Thread: Castle-Forbes: flaky lather??!!

I use Castle Forbes Lime shaving cream as part of my setup, and have often noticed that whenever the lather I've applied to my face starts to dry, it flakes off in a way that looks like a bad case of facial dandruff. Now, I realize this is probably due to a faulty soap/water ration and me not shaving quickly enough, but I was curious if any of you have run into something similar. TOBS avocado also seems to do the same, but not as bad. My other soaps and creams don't do this (Cella, Razorock original)

I have the same problem with my Proraso soap. I had also assumed it was a combination of not enough water and shaving too slowly. But, it only happens when I lather directly on my face, not in the mug. Of course, now that I think about it, I definitely use more water when I build my lather in the mug. This is the only soap that I have used so far, so I can't really offer much else. How do you build your lather?

Sounds like not enough water. Try adding a bit more, right before you shave. I love CF, All of them, especially Lime. (Tobs avacado is awesome too) Here's what I do. First, I use a scuttle, A double, It's quite large and holds heat. It's over 6 inches in diameter. I use about 1/2 a demitasse spoon of cream, smear it in the bottom of the scuttle, and let it heat melt it a bit.
I'm usually applying pre shave oil at this point. I come back, and start mixing the cream around in the bottom of the scuttle until I have proto lather. Once the consistency is even, start adding water. There are variances from cream to cream, so you have to experiment. Some take more than others, and are more forgiving.

So, start with a tablespoon or so (OF WATER!) I eyeball it...whip for about 1 min tops. If you get foam, keep going, push it down, and keep whipping...With CF, You should have mounds of lather by now. If it's flat looking, add more water...When I first lather up, I go and strop, When I get back, the lather may be dry on my face, but no worries, because I place a hot towel on my face for about 30 seconds. Check your lather in the bowl, It may need another dash of water, a teaspoon or so...Whip it up...Should be light and fluffy. Re apply, shave....

Your lather should be fine with just a couple of whips of the brush in between passes. Sometimes you need to add water.....

Here are some pics I sent to a friend once. Maybe they'll be helpful. The cream in the pic is Xpec, and I probably used too much, could have used 1/2 that amount.

I agree with the above advice.
Sounds like you need to use a bit more water.
Another thing to experiment with is water-temperature.
I like to use warm, not hot, water on a few of my soaps and creams.
CF seems to break down easier than a few others I have when the water is too hot.
It is absolutely a fantastic shaving soap(I think of it as soap, not cream).
Few can match the qualities of this product. IMO

Wow a tablespoon of CF? I use a pea sized dollup and I have enough lather to shave a platoon. It shouldn't be drying at all. Just increase the water. You can't get much better than this stuff. (Don't let Obie see this thread though)

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Wow a tablespoon of CF? I use a pea sized dollup and I have enough lather to shave a platoon. It shouldn't be drying at all. Just increase the water. You can't get much better than this stuff. (Don't let Obie see this thread though)

He uses a demitasse spoon as he mentioned. I don't know about your spoons, but 1/2 of a demitasse spoon is about the volume of a pea in my house.

I used to experience similar results with Castle Forbes and actually sold off my Lavender as I just never got a good lather with it. After I started face lathering exclusively, I decided to give Castle Forbes another try. Sure enough, I get incredible fool proof lathers from CF. Maybe try face lathering and see how that works for you. It drastically changed my impression of this cream.

Originally Posted by Fbones24

I used to experience similar results with Castle Forbes and actually sold off my Lavender as I just never got a good lather with it. After I started face lathering exclusively, I decided to give Castle Forbes another try. Sure enough, I get incredible fool proof lathers from CF. Maybe try face lathering and see how that works for you. It drastically changed my impression of this cream.

Blasphemer! A plague on your house for saying such things!

I would suspect that you experienced similar results for similar reasons, most notably a lack of hydration. CF is great world class product, but it is one of those water hungry creams that simply demands more hydration. Put it this way, once you think you've added enough water, add some more. Like others have said, you'll get enough lather to shave an army

Originally Posted by Birnando

I agree with the above advice.

CF seems to break down easier than a few others I have when the water is too hot.

I've noticed that also. Definitely don't let it get too hot as that can also cause the behavior you're describing (disintegrating lather).

It does indeed sound like I'm not using enough water with this product - I almost always face lather, and the amount of water that works for me is based on other soaps - I'll give it another try for my next shave! Another thing I notice is that results vary depending on the brush I use: if I use my Rooney Emillion, which tends to soak up lots of water, I really have to increase the amount of water... and end up with enough lather for a week's worth of shaving... it's almost indecent!