Why do people lather with only "painting" strokes?

[Hercule]

That's a good point. Thinner lather is much slicker, but the tradeoff is duration. The thicker the lather, the longer it lasts. The only purpose the air bubbles serve is slowing the dehydration of the thin film of lather directly on your skin. There is always a tradeoff between slickness and lather longevity, so the thickness of the lather should match the duration of the shaving passes. ...

When I used to shave in the shower with bar soap (lathering on my cheeks with my hand) and a multi-blade disposable, there would be times when I achieved a super slick, very thin film of lather. It did dry quickly though, even in the shower. It was a rarity however(maybe I'm impatient), and something I seem to never achieve with puck soap and brush.

When I'm testing new soaps with a DE, I do an 8 pass "Konami" shave, ...

8 PASSES - HOLY CRAP!!!!!! I can't imagine running a razor blade across my face 8 times!! 3-ish times is more than enough.

As is so often said about everything around here (and it's certainly true) YMMV. I would be willing to bet that there probably isn't a lick of difference in what is being done among any of us. We're just describing it differently. Only the shaving gods really know...

 

[Hydguy]

I bowl lather, but I scrub my face with my brushes for the inital lathering, and then go back and paint.
I have to make my lather in the thinner side, because my face tends to dry the soap out fast if I use a thicker lather, like you see in a lot of the SOTD pics. I wish I could us a nice thick lather, but nope.

I like the scrubbing portion to help lift the hair, and get a little exfoliation when using my boar and badger brushes. Synthetic knots don't really get that done for me, as the bristles just don't have the same rigidity as natural knots.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Face lathering with only painting strokes sounds like a painful life of subpar lathers that I don't want to be a part of.

Exactly so.

I love the scrubby feel of a perfect brush, and a very well hydrated, slightly foamy, very slick lather. The brush's purpose is to assist me in that quest.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[samhain666]

I haven't tried making alther using only painting strokes, I use it in combination with scrubbing.

First I load the brush and then get a thick paste going on my face. I thin it out with some water and scrubbing motions, which makes it bubbly. To ge thet air out I use a bit more water and some painting strokes. For me it makes rich, creamy and most importantly well hydrated lather

 

[musicman1951]

I absolutely agree with all who said:

There are zero requirements for posting on YouTube.

Everyone is different, figure out what works for you - try it all - and do what makes you happy.

 

[Barbarian80]

Several brush manufacturers recommend painting in lieu of scrubbing. They claim it is better for the brush. Simpson, I believe, is one.

I don't know how you can build a proper lather without some pressure and circular motion. I might also press a little harder than i should but i don't particularly care. Whether you scrub in a bowl (and then paint on the face) or scrub on the face is a personal choice, but i can't build a good lather without doing that.

 

[bluesparkuk]

i always paint, more enjoyable, and i still get bbs smooth shaves, personal preference tbh, don't think either way is right or wrong

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

I do it because I’m too uncoordinated to do the swirl or figure eight thing. I’ve tried both several times but I just can’t make it happen.

 

[kingfisher]

I build a perfect or near-perfect lather in my bowl, and then paint the lather onto my face. Why? Because it works for me, and because I think the act of shaving in and of itself is exfoliating enough already. Also I don't believe in that garbage about how working the lather in using circular motions actually lifts up the hairs and prepares them to be shaved. That's just something people say. I don't think circular lather building on the face adds anything substantive to the shave experience.

Having said that, if people enjoy it, I think they should do it.

 

[GNR]

Really great reading everyone’s thoughts on lathering. I’m using a slightly different method because it seems to work for me and I like it.
Instead of swirling, when my brush is splayed I do back and forth strokes (similar to painting but with some splay) to work in the lather. Then I follow that with painting strokes. I do this whether I start by bowl lathering or go straight to my face.
I have no idea why I’ve settled into this routine, I guess just because of all of the methods I tried this is the one I like the best.

 

[karacha]

^
You're not the only one. Plenty of people splay a little, then paint instead of swirling.

 

[emwolf]

Idk, people are doing whatever they want in their shaves I guess. No law against having thinner, low structure lather.

There needs to be a Lather Police, legally allowed to make random checks in people's bathrooms.

 

[Hercule]

I would like to note that most barbers I've been to that shave around the edges after a hair cut put the lather on then wipe it off with a finger before they shave (almost always with a straight razor).

 

[luvmysuper]

I would like to note that most barbers I've been to that shave around the edges after a hair cut put the lather on then wipe it off with a finger before they shave (almost always with a straight razor).

I believe that to be a manifestation of needing to know exactly where to apply the razor to keep the hair line straight more than it being to improve the cutting ability.

 

[gwsmallwood]

I bowl lather, I don’t scrub on my face because my skin seemed to get very angry every time I did. Do whatever works for you.

Came here to say, well... This. ^^^

No one else can tell you the right way for you to do it. They can only tell you the way they do it.

Thick lather is easily achieved with paint strokes. Brush tips can be harsh on some faces, particularly those with sensitive skin.

Thick lather is not always desirable or necessary for a good shave. Each man uses different equipment and products on distinct faces. There is no wrong answer if it works.

i always paint, more enjoyable, and i still get bbs smooth shaves, personal preference tbh, don't think either way is right or wrong

I build a perfect or near-perfect lather in my bowl, and then paint the lather onto my face. Why? Because it works for me, and because I think the act of shaving in and of itself is exfoliating enough already. Also I don't believe in that garbage about how working the lather in using circular motions actually lifts up the hairs and prepares them to be shaved. That's just something people say. I don't think circular lather building on the face adds anything substantive to the shave experience.

Having said that, if people enjoy it, I think they should do it.

What all of these guys said... I've tried a variety of methods over the past 7 years, and what works best for me (most of the time) is building the lather in the bowl and then painting it on, with just a bit of scrubbing if I need to add more water.

 

[Scaramouche]

I do because I use a preshave....

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

Depending on your brush, brush burn is a thing so maybe they do it because its more comfortable. I think you need a bowl for it. I imagine if you weren't building a lather in a bowl first, that method would take forever!

 

[Hercule]

Here's a thought, to answer the op's question: how else would you apply a thin and even coat of shaving cream to the face with a brush?

 

[magoo75]

I believe that to be a manifestation of needing to know exactly where to apply the razor to keep the hair line straight more than it being to improve the cutting ability.

When doing this they probably are leaving a very light coating on the area to be shaved . Knowing this is all that is required for shaving.

 

[macintoshBR]

Manufacturers: we recommend not splaying and using only paint strokes with our brushes

Bowl latherers:

On the topic, over 100 years ago people already knew how to make good lather for shaving. It should look like this: