Thread: Do you lather directly on the face or in a bowl?

I face-lather with soaps, bowl-lather with creams. For face-lathering, I typically use either a Semogue 830 boar brush, or the Jack Black synthetic brush - which I highly recommend!

Creams directly on the face, soaps in a bowl.

I builder lather half way on the puck in a tupperware and then I finish on my face.

Sometimes I use Arko, since I have a ton of this stuff in a case somewhere, and that I face lather.

I face lathered for the first time yesterday, using a Omega boar brush and Proraso soap (the green Vicks Vaporub scented tub). I could easily make a thick cushion on my face, but it was obviously lacking water, as it was practically a paste. It would hardly come off the blade under the water.

After wetting my brush to try to get a workable lather, I eventually got to the point where it was almost too wet. It's harder to adjust the amount of water to the right consistency than in a bowl. So I don't yet understand why people use this method when they're in a hurry, as it took me about 50% longer to shave.

I did enjoy the added massaging of the face with the brush that this technique implies, but I'll wait a while to try it again and stick to the bowl for the time being.

Cheers,
Fred

Originally Posted by Fredo456

I face lathered for the first time yesterday, using a Omega boar brush and Proraso soap (the green Vicks Vaporub scented tub). I could easily make a thick cushion on my face, but it was obviously lacking water, as it was practically a paste. It would hardly come off the blade under the water.

After wetting my brush to try to get a workable lather, I eventually got to the point where it was almost too wet. It's harder to adjust the amount of water to the right consistency than in a bowl. So I don't yet understand why people use this method when they're in a hurry, as it took me about 50% longer to shave.

I did enjoy the added massaging of the face with the brush that this technique implies, but I'll wait a while to try it again and stick to the bowl for the time being.

Cheers,
Fred

If you put the spigot just to a light trickle and then add the water stream to the back end of the brush's knot, the water will flow into the soap at the end of the brush.YMMV
I face lather 90% of the time, I also use soaps 90% of the time. I only pull out the scuttle to use with UberLather or the rare experiment with a shaving cream.

I face lather soaps and bowl lather creams. Since I use soaps 95% of the time, I voted face lather.

I used to face lather 90% of the time, but lately I've been gravitating towards smaller brushes...that along with harder water here, make for better bowl lathering. I just seem to be having trouble generating enough lather (EXCEPTION being with MWF or Tabac).

I like warm lather for 3 passes and a top of the head shave,and that can only be done with my scuttle that holds 32 oz of hot water,so i vote for bowl lathering,both soaps and creams.