Thread: Soap Dysfunction

Hello All,
I recently acquired some Edwin Jagger shaving soap, and I'm having a real problem creating lather. I'm doing exactly the same thing I've done with the cheap stuff (Williams), but the bubbles dissipate (read: almost completely vanish) before I can get my razor stropped. What's going on? How do I fix this?

-P

Hello, thepaulson:

I can't offer you a specific reason for this so-called soap dysfunction, since I don't know what your lather-making process is. I do have the Edwin Jagger soap, however, and it makes luxurious lather for me.

Here is my method: On the way to the shower, I pour a little hot water over the soap in the mug to soften it up. I also put my brush in my lather bowl to soak.

Once out of the shower and ready to lather, I pour the little water in the mug into my lather bowl, swirl my brush over the soap for about 20 seconds or so and then proceed to make lather in my lather bowl.

I spend a couple minutes on the lathering process in the bowl and continue it for another minute or so on my face. That does it for me with mounds of luxurious lather.

Make sure you correct the water-to-soap ratio, if this you think is the problem.

Regards,

Obie

++1 on Obie's advice. You need to soften the soap a bit and swirl your brush in the soap for about 20 seconds to load your brush. Then transfer the soap on your brush into your lather bowl and add a few drops more of water to develop your lather in the lather bowl and on your face with your brush.

That's what I do...

If the extent of your experience with shaving soap is Williams, I am guessing that you are using too much water when you make your lather.

Start with just a little water on top of the soap and shake your brush out before swirling. You can always add more water as needed. The lather you make shouldn't have bubbles, it should be more like whipped cream.

I'd say that you don't have enough product (soap) loaded into the brush before you start to hydrate. This often leads to a thin lather that literally disappears on your face within minutes, if even that long.

Concentrate on loading the brush a bit more before adding any additional water.

Originally Posted by thepaulson

Hello All,
I recently acquired some Edwin Jagger shaving soap, and I'm having a real problem creating lather. I'm doing exactly the same thing I've done with the cheap stuff (Williams), but the bubbles dissipate (read: almost completely vanish) before I can get my razor stropped. What's going on? How do I fix this?

-P

Hmmm.... bubbles.
Start with less water as others mentioned.

Bubbles to me are a sign of a half constructed lather
or better stated "a starter lather".

In the end you may end up with the same amount of water
but start by shaking almost all the water from the brush
and draining any water that is sitting on the puck.

Pick up the soap and begin working a lather. Little by
little add dribbles of warm water working it well between
dribbles. At some point the lather will bloom and begin
taking water and the lather will get fuller and thicker. It
can take a couple of minutes..... This dribble by dribble
seems to work in the palm of my hand or in a mug.

When face lathering I can take the wet bubbles and work
them taking advantage of the fact that a warm face tries to
dry a thin lather.

All in all it is hard for us to know from text so try too little
too much, dribble by dribble, big splash what ever. Do not
rush and wash the brush out without playing with the last of
the soap that is in it....

Soap is odd stuff. Some soaps/ detergents kill the lather of other
soap. Vinegar kills some lathers and some folk clean
their brush with it. As a minimum use it for three days
running so other products get well worked out.