Would they have “No knock” warrant power? If so we are all screwed.
Why do people lather with only "painting" strokes?
- Thread starter walkthewalk
- Start date
Precisely - just as you said…
I have a pair of Vulfix 2006 vintage shaving brushes that were sent into early retirement in a bottom drawer because they kept loosing a few hairs on every shave, but after following the Simpson (now owner of Vulfix) advice that comes with every new Simpson brush (see below) and is also mentioned on their website ( Shaving Tips - https://www.simpsonshavingbrushes.com/helpful-information/category-a/shaving-tips/ ) I can use these brushes again (after a thorough combing out) and the suggested ‘to and fro strokes’ seem to have brought the shedding under control.
That is reserved for my most finicky brushes however, with the vast majority I paint and swirl and do whatever I please and these brushes are not any worse off for it…
B.
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. If I ever take up straight razor shaving again, you can bet my lather will be thicker than the Cella man's to cope with those long 5 minute shaving passes.
When I'm testing new soaps with a DE, I do an 8 pass "Konami" shave, and for that, I have to use my hand for lathering (no brush). Using your hand to lather eliminates air more effectively than any other way. The "lather" is wet, thin and incredibly slick. Each pass takes about 30-40 seconds, and the lather doesn't have time to dry out. I've never found a soap that can be lathered by brush for 8 passes without irritation. If I ever do I'll buy a 30 year supply of it on the spot. I've found plenty of soaps that can be hand lathered for 8 passes. I wouldn't do an 8 pass shave with thick, creamy, yogurty lather even with my best soap. YMMV.
For me, part of the attraction in (straight) shaving lies in practicing a skill the way it has been done for generations. The tools and utensils may have been refined over time, but in the end it is still a traditional shave and I eschew the pseudo-science that Gillette and some others have been trying to introduce into wet-shaving.
And while I wish all the best to everyone who wants to elaborate that skill to a higher level, my goal is to achieve the best-possible shave within the framework of a traditional 2½ pass shave.
An 8-pass shave and the use of a diagram is clearly not something that I would want to adapt in my shave.
B.
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And basically, this sums up my feeling precisely. I mean, shaving can be a nice hobby, there can be a collecting aspect there as well, but when it really comes down to shaving, this is it. You take almost any decent razor with a sharp blade, make lather in 60 seconds, do a 2-pass shave with some cleanup (therefore: 2 1/2-pass shave) and that's pretty much it. It's not complicated at all.
Oh yeah, use some splash afterwards for style points.
"Traditional" shaving as it was done for thousands of years used bronze scrapers and/or tweezers. Straight razors as we know them are a relatively modern innovation. Personally, I'm perfectly happy with any razor that gives me an irritation free shave in 3 passes and 5 minutes.
Everybody has their own way of shaving.
I was under the impression you have developed something called the 8-pass shave... or is my memory failing me?
I'd hate to have a brush with the law over it.
I was under the impression you have developed something called the 8-pass shave... or is my memory failing me?
8 passes is great for testing the performance of new soaps for a few days. My daily shave is 3 passes like most people.
Made me think of this.
I have very sensitive skin. I have only a couple of brushes that are soft enough to allow me to face lather. Even a synthetic Boss knot, which has almost no scritch, is too scrubby for my skin. Thus, I create my lather in a bowl and paint it onto my face with a minimum of face contact. I have a tough beard that would probably be easier to shave if I could face lather, but my skin won't allow it.
Hi. I see that a lot also. It makes me wonder. But I prefer circular motion to work the lather in better. Just my happy 2 cents. Best regards Ron
I mostly paint but like a bit of a splay and swirl to get things going, although often just on the point of my chin if the brush has one iota of prickle. I dislike prickle.
I generally don't have much trouble "raising" a sufficient lather using painting strokes. Painting lets me use some brushes that might otherwise be exiled due to prickle.
Being a masochist at heart (but one who does not like prickle, mind you; contradictions!) I find that to really get the most from painting strokes I usually finish by virtually slapping my face with the brush, like a character with a fish in a Monty Python sketch.
Well it works for me.
I generally don't have much trouble "raising" a sufficient lather using painting strokes. Painting lets me use some brushes that might otherwise be exiled due to prickle.
Being a masochist at heart (but one who does not like prickle, mind you; contradictions!) I find that to really get the most from painting strokes I usually finish by virtually slapping my face with the brush, like a character with a fish in a Monty Python sketch.
Well it works for me.
Didn't help any...but...I bowl lather. For me, my experience, that means it's rich and creamy when I paint it on. I make a number of "painting" passes, back and forth and it does build up, but by the time I'm ready to shave, it's opaque...I can't actually see my skin. It's not a thin, watery application. Is this simply a matter of face lathering vs. bowl lathering? I've seen videos of shavers who face lather and although they start out with circular motions to build the lather, most of them do end up using painting strokes to even out the application. OP...can you post links of the videos you're referring to?
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Don't watch the videos myself, but I like to scrub in a circular motion and work up some slightly foamy lather, and because scrubbing feels great. Of course I do some painting too.
Whatever works for someone is good by me.
Happy shaves,
Jim
I missed where Simpson said that circular motion damages the hair of the brush. I don't believe they said that.
I would note that most of the really old brushes I've encountered in junk/antique shops seem to appear as though they were primarily used with a painting motion. Well, at least they look like it now.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
For Pre shave I like to (dedicated Cashmere 24mm synthetic)brush wash my whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser(mild cleanser soap), 5-10 second loaded brush will kick up enough lather to wash my whole face easily. I like to scrub the beard area with a Cashmere knot because it so soft and with 25 thousand little whiskers gently wiping away dirt and grime off my face making the face feel great. I like to paint around my eyes and scrub a little on the forehead and cheeks & then rinse with warm water & then cold water, all done in under 2minutes and the skin feels great.(beats a wash cloth IMO.)
Then I bowl lather my shave soap with a different brush and basically just do a light scrub and mostly like to paint the lather on for the shave and seems to work out nicely.
When I first started 4 years ago traditional wet shaving I just bowl lathered and applied the lather with a just a scrub and painted some lather on 1st pass and other passes I just painted lather and it worked OK but over time I just added a better method of washing my face. Nothing really beats a brush for making and applying lather efficiently with hardly any soap to make it feel so nice & clean to the skin with a great mild cleaning soap like CeraVe.
Have some great shaves!
Then I bowl lather my shave soap with a different brush and basically just do a light scrub and mostly like to paint the lather on for the shave and seems to work out nicely.
When I first started 4 years ago traditional wet shaving I just bowl lathered and applied the lather with a just a scrub and painted some lather on 1st pass and other passes I just painted lather and it worked OK but over time I just added a better method of washing my face. Nothing really beats a brush for making and applying lather efficiently with hardly any soap to make it feel so nice & clean to the skin with a great mild cleaning soap like CeraVe.
Have some great shaves!
Lefonque
Even more clueless than you
There is the right way, there is the wrong way and there is my way.
Vive la difference
Vive la difference
I never knew this was a thing.
@OP - How do you do it?
Cheers,
@OP - How do you do it?
Cheers,
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