A question on brush use

[dpmtherrien]

I've been getting very good shaves for some time now, but my lather making technique probably could use a bit of work. My question is after you soak your brush, and prior to charging it with soap/cream, is it best to get rid of a lot of the water in the brush or leave a fair amount. Is it best to shake the water out or squeeze it out with your hand. I think when you shake the water out you won't have as much control over how much you get rid of. I guess my question is should you have more or less water in your brush before you twrill it in your soap/cream?

 

[Andy]

I would say that getting rid of the excess water would be the way to go, I just flick my wrist and that removes the excess. There is enough water stored in the bristles to start lathering. I find that starting off with a drier brush and gradually adding water is the best. You can always add water but can't take it back out.
hope it helps.
Andy.

 

[luvmysuper]

When I'm done shaving and I wash and rinse my brush, I shake it by holding the handle and moving in a short sweep so the brush is moving sideways. This gets rid of most of the water.
When I am getting ready to load the brush with soap, I take it out of the sink where it has been soaking during the shower, with the handle end straight up, and just do 2 or 3 vertical shakes, more movements than shakes really, so that the excess water runs out the end of the brush, but it's still wet enough to load.
There is not enough water in the brush to cause the "foamies" or "dribbles" if you know what I mean.
I face lather, and this works perfectly for me.
It may take you a few tries to see the force or number required to get where you need to be, but it's second nature now and I hardly think about it.

 

[Schwert]

I squeeze my brush to get most of the water out, then add water as I need it after I have loaded the brush.

I would say my brushes are pretty dry....certainly not dripping wet.

I tend to do the same no matter the soap or cream too, but the amount of water I add back as I lather varies by product.

I think this is more of a preference deal rather than a "right way".

 

[detlawks]

Depends on the brush and creme/soap. Some brushes hold more water than others and some cremes[probably soaps, too] lather better with more or less water. I always lather in a bowl so it is easier to be consistent.

 

[salisburyyates]

I have found that I don't like too much water in a brush for lathering cream. I usually stir the cream and add a bit of water to the cup I am mixing it in when I notice it looking dry. For most soaps, if you are face lathering you don't want to have too much water in your brush. Simply shake off two or three times so it isn't dripping wet and then do a 5 second swipe on the puck and apply to the face. The face is the place where I add more water if necessary. As I understand it, this saves more product and you get a better idea of how good your lather is due to the skin contact.

 

[mdunn]

I just give it a bit of a shake and all the excess comes out.

its better to start with not enough water than too much.

 

[beginish]

i just give it a bit of a shake and all the excess comes out.

Its better to start with not enough water than too much.

+1