Why Uberlather?

I've wondered about this for a long time. When I lather my face, I try to apply thickly enough so it doesn't all evaporate before my first pass, but not so thich that I have to watch most of that creamy stuff go down the drain, especially when using an expensive soap. Since the only soap that really does anything is the thin layer that's in contact with the skin, why bother whipping up a thick lather? I can relate to the luxurious experience of a nice creamy shave, but is there more to it than that?

for me its a treat . thick lather better cushion and the glycerin makes my face feel better longer. i can shave well without but most days i mix it up , looking for the right combo. some of the best so far are castle forbes sandelwood /mühle sandelwood soap, dr. harris sandelwood soap /als bomb in sage. proraso/ tabac soap. but then iam prone to all of the dangers of str8 razor shaveing ie. RAD SAD HAD and CAD. i came into this not to save money but just to see if it works at all. that it would work this well was beound my wildest

Hello, Leadduck:

A rich and luxurious lather, one that has body and blankets the face with a slick foam, need not be as high as a mountain. Beyond that slick coat of lather directly over the face, additional foam puffing up all over the face is a waste.

You see commercials of a mountain of foam on the face dispensed from a shave can as being the height of luxury. It make one look like Santa Claus with his beard on steroids. I think people don't realize that beyond what touches the skin directly, the mountains of foam are a waste of money.

The lather I seek is that which brushes a rich layer of silk over my Hollywood face — just enough to cover the skin, not too thick, not too watery, but just a smooth sheet of creamy pleasure.

Regards,

Obie

You dont have to make a huge amount of überlather. You can be preservative with your creams, soaps and the glycerin.

If you are mostly into facelathering, try to load your brush with cream/and or soap, then put a squirt of glycerin in the middle of the brissels. Mix the glycering/cream/and or soap directly on your face.

I don't need a heavy pile of lather so much as the thickness of lather I like inevitably makes a heavy pile.

I like my lather nice and thick, for two reasons. One, I have a heavy beard growth and thick lather carries the whiskers away. Two, I use an 8/8 razor and I like to be able to peel a whole cheek clean before rinsing. If the lather isn't thick, it starts dripping off the blade onto my T-shirt.

I find the quality of the lather is different than the quantity of the lather. I can take a pea sized dollop of Castle Forbes and have enough super thick lather to shave myself with as many passes as I need to do.

Often times with lessor soaps you need ever increasing quantities of soap to make a good thick lather and many times you just get a lot of thin suds.

This may seem funny but my test for the perfect lather is once it's made I take a parcel of it an put it on the end of my nose. If it stays there indefinitely and doesn't move or deteriorate, well, that's lather perfection.

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Originally Posted by leadduck

I've wondered about this for a long time. When I lather my face, I try to apply thickly enough so it doesn't all evaporate before my first pass, but not so thich that I have to watch most of that creamy stuff go down the drain, especially when using an expensive soap. Since the only soap that really does anything is the thin layer that's in contact with the skin, why bother whipping up a thick lather? I can relate to the luxurious experience of a nice creamy shave, but is there more to it than that?

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Simply put, Uberlather has nothing to do with the Thickness nor the Quantity of the lather... It changes the Quality and the Creaminess of the lather, it is, if done correctly, a noticeable difference on how the face feels after the shave....

Since we are on the subject, I would like to add/clarify a couple of things:

1) The soapmaker and not the user has control over the density of the lather. Sure the user can tweak this a bit a poor performing soap cannot be made into a lathering star by loading more soap.

2) The main reason to make uberlather is typically to elevate the performance of two underperforming products but this does not preclude using high quality products for making uberlather. The idea is that you take the good properties of each, typically the glide from a soap and cushion of a cream and make it into a much superior blend than either one of them on its own. If you chose the right combination of soap and cream, as Glen says, "the creaminess" also improves.

3) If you use the same quantities of each of these products for a full shave you will generate twice the amount of what you need but there is no need to do that.

4) As for how much lather or uberlather you should apply before you start wasting your lather, it really depends on your technique and the products that you are starting with. Typically, the better the products the less you need to use. If you technique is very good, you can get away with a lot of stuff, if not, a bit of extra cushion can spare you of a few cuts.

Al raz.

Do those of you who use uberlather use it on a daily basis?

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Originally Posted by DerekW

Do those of you who use uberlather use it on a daily basis?

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Hello, DerekW:

Yes. I put great emphasis on my lather, since it is an important element in the wet shaving with a straight razor ritual.

Regards,
Obie

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Originally Posted by DerekW

Do those of you who use uberlather use it on a daily basis?

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Yes and no. I currently use Castle Forbes and Domenico Caraceni almost exclusively. I have experimented with glycerin, and found that it does nothing useful at all, especially with the Caraceni. So, outstanding lather, but not with the Überlather method ;)

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Originally Posted by Obie

Hello, DerekW:

Yes. I put great emphasis on my lather, since it is an important element in the wet shaving with a straight razor ritual.

Regards,
Obie

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Dear Obie,

I could have guessed you did so. From getting to know you, you are a man who takes pleasure and pride in the ritual of processes and events.

I admire that greatly.

David

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Originally Posted by Alembic

Dear Obie,

I could have guessed you did so. From getting to know you, you are a man who takes pleasure and pride in the ritual of processes and events.

I admire that greatly.

David

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My dear David:

Thank you for the kind words. And you are so right, I do take pleasure in the ritual of wet shaving with a straight razor. That colorful ritual complements the act of shaving with the straight razor. Completes it.

I shave every day with profound joy. Sure, I do like a clean face. Yet there is more my shaving than having a clean face. The ritual is what makes me look forward to it with sweet anticipation. That is why I fill my old-style pewter shave mug with hot tap water and rest my brush in it to soak before I even make the coffee.

Regards,
Obie