Thread: B&M's Reserve Cool sample

So, 1st try with Barrister and Mann.

The scent is refreshing, but my ability to get a good lather was not. I cut two small slices out of the sample dish put into a bowl, got a dissapointing lather. I'm thinking I didn't have enough in the bowl?

Do any of you guys notice any special considerations to developing a good lather for B&M soaps? Probably, just need more soap in the bowl.

Lather was so poor, btw, I went right to a known good after the first pass and finished my shave.

Tough thing with samples is judging exactly how much you're going to need in the bowl. The bright side is that if you put too much, you can just mash it right back into the same case.

I’m wondering if you have hard water issues?
Have you tried with bottled water or distilled water.

Yeah. I don't think it was that. I've had quite an easy time developing wasteful amounts of lather with other soaps.

The soap is harder that other soaps I've tried. I think I need to use a bigger sample on next try and I'll report back.

*OR*

Maybe, I was just to excited to shave with my new arrival

A lot of very hard soaps, I find lather better with a bit of a bloom. Just to soften them up and get them ready to lather. I do that often with my scuttle.

Funny how I'd never hear it termed that way. Makes sense bit of bloom.

Didn't know it had a name, I always just said let a bit of hot water sit on the puck for a little while.

Thanks, Shaun. Learned something new.

Try grating the soap into the bowl. The smaller pieces lather up more easily.

SOLVED!

Took a small spoon and shaved out 3x more than I had originally tried, mashed it around for plenty of brush contact area in the base of my bowl.

Started with far less water and added bit by bit.

Very nice scent and lathered up pretty easily. Good staying. Sets up nicely. Good glide (not too slick). The bonus? My daughter likes the smell. Regarding all the samples though, she always says they are too strong. We agree to disagree on this topic.

I think I'm going to have to start a list. Three categories: 1. Buy the tub; 2. Buy the sample; 3. Uh uh, no way, never again.

Siguy I'm glad you got your problem with B&M solved. I'm going to piggy back on this thread since I'm having the same issue. I would still like to hear if others have issues lathering B&M.
I recently got a sample of B&M Waves and did the same - cut a piece and put it in my bowl to lather. I got NOTHING out of it. I kept adding water since the B&M website says it my need lots of water and eventually had so much water that the brush was saturated and would not hold any more water. But still NO lather. I could squeeze out the brush in the bowl and there was soapy water, but no lather. I have since tried two more times with a badger and a synthetic brush with the same results - soapy water, but not lather. I figured I just got a sample from a bad puck. Well, today I excitedly pulled out my new B&M Terror sample to try!!!! - The exact same results - soapy water but no lather.
Since these are small samples, I'm not as generous with the amount of soap I might use with a full puck or even a larger sample. But I haven't had issues like this with any of the other samples I've tried. So does anyone else have this issue with B&M? Is triple the amount of soap used the only solution?

(to RezDog's question above, I do have pretty hard water, but again, it does work fine with other soaps and this soap is supposed to have "Absolute hard water tolerance")

As to the amount of soap to use... I've always carved out a sample from a sample about the size of an Almond. This will tell me if a soap lathers easy, builds lather quickly or if it sucks and will need more soap to lather.
Smashing the sample into the bottom of a bowl helps the brush to get at the soap better. More surface area so to speak. I'm not sure why someone would have a hard time with B/M Soaps but be sure to start out light on the water. Too much water too fast is never going to help. I have two bowls. A very wide one I use for new samples that I've never tested. More surface area. And a small one that I use after I know the soap.

Thanks Gasman! "two bowls" was the key! I pulled out my rubber/plastic collapsible travel bowl with the agitators on the bottom - I swear that thing could explode a teaspoon of vinegar into a massive head of rich thick lather just by getting the brush within three feet of it. And I now know what it's like to shave with B&M Waves. And very much looking forward to experiencing Terror (...B&M Terror that is) tomorrow!!