Thread: Problem with lather

I have just started using a shavette 2 weeks ago. I am using merkur platinums and am getting quite a satifying shave even though i havent yet gone to the 2nd pass, since i am still refining my technique. And i am presently looking into purchasing an actual cut throat. The problem i am having is this: About half way thru my shave my lather on my face drys out. I am presently using Williams shave soap. I soak my brush in my mug with my soap while i prep my face with hot wet towels and then drain the mug and work the lather onto my face. I am getting a nice rich lather with small bubbles and it seems to me that i am using enough water but the stuff dries out quikly it seems to me. Is this because of my soap? or my technique? any tips would be appreciated. thanks

Williams is good soap, but there seems to be a general concensus that it needs a lot of water. If it starts drying out on your face, dip the tips of your brush in the water and work it around your lathered face rewetting and reworking the lather.

I have just started wet shaving (still using cartridge razors though) a few weeks ago. The only soap I have used so far is Williams. What I did (and by no means am I an expert) is I watched the youtube videos for lather making. Then, I just practiced over and over and over. Take about 20 minutes or so and try to make a few different batches of lather. You will get a decent idea of what you need (water/soap ratios).

Start out with swirling your brush around the soap about 10-20 times. (wet brush)
Use a bowl to start making your lather in until you are comfortable with it. Swirl the brush around for a bit, keep adding some water a bit at a time to see what makes the best.

Once you think you are done, you are not. Keep swirling. Then add some more water (a little, little bit at a time).

Hope this helps. Do a search for lather making and then you can see some other posts on it (trust me, I think I started a few)

The Williams is an ok soap but generally it dries out quicker than the higher quality soaps. That said most soaps will display a little drying out when the shave takes a long time. The difference would be that you could just re-lather with your brush because the lather in it will still be moist. If I remember correctly with Williams the brush can get a little dry too but it's been 20 years since I've used the stuff so don't quote me. I would definitely give the following soaps a try:

Tabac soap
Truefitt & Hill Luxury Shave soap
Pre de Provence Shave soap
Provence Sante Shave soap

All these are excellent soaps that will provide a superb shave. All are in the $10 - $15 range and will last from 8 to 10 months depending on use.

Another trick with the Williams, if you persist in using it, is to combine it with some Palmolive Shaving cream. You put a pea sized dollop on the soap before you start lathering and it should liven the lather up a bit.

Practice your lather building, watch the videos on Youtube. Pretty soon you'll have it mastered. Hope that helps.

Regards,
EL

If you are having trouble generating a good lather, here is a workaround you can try until you get the hang of it:

Take a sharp piece of metal, does not matter what, and score some lines in your soap. Three or four scratches about 1/32 of an inch deep... just enough so that there is a small amount of flaking on the sides.(kind of like a plow furrow) The small scratches will give your brush something to "interact" with and the bits of flaking will dissolve extra quick and begin forming a lather right away. This trick is especially effective for when your cake of soap has worn smooth after multiple uses.

Other than that, just keep practicing.

If you like the scent of Williams and continue using it, try to just lather areas of your face instead of the entire face. It does dry out quickly compared to other soaps. I keep Williams in my rotation because it's nostalgic, but until you get more comfortable and faster (I'm not recommended that your goal is to be faster), you may not be able to lather the entire face.
While I was starting, I would lather both cheeks then shave. Then I'd re-wet the neck area, lather, then shave that area.
Good Luck,
Fred

On thing I find gives sme a really think lather is to put some pre-shaving oil on the soap before I start lathering up (and still wet thebrush like normal). NOt sure why, but I have found that this gives a very thick lather.

Steven