Now that the specific soap thread aren't in the soap forum I'll have to ask here. Does Tabac need to be lathered more wet than other soaps? I had it looking like wet meringue lastnight but on my face it seemed to dry quickly and not be very slick.
Tabac lather
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Yes Tabac can take a decent amount of water . Sounds like you could use more water.
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Thanks. Will try this from the start next time. Will the lather likely not "peak" when properly wet?
In my experience stiff peaks have little to do with a good lather. I look for a lack of large bubbles and a shiny gloss, but even more for a slick, cushiony feeling. The shave is the thing.
Besides a dry appearance or lack of slickness, lather is probably too dry if it will not rinse off of your razor easily. It is also a warning sign if your face feels very dry after shaving. Try a practice lather or three. Add a little water at a time, working it in, until the lather breaks down. You might be surprised at how much water it will hold.
Besides a dry appearance or lack of slickness, lather is probably too dry if it will not rinse off of your razor easily. It is also a warning sign if your face feels very dry after shaving. Try a practice lather or three. Add a little water at a time, working it in, until the lather breaks down. You might be surprised at how much water it will hold.
Yeah, I'd say stiff peaks are not an ideally hydrated lather. A super soft peak that flows/melts almost totally back in fairly quickly is aobut how I like to get my lather, if looking at it from a "peaking" perspective. The wetter the lather, in my experience, the slicker... and slicker is a great property to have, for sure.
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- #6
Thanks guys! I'll keep the water coming in my upcoming shaves and see how it goes.
Kind of in line with what other folks have said, and it took me a while to figure this out myself - the appearance of lather in "lather porn" pictures is normally not an ideal shaving lather. When using Tabac, same as Shave_Rat, I like my lather to be thick, shiny, and slick, that will hold a peak briefly then flow back down into the rest of the lather.
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- #8
I haven't used it enough yet to decide. I have enjoyed cella, proraso, stirling, and tobs cream. Hear so much good stuff about Tabac that I had to try it. We'll see if I can dial it in.
I've not used the cream, only the puck soap... the cream may not lather as good, I guess...
Scent is always very subjective, no matter the product.
I soak the puck in water while I'm prepping my face. Then I take my brush which has been soaking, and I shake the brush two times. Empty the water that's on the puck and start loading the brush. I like Tabac lather to be shinny, wet, and slick. Good luck.
+1 My comments above were in regards to the hard soap. I've never used the cream, so I don't know if it lathers well or not. But I do know, for me anyway, that the hard soap is IMHO the best lathering/performing non-artisan soap I've ever tried. I happen to like the scent (though not at first - it took a while to grow on me), but that aside it is still a fantastic performer. In all honest I thought it to be one of the easiest triple milled soaps to get a great lather from, and that's initially why I liked it so much.
I'm with you on the soap, for sure. It always has a place in my den. I also love the scent, but for reasons. My grandparents were German, and as soon as I first smelled Tabac, I was whisked back to my childhood when we'd visit them, and you could catch whiffs of the scent in the bathroom. lol
I wait for my brush to stop dripping and then load until the tips are fully covered. I face lather and find my lather to be slick, protective and well-hydrated. Great soap!!!
I find that Tabac needs more water than most. With all of my soaps, I always use as much water as I possibly can as that gets the best results and prevents the lather from drying out.
One thing I found with some soaps like this and MWF is that even if you have the right product to water ratio you still need to work it a little more than you might think. It gets a very light and peaky lather early on but then when you work it more you will find it thickens as you break down the air pockets into smaller and smaller bubbles. It's not the only soap that does this so if you are familiar with getting a good lather with soaps like modern Williams you will have a better understanding of what you need to look for as you work it into a rich lather.
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I do not use the peaks to gauge my lather, as others have already mentioned I look at the shine of the lather while I am working it on my face. To give you an idea of how much water you can add, I have noticed sometimes when removing the brush from the Tabac bowl that peaks form that are so saturated with water that they cannot stay upright and bend over. When you shave with this lather using a straight, it is so heavy that you can flick the better part of the spent lather and stubble residue, straight off the blade by using a rapid hand movement.
Tabac lather is as good as any which I have experienced. Heavy, wet and protective.
+1. I find that Tabac has a very wide water input range, where the lather is still very good and usable. I believe this may be the reason it lathers so easily for so many people. But if the soap is drying on your face, use more water.
Damp brush, not too wet, not too dry. Swirl on the puck until you get a thick proto lather. Work on the face, in a bowl, wherever. It's really easy.
I will say Tabac tends to be more dense and slick than other soaps. You might not get the prettiest lather, but it's way more effective for the shave, IMO.
I will say Tabac tends to be more dense and slick than other soaps. You might not get the prettiest lather, but it's way more effective for the shave, IMO.
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