?

From all I have read nobody has come up with an adequate, for me, definition/concept of what "cushion" is. It is one of those nebulous concepts that you either believe in or don't.

If it is just a rich, well hydrated and slick lather then it is just describes how a well made lather should be. Using "cushion" to describe that is a little misleading and just confuses things.

Bob

I meant that the cushion would lift the hair so the shave is closer, not having anything to do with protecting the skin...that's where slickness comes into play.

Maybe slickness is what it's all about. Water is certainly not as slick as soap. I wouldn't shave without some kind of shaving cream. If you want to try to shave with just water, go for it.

I agree, Bob. If it can't be defined, then odds are more likely it's just something people learn and repeat. I've concerned myself with slickness from my shave soaps and creams.

I'm not sure how to describe cushion. But if you don't have a bevel, you're just polishing a dull edge.

That's what you use on your wagon seat to keep the rear end from hurting on the ride in to town for supplies. Tc

It's more of a terminology word I believe used in the realm of DE shavers, referring to the density and weight of a cream or soap after it is hydrated and mixed thoroughly, you can feel the thickness of it between your index finger and thumb when you press it (like viscosity). The denser the cream the more of a protective barrier it gives between the razors cutting edge and your skin. My experience from using several different brands of soaps and creams is that I notice the difference in them regarding cushion, some I notice have very little and some none at all (some airy and some more of a density) the slickness needs to be there also. This is just my two cents on the subject guys, maybe it helps.


Scott

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