Bought C&E $35 brush....

[dax702]

alright since I feel like I have a studio audience now I went to Target and bought the Proraso shaving cream but I need to give my face a break so I'm not going to shave until tomorrow....Is there any way to get that caswell massey stuff to lather, I don't particularly feel like driving to the mall to take it back..

 

[mrob]

Yeah. . .throw it in the garbage, squirt some Proraso in your bowl and lather away!

 

[rtaylor61]

alright since I feel like I have a studio audience now I went to Target and bought the Proraso shaving cream but I need to give my face a break so I'm not going to shave until tomorrow....Is there any way to get that caswell massey stuff to lather, I don't particularly feel like driving to the mall to take it back..

You can build a lather, but it takes a LOT more product. I have a tub I paid 1/2 price for, and I use it once in a great while. Just double up the dosage!

Randy

 

[dax702]

I have the tube - Like how much are we talking when you say double up?

 

[rtaylor61]

I have the tube - Like how much are we talking when you say double up?

With most creams, I use an almond size dollop, but with the C-M cream, I use about a walnut size.

Randy

 

[jduffy]

I have the C&E brush and it works brilliantly and I'm a total newbie. It takes a little while to perfect your technique. I read everything in the forums about whipping up beautiful lather and it pays off. My first attempt was less than perfect but now it being my 7th go round shaving, it's easy.

- Jim

 

[dax702]

well here's an update...
I went to target and bought the Proraso shave cream.
Ditched the coffee mug and went with a cereal bowl.
Got a good lather going with the C&E and proraso, however it was full of bubbles so I'm guessing I used too much water.

I'm still having the problem with getting the lather from the brush onto the face. i've found I have to do a scooping motion to get the lather onto the brush and then kind of plop it onto my face rather than brush it on. If I try to brush it in circles, it doesn't come off the brush hardly at all.

So in other words, I end up using the brush more like a shovel to get the lather on there and then apply it more like a butter knife

Anyone else have this trouble?

 

[guenron]

well here's an update...
I went to target and bought the Proraso shave cream.
Ditched the coffee mug and went with a cereal bowl.
Got a good lather going with the C&E and proraso, however it was full of bubbles so I'm guessing I used too much water.

I'm still having the problem with getting the lather from the brush onto the face. i've found I have to do a scooping motion to get the lather onto the brush and then kind of plop it onto my face rather than brush it on. If I try to brush it in circles, it doesn't come off the brush hardly at all.

So in other words, I end up using the brush more like a shovel to get the lather on there and then apply it more like a butter knife

Anyone else have this trouble?

With all due repsect for your level of frustration, I don't think I could get a brush and lather into that state if I tried. Good grief. I am sure you've read everything everyone has had to say, but humor me and follow this step-by-step approach.
1. In your old (BIG?) coffee mug, fill it with your hottest tap water. (Be sure it is less that 190 degrees fahrenheit).
2. Plop you $35 Best Badger C&E into the mug.
3. Load your new cereal bowl with the same temp water.
4. Get a wash cloth soak it in the excrutiatingly hot water and wring it out while mumbling Ooo, Ooo, this is hot!
5. Taking care not to burn your visage, wrap the wash cloth around your cheeks, jaw, and neck for about three minutes.
6. Now dump the hot water out of the bowl.
7. Squeeze an inch and a half squib or Proraso cream into the middle of the cereal bowl.
8. Remove the brush from the mug allowing it to drain until it stops dripping of its own volition.
9. Give it a "tiny" shake if you wish to reduce the amount of water.
10 Now whip the squib of cream in the bowl with the (really) wet brush for 50 to 150 strokes.
If this does not do it, you'll have to send your tuition payments to the Ol' Lathermeister Schoool of Gettin'' the Lather onto Your Face...
I hope this resolves some of your issues. We all would like to see you happy shaving your visage with skill, cunning, and products that you can enjoy.

 

[jbasl]

Try cleaining the brush and try soaking the brush in hot (I microwave mine) water for the duration of, say, a shower.

 

[dax702]

Thanks for the reply. I do Steps 1,2,3 already.
For step 4&5, instead of the hot towel, I take a hot shower instead while steps 1,2,3 are happening.
Step 7 is about the same..
Step 8, is exactly what I did last time.
Didn't do step 9

What does it mean if the resulting lather is full of bubbles instead of a smooth whip-cream like, lather? To me, I thought that meant too much water?

 

[boboakalfb]

Could mean that there is too much water OR you need to spend some more time whipping it. You will notice it going from a bubbly loose consistency to a more creamy consistency. How much time are you spending whipping it?

 

[dax702]

hmm not sure on the actual whipping time.. I'll time it next time up to the point where I stopped last time and then keep going and see what happens and let you know.

 

[jbasl]

During my lathering which starts only with non-excess water from the brush, I get bubbles for a few seconds then I start to get a cream. I then run hot water on my and and let a couple of drops go in my lather. I keep whipping and add a couple drops here and there until I have a nice pile of cream of thickish consistency.

Why not experiment and keep adding two or three drops and whipping in between until you see the whole progression from the start to the cream to the watery end. Then you'll know the stages and where you want to get it.

 

[DaveF]

I have experimented with lathering with that $35 CE badger brush myself, and it sounds to me that the problems you are having with "lather transferrance" as well as the bubbles you describe are either because you are using too much water, or you aren't whipping the lather long enough.

I, like you, went from a boar to the C&E badger brush about a month ago and I expected a miracle. I didn't get one. Not right away, anyway. The lather on the new brush, frankly, sucked compared to the lather I got with the Omega boar brush. So I ran to the forums, read up a bunch, and tried the shampoo/conditioner route, used hotter water, switched to a bigger bowl (oversized coffee mug actually), and finally I just started playing with the water-to-cream ratio. Here's what I found works:

I soak my brush in hot water only for a minute or so, while I am assembling the other tools of the trade. I do swirl and pump the brush up and down in the hot water vigorously so that the brush soaks up as much water as possible in that time. Then I take the brush out, dump the bowl, and give the brush two firm shakes over the sink. The remaining water in the brush, plus whatever water drops stuck to the inside of my bowl, is usually pretty close to the optimal amount I need to get a great lather.

I then use the almond-sized dollop of cream and swirl the brush rapidly until the lather becomes less foamy (which is where I think your bubbles are coming into play) and more creamy.

One other thing (and apologies for the length), but as far as troubleshooting lather goes, if your lather is more foam than cream you can try whipping for a longer period of time or if that doesn't work, try adding more product. If your lather seems very tacky and sticky, try adding a few drops of hot water to see if it loosens up. It took me two solid weeks of experimenting with the ratio to get a good lather but I'm glad I made the effort because the result was worth it.

Good luck!

 

[Jonnybc]

Hi Dave, welcome to B&B.

That's sound advise...

 

[boboakalfb]

Welcome and well done Dave...seems the Ex-Lurker title is very fitting. For your first post you were able to drop some knowledge.

 

[dax702]

I agree; that was great advice; glad to know I'm not the only one who struggled with the better brush.. I'll let you know how it turns out later on...

One other question.. after the first pass, when I go to apply more cream to my face, the brush and the cream are cold. After I apply the cream the first time, I just put the brush in the bowl while I shave. I'm guessing this is probably nto right since everything is always supposed to be hot..

Am I to assume I'm supposed to start everything over for the second pass?

 

[boboakalfb]

No...you don't have to start the whole process over for subsequent passes. This is where people get creative in order to maintain the warmth in the lather. Floating bowls in hot water...Hot Pots...the Moss Scuttle are some of the methods people use in order to keep the lather warm.

 

[dax702]

well I can't exactly soak the brush in hot water again because that will wash away all the cream.. what is moss scuttle? I read about a guy's method using a water boiler earlier in this post but he didn't say what to do about the second pass, etc..

 

[boboakalfb]

well I can't exactly soak the brush in hot water again because that will wash away all the cream.. what is moss scuttle? I read about a guy's method using a water boiler earlier in this post but he didn't say what to do about the second pass, etc..

No, you wouldn't keep the brush directly in the water...the hot water is a means to keep the lather bowl warm. Here is a link for the Moss Scuttle