Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
Thin slick wet lather is my preference. Slick is better than cushion for me.
LESS LATHER IS GOOD LATHER!?
- Thread starter Granite.Glasser
- Start date
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
Indeed. I used Dr Carvers this morning with my shave. It performs great
You can have good density in the lather but you don't need the thickness for each pass. Just brush off the excess so it stays on the brush for subsequent passes. A good shine on the lather usually indicates good hydration and dull suggests it is too dry. Some people do prefer a well hydrated lather that is very thin. It also depends on the soaps and creams you use; another variable.
This guide from the Wiki may be helpful; Category:Lathering - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/wiki/Category:Lathering
I find that 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) of water to 1 teaspoon (1.5 ml) of soap (10:1 ratio) is a good starting point for many soaps. Then I add water as needed until the lather is properly hydrated. I test my lather by making a stroke on my face with the razor and then dipping the razor into water. If the lather sticks to the razor, you need to add more water. If the lather immediately disperses, the lather is too thin and you need to add more soap. If the lather releases quickly from the razor and floats largely intact to the surface of the water, the lather is properly hydrated with a good balance of slickness and cushion. If you do not want cushion, make the lather a little thinner.
This method might not work for every soap, but it works well the 150 soaps I have tried.
This method might not work for every soap, but it works well the 150 soaps I have tried.
Nubo Thanks for the clear and interesting information.
Threads like this one are the reason that I decided to join B&B. The community is engaged, the information is useful. I’m glad to be here!
- Thread starter
- #26
I second that emotion! - Smokey Robinson.
No real info to add regarding the lather. If it works well and smells good, I'm good. 
However, I'm more interested in this quote here....
...mainly because I've been toying with the idea of skipping WTG passes myself. Especially if you shave daily or even every-other-day. I feel that it's a pass that may not be missed and would allow for less of a need for blade-to-skin contact.
However, I'm more interested in this quote here....
...mainly because I've been toying with the idea of skipping WTG passes myself. Especially if you shave daily or even every-other-day. I feel that it's a pass that may not be missed and would allow for less of a need for blade-to-skin contact.
- Thread starter
- #28
No real info to add regarding the lather. If it works well and smells good, I'm good.
However, I'm more interested in this quote here....
...mainly because I've been toying with the idea of skipping WTG passes myself. Especially if you shave daily or even every-other-day. I feel that it's a pass that may not be missed and would allow for less of a need for blade-to-skin contact.
My sentiments exactly, I prefer to start right out with a purposeful and controlled against-the-grain approach to shaving that, when well-executed (at least for me) requires only some touch-up buffing etc. I do not do those long stroke passes either, just repeated short and direct ATG strokes that take the whiskers right down to the skin (isn't that the goal here)? Granted, this ATG-only approach might not work for longer growth, but for regular shavers that do not let their beards grow much, the initial "beard reduction" WTG / ATG passes are not really justified or needed in my routine.
Cheers!
If a person shaves every day, and they have a normal one mm growth a day, I don't think the whiskers are long enough to flop over and cause a stroke to be WTG or ATG. I just do mostly vertical strokes and don't worry about grain. One pass is enough with a little touchup. I generally do long strokes.
- Thread starter
- #30
I concur. And by "against the grain" I mean vertical "upward" strokes on the neck and face, realizing that this may not necessarily be against the grain for a given individual. I just am more efficient, effective, and precise with upward strokes as compared to any other direction. I figure gravity pulls down on my skin all day long so I've just always shaved "UP"!
I'll agree with the OP that many of us, myself included, may be whipping up far more lather than is necessary. But my view of one part that makes a shave luxurious is a luxurious amount of a dense, slick lather with a nice sheen to it. I've heard people say that too much lather actually interferes with the razor gliding across the face. I'm not buying that. It's lather. Whipped foam. There is little if any resistance caused by how much lather you might have on your face. But I'll also agree that in order to get a good comfortable shave you don't need large amounts of lather. The only thing you need is a thin coating of slick lather over your entire face so the razor will glide easily. So, in one sense the large amounts of lather may be overkill. But it sure is fun to whip up large amounts of lather just because. Sometimes I go easy on the lather and other times I go crazy. It all depends on my mood. And that is what makes this obsession so much fun. You do what you like.
I prefer a slick thin lather. However, I usually whip up more than I need to shave, since I use an omega proraso brush when I could get away with something half the size lol. Don't mind wasting it, I've never bought overly expensive soaps or creams.
Generally true. Most shavers use too much lather.
thin is best provided its slippery.
marko here had a post long time ago and I used the main point of his methods..
create a lather that lets the blade go about the face, while allowing the cut off stubble to pass through the razors head.
it works.
marko here had a post long time ago and I used the main point of his methods..
create a lather that lets the blade go about the face, while allowing the cut off stubble to pass through the razors head.
it works.
I only use WMS and shave every day. I find a broad range of lather consistency from thick to thin works equally well. The blade angle is more important.
I shave daily and I would have to disagree. It depends on your growth. It depends how extreme the direction changes are in your beard, and how thick the stubble. My neck grows in many different directions so a with the grain pass is down at top of neck, center to ear diagonal down on middle and bottom of one side, and center to ear diagonal down, then center to ear diagonal up on the other. It took a while to figure that out, but redness is a thing of the past now that I have. If your passes are straight down then straight up that's great, but seriously investigate beard mapping if that alproach is not working for you.
Best wishes, JM
I find that my whiskers don't "flop over", but actually grow out at an angle, thus creating WTG or ATG. It doesn't matter if it's just the growth a few hours after a shave, or a few days, this is the case. I ALWAYS have a "grain" to my whiskers.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
That's the case with me too, the follicle is not perpendicular to the skin, but less than 90 degrees to the skin in a particular direction.
