Colleen's Deasert Ironwood

[tombuesing]

I tried a sample this morning and couldn't get a good lather

It was thin and did not lubricate well - I was using a Crabtree-Evelyn/Edwin Jagger brush.

Do I need a stiffer brush, more whipping or is this just the nature of the soap?

Tom

[xChris]

How runny was the lather? I found that I had to use less water with Colleen's soaps & creams. Give it another go with less water and more whip time to see if that fixes it up.

[tombuesing]

It was not runny, it just stayed with big bubbles - never developed a thick lather

[alfborge]

I'd try to get some more soap on the brush. I usually swirl the brush until it starts to make some foam and the tips of the brush is covered in this. Then I lather this up on my face. Works well for me, though I haven't tried the desert ironwood yet. I'll give it a whirl (pun intended) tomorrow morning and see how it is..

[FiReSTaRT]

I never had any problems with any of her soaps and I use the same brush. I make sure it's soaked with HOT tap water. Then I let it drain until it starts to drip instead of pour. After that I swirl it in the mug but without pressing too much because that will drain out all the water and create a really thin lather. I really build up the lather on my face and it's always just right.

[alfborge]

Ok, tried it. Worked great. Nice smell and the shave was good. The lather wasn't as thick as I get with some other soaps, and I could see some bubbles here and there. Didn't seem to affect the shave, so I guess that's how it's supposed to be.

[FiReSTaRT]

C&E soaps give me a nicer-LOOKING lather, but it dries out on the face. You can't even observe that visually as the lather looks the same, but you can definitely feel it as you move the blade over your face. What I really like about Colleen's soaps is that the lather stays moist throughout the pass.

[Duke]

You guys keep talking about Colleen's soap yet I can't find a link to her either here or in the vendors corner. Does she have a web site or is she just a well kept secret? Then again, maybe I just didn't look hard enough. Anyway, if she has good stuff then I'd be interested in checking it out. Thanks.

[FiReSTaRT]

Look at the mammoth thread at the top of the Vendor's Corner forum. Go to the last page or was it the second last and you'll have her e-mail addy. Look through the thread when you have PLENTY of time to see some of the scents. I'd recommend the following in the order of appearance:
1) Cavendish Black <-- Tingles sensitive skin a bit but GREAT scent
2) Leatherneck <-- Work in progress/testing, tingles sensitive skin
3) Orange Patchouli
4) Bay Rum + Orange
5) Desert Ironwood

[xChris]

Here's Colleen's memberlist info

& E-mail address-- thegentlemensquarter@verizon.net

Don't forget her Oak Moss scent too!


Tom--
any luck getting a better lather?