Thread: Making lather: Mama Bears Soap

I've been using Mama Bear's soaps for a couple years and have continued to learn and refine how much water to add. YMMV, but I typically put a "brush full" of water on the soap puck to soak. When I am ready to make lather, I pour the soak water into my bowl then load the brush. When I start to swirl the loaded brush in the water in the bowl, if it doesn't immediately make BB size bubbles around the brush, I know I will need to add more water. As I continue to swirl, lather builds on the side of the bowl. Another sign of too dry is the sides of the bowl stays clean and all the lather stays in the brush. If the lather holds peaks easily, it is too dry. I've found MB's needs to be a little wetter at the beginning or it we be too dry at the end.

For me, too wet (and I used to use it this way all the time) is the lather runs down the blade. I typically add a little water between passes, but the lather stays thick enough to build up on the blade without running.

Shave on!

A little hot wather on top of your soap
let your brush rest a min of 3 in hot wather. let your brush drip out NOT shake.
Swirl your brush on the soap an fil hem whit plenty of soap( importend that you use plenty)
Lather an go.

Originally Posted by AxelH

BIG +1 on the badger's superiority over a stinkin' boar. Here's where I am on that issue: boar's inferiority requires bowl lathering, with multiple loadings of the brush into the bowl for enough lather to last multiple passes. So for this face latherer of an OP I say go for badger! I haven't had any large boars but the mediumish one I have seems to have a solid enough knot, it's nothing compared to my cheapo tweezerman badger brush! Major loading of the brush and obviously generates a hell of a lot more quality glycerin-soap lather with just one loading (I'm a bowl latherer but if I were face lathering I would also prefer using a badger!!!).

Ditch the boar and go for a badger.

I've had no such problems with boar. They do take a while to break in, but are considered by many devout face-latherers to be superior to badger. I can easily get three passes from a medium size Semogue or Omega boar brush. I wouldn't completely throw boar out like that after one try. Everybody has different methods and what works for some may not work for others.

In general, I have not had good luck with glycerin based soaps. For me they don't hold up and cushion as well, but I've only had a couple to compare.

I use Mama Bears soap most days. It did take me a bit to figure out the lather, and again to relearn the lather when I started using a scuttle. It's well worth it to figure it out though.

What I do is this:

1. Dash of hot water on the soap while my brush soaks and I take a shower.

2. Gently squeeze most of the water from the brush (silvertip badger), pour water sitting on top of soap into scuttle.

3. Then I load the brush for 6--70 seconds. If you start getting usable looking lather you have too much water in the brush. It should be thick and you should feel some resistance as you swirl.

4. Then go to town and start building lather in my scuttle. I will usually add small amounts of water (1/4 teaspoon at a time) usually 2-3 times at the most. I use a combination of pumping and swirling with the brush and it does take some time to build the lather.

5. Here's the key, I find with Mama Bears soaps if the lather is done right it will appear a bit thinner than lather I've made with say Real Shaving Co cream or Col Conk's soap. Not quite runny but will not hold a peak up on the brush. If the lather will hold up a peak then I find it dries out too quick. If it just won't quite hold a peak, then it's perfect.

I also reswirl the lather inbetween passes.

Don't give up on Mama Bears yet. Good stuff and once you figure out the lathering it'll be a staple.

Charlie

Originally Posted by wrxguyusa

I've had no such problems with boar. They do take a while to break in, but are considered by many devout face-latherers to be superior to badger. I can easily get three passes from a medium size Semogue or Omega boar brush. I wouldn't completely throw boar out like that after one try.

I didn't have one try. an entry-level boar, about the same size as the tweezerman it is compared to. Same price range, too, so it was cheap. I used it for several years, and it functioned fine for my first few soaps, in a smaller lather bowl. I used it successfully with J.B. Williams and a Weishi DE. No problems. But when it comes to making a real lather, especially the kind of thickness needed for someone taking their time with a str8, or especially a beginner with a str8, going with the equivalently priced badger was a no-brain, hands-down winner. Total domination.

Originally Posted by wrxguyusa

Everybody has different methods and what works for some may not work for others.

And I've had only two brushes for my comparison, but they're both entry-level price and quality yet one is infinitely superior for both creams and soaps (soft and hard). It makes a hell of a lot more lather and of course more passes are hidden in the brush. I used to casually whip up another pass or two in lather with the older setup (boar) because of the combination of boar and smaller lathering bowl. It was fine, for what I was doing.

Excellent advice on the peaks, I was experimenting with getting more glide and I lost sight of cushion. Now I'm using stiffer lathers and getting good cushion with MB. I was also getting additional dilution of product from a rinsed face between passes, I'm probably more of a re-lather without washing kind of guy.

Originally Posted by AxelH

I didn't have one try. an entry-level boar, about the same size as the tweezerman it is compared to. Same price range, too, so it was cheap. I used it for several years, and it functioned fine for my first few soaps, in a smaller lather bowl. I used it successfully with J.B. Williams and a Weishi DE. No problems. But when it comes to making a real lather, especially the kind of thickness needed for someone taking their time with a str8, or especially a beginner with a str8, going with the equivalently priced badger was a no-brain, hands-down winner. Total domination.



And I've had only two brushes for my comparison, but they're both entry-level price and quality yet one is infinitely superior for both creams and soaps (soft and hard). It makes a hell of a lot more lather and of course more passes are hidden in the brush. I used to casually whip up another pass or two in lather with the older setup (boar) because of the combination of boar and smaller lathering bowl. It was fine, for what I was doing.

Excellent advice on the peaks, I was experimenting with getting more glide and I lost sight of cushion. Now I'm using stiffer lathers and getting good cushion with MB. I was also getting additional dilution of product from a rinsed face between passes, I'm probably more of a re-lather without washing kind of guy.

I don't see why it is so offensive that I suggest some boar brushes are good. I don't doubt your experience. I am just trying to offer an alternative viewpoint from someone who does like boar. You used one poor quality boar brush (VDH, I would guess) to assess that all boar is not any good. Regardless of how long you used it, that is not conclusive. Brushes of all types vary widely by the grade of hair used, knot, loft, etc. I'm glad you found what you are happy with in your badger brush. I am happy with boar and if you took the time to search, you'll find lots of positive reviews for boar brushes.

Originally Posted by wrxguyusa

I don't see why it is so offensive that I suggest some boar brushes are good. I don't doubt your experience. I am just trying to offer an alternative viewpoint from someone who does like boar. You used one poor quality boar brush (VDH, I would guess) to assess that all boar is not any good. Regardless of how long you used it, that is not conclusive. Brushes of all types vary widely by the grade of hair used, knot, loft, etc. I'm glad you found what you are happy with in your badger brush. I am happy with boar and if you took the time to search, you'll find lots of positive reviews for boar brushes.

Sometimes it is hard to read peoples reactions and tone when only typing on a screen to one another. I agree with your comment totally, but also agree with axel. Words have to be chosen very wisely when speaking over the inernet or through any messaging for that matter

Originally Posted by Ryan82

binder,

BTW - How long does your lather last before it starts to dry up?

I didn't keep track of time, but didn't seem very long. I'm new to straight shaving so I'm taking my time. It seems the lather is getting too dry before I finish the second part of the upper face then I move to the neck.

How long should lather last, I'm trying to get an idea of what to expect. I lather to what I like, working it on my face and there is lots of lather when I start shaving. I think I will use a bowl for a few shaves until I figure this out.

Thanks everyone for advice. I will try it out. Hopefully it will get better in time.

Originally Posted by wrxguyusa

I don't see why it is so offensive that I suggest some boar brushes are good. I don't doubt your experience. I am just trying to offer an alternative viewpoint from someone who does like boar. You used one poor quality boar brush (VDH, I would guess) to assess that all boar is not any good. Regardless of how long you used it, that is not conclusive. Brushes of all types vary widely by the grade of hair used, knot, loft, etc. I'm glad you found what you are happy with in your badger brush. I am happy with boar and if you took the time to search, you'll find lots of positive reviews for boar brushes.

I'm not offended at the suggestion that some boar brushes are good. I am offended that someone suggests I only gave my boar one try. I also find the suggestion that I used a poor quality brush (such as your specified VDH) as the unfair comparison to be unfair. Your opinions of my opinions of boar brushes are inconclusive. I actually have a second boar brush of equivalent size to the one I used for several years purchased at an antique show that also pales in comparison to the lathering qualities of my Tweezerman. I hope this post isn't edited out of the discussion because I feel your off-topic tangent to be unfair towards me.

Another eye-opener: this boar vs. badger OT debate doesn't even address the OP's quandry. Ryan82 is on the scene so I'm not too worried. You're making more inaccuracies, wrxguyusa, and they are unproductive for this discussion thread. In real life I'd just try to load up the OP's boar with sufficient MB soap, explain the difference from another mammal hair brush, then proceed to show my preferred method of reloading more soap into the brush to make enough lather for a longer shave. This kind of discussion is very difficult because it really needs to be seen, not written text read. And talking about boar vs. badger and theorizing other people's brushes and how many times they used them does nothing for this discussion.

I hope there's no problem with using a bowl over face lathering. Because making a bunch of extra lather in a bowl seems like a really good idea when it comes to the length of time during new forays into open razor shaving. And that exploration doesn't benefit from the bowl vs. face lathering debate.

More wattta.. More watta.......more watta..............!.............................a nd a good Badger brush.