Thread: Foam consistency...when is it right?

I'm new to wet shaving (less than 10 shaves) but I'm still having the concern that my foam is not of the consistency of yogurt. It's foamy, and lathers, but it's more foamy than having a thick consistently and is light in spots when applied (I can still see my skin through the foam). So, I think I'm going about this improperly, especially since my foam rises up and clings to the lip of my cup.


My question is how much soap do you use? How long should you swirl the brush in the cup? Is a yogurt consistency a must? How much is a dollop of shave cream (or the right amount) to put in the bowl from a tin? How do use an arko stick? Also if the shave is a cream, do you need a brush and should it be of yogurt consistency after being whipped?

Really can someone walk me through how to literally take the product out of the tin, place it in the cup (how much and how) and how log should you swish the brush and what should the consistency be. I'm truly concerned, so if anybody can help with a creating shaving foam properly tutorial (its ok to talk to me like a five year old because I need to learn proper techniques before I get further along and ingrain so bad habits).

Thanks in advance.

Hapless in Houston

Try YouTube and type the keywords "shaving for beginners" or "shave with brush".

These videos will walk you through nicely.
Lynn Abrams (Straight Razor Designs) has done an entire series of videos that you may find very useful.

These videos may help you come to grips with the concept much easier than trying to express it in words.


B.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If you have an Arko stick, try face lathering. Wet the stick and rub on your beard. Work it into a lather on your face. Too thin rub a bit more soap on, too thick dab a bit of water on with your brush. With soap and cream, not too much water and add a small amount at a time till you get desired consistency.

Originally Posted by Grazor

If you have an Arko stick, try face lathering. Wet the stick and rub on your beard. Work it into a lather on your face. Too thin rub a bit more soap on, too thick dab a bit of water on with your brush. With soap and cream, not too much water and add a small amount at a time till you get desired consistency.

Thank you for the instructions, I was doing it all wrong-all wrong. Much appreciated.

You will find yourself going through a series of lather iterations.

I certainly have, from building super thick, “Uber Lather” in scuttles to get er done face, lather. It is all preference.

The bottom line is getting moisture on your beard and face and adding a bit of lubrication. Water is the essential element of a good lather, more or less water will make or break a lather.

I too, typically face lather, build it to a quick proper consistency by adding water to the brush.

The other variable is soap or cream, there are so many great soaps and creams on the market, you really have to try some of the top tiers, to get a full appreciation of what is available.

Yes, some are pricy, but trust me on this, the good ones are worth it. If you want to dip you toe in top tier soaps, you can’t go wrong starting with MDC, it will open a whole other world of shaving for you.

Get a good brush, experiment, and enjoy.

Here is a great thread on the better soaps… First tier soaps and creams.

Agree with the above, and to be clear, if using a soap or cream (other than a stick), the preferred method is to load the brush from the puck or jar of cream until the tips have product on them, and then whip well in a separate mug or bowl (or on your face) adding a little water at a time to the brush tiips if the lather seems dry. It sometimes, depending on the "product", takes time to get a good lather built. Lynn, Gssixgun and others all have videos on the site or on Youtube that demonstrate the technique of lathering. I suggest watching them, since a "moving picture" is worth 100,000 words.

Depending to the soap or cream and the brush you have the lather can be drastically different and the time to produce it can vary tremendously. You need to experiment with a particular product and decide how much water you need on the particular brush and how much twirling you need to do to create the lather and another variable is the quality of your water and the temperature of the water.

The is no exact formula we can give you which is universal and will produce the best lather in the world.

Some products will never give a great lather and some do it almost by themselves. Then there is what your idea of a good lather is.

If I am trying out a new soap, this is my "ballpark" method.

1) Soak badger or just get synthetic wet, been too many years since boar for me to advise.
2) If softer cream, scoop approx. almond size dollop out of bowl. Hard soaps, swish until it starts to get thick & pasty, scoop out as much as possible from soap and transfer to face/scuttle.
3) If face lathering, build it up and add small amounts of water until it just appears wet. For my synthetic, that's drops (7-10) of water each time or it is too much and lather goes everywhere. Badger can hold more and is more forgiving in this regard. If scuttling, use scuttle similarly.
(The amount of "swishing" building the lather is exorbitantly longer for me, my water is as hard as a brick and fortified with Radium...)
4) Shave

This method usually over shoots on the soap, I usually get enough for 4-6 passes. But only do 2.5. I'll cut it down and balance it. Remember, we're all having issues sometimes. I didn't follow the above steps and had too thin of lather, with MdC, yesterday.

BTW, samples are a good way to learn with soaps and not be stuck with a whole 150g of something you don't like.

Thank you guys. My 8th shave was great due to the prep work. As they say the proof is in the pudding or better yet, foam...getting better.

So thankful for all of your positive supportive feedback.

Now that's what I call lather!! Great job.