Lathering up certain creams

Good Morning:
I have a question on lathering up the heavier type creams. Specifically, I got a sampler of Castle Forbes which seems to be more of a paste (when you compare it to something like proraso). I'm having a hard time getting it to lather up enough, and its because I can't get it all to melt in my bowl/mug. It seems that I can only get one good lather, and the second is ok but not great, and by the third I need to go to my mug soap just to finish. Then when I'm done I find a lump of unused/unmelted cream somewhere in my mug.

Does anyone else have this problem? Its making me want to migrate back to mug soaps, and I sure don't want to miss out on all of those great creams out there.

Thanks,

JS

Have you tried putting the cream on the brush and face lathering? Or if the cream is really solid load the wet brush on the cream like a soap then face/bowl lather? You might get better results that way, you might not. Gotta be worth a try though! Enjoy your shave...

i know just what your talking about, here's what i do. i smear the cream thin in my bowl and use plenty of water. the first time i got it to work i was a little perturbed at the cream so i accidentally used 'way too much' water and viola, good lather. i smear it thin so as to use it all rather than leave lumps in the bowl. a little goes a long way. give it a shot when your not shaving, that way you can experiment without needing good results.

Joe, if you're finding cream not yet lathered, it could be - *not enough water, experiment with adding a little at a time and working the lather with your brush until it is all worked to lather. I use a dab of cream about the size of the meat of an almond and wipe it from my finger on the bottom of the scuttle. I give the brush loaded with water about two or three gentle shakes to remove some of the excess water, but it's still quite wet. It'll take some experimenting to get the consistency that you like, foamy or more creamy. I like Castle Forbes creams and find them very similar with Truefitt Hill creams. Just work it a little more before lathering the face.

Regards,

Howard

Edit: deadrift types faster than me, but seems we agree! Good Luck!!

Thanks guys. I'll try flattening the soap as I put it in my mug and I'll try a little more water. I would imagine my QCS samplers will be about the same situation. I ordered a DB scuttle about a month ago so I would think it can't be much longer, and that may also help me in my lather making.

Try using hotter water, the soap will melt in the heat and make more lather easier ;)

have you tried a snurdle?? seems to be all the rage.

CF depending on the scent can be a true cream or a hard, almost soap like. Either way it takes very little of the stuff to make a huge amount of lather. For the true cream a pea sized dollup creates enough lather for 5 shaves and the other type tkes a few light swirls. It's one of the easiest preps to make lather out of.

When lathering Castle Forbes I will smear a snurdles worth on the bottom of my lather bowl, too. If you don't you'll end up chasing that little dollop of cream around the bowl with your brush. For comparisons sake think of cracking an egg and trying to pick out a tiny piece of egg shell out of the raw contents.

And as other members have noted, CF likes water. So when you think you've added enough water then add some more.

Could age have something to do with creams that don't lather very well? I bought some Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood cream in a tube, and found that it lathered ok, but just didn't seem to have any umph. I bought it from a place where I could imagine this tube not being part of it's high-turnover stock. I had to reach way in the back of a crowded, not very well organized shelf (not that I have any beef with the shop -- I think they're great.). I bought another tube of Taylor of Old Bond Street sandalwood. This was in an area that was right up front, and more prominently displayed. This stuff worked perfectly, with little effort, just like many of you experts described, and just like one sees in many of the demonstration videos. I suspect my tube of Truefitt & Hill is just old, and has lost something -- the effect being a mediocre lather.

I'm a novice, and could be wrong. Just thought I'd throw this out there.

Cheers,

Jack

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackslimpson

Could age have something to do with creams that don't lather very well?

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Technically, creams (and soaps as well) have an expiry date. If you look on your jar or tube there should be a small picture of a jar w/ open lid, and a listed number of months - usually 12m.

The jury is still out whether or not these products actually expire, but that could probably be discussed in a separate thread.

I think I noticed that someone else touched upon this, but if you've got a hard cream there's nothing wrong with loading directly from the tub with your brush (just like it was a soap), and then building the lather in a bowl or on your face afterwards.

You'll need to experiment with how much water you need in your brush, but you don't need to worry about undissolved particles of soap in the bottom of your bowl.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tlittle

I think I noticed that someone else touched upon this, but if you've got a hard cream there's nothing wrong with loading directly from the tub with your brush (just like it was a soap), and then building the lather in a bowl or on your face afterwards.

You'll need to experiment with how much water you need in your brush, but you don't need to worry about undissolved particles of soap in the bottom of your bowl.

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I enjoy my Castle Forbes creams (Cedarwood and Sandalwood and Lime), and yes, they're "stiffer" -- even more than the Cyril R. Salter products (which I love). I'm a "face latherer", and have always twirled my brushes a few times in the cream container, to transfer the product. It might be that your brush is overly soft -- mine are short-loft and "scritchy" (a couple of Rooney 1/1 in Super and Finest, and a Plisson pure black #22).

Good point about the water. Don't be afraid to add more, a bit at a time; if your lather gets too thin, another swirl -- perhaps a twirl -- in the cream container will thicken it up.

Smooth shaving!