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Bowl latherers, how do you apply it to your face afterwards?

After I whip up a reasonably thick lather, I swirl the loaded brush around my face followed by horizontal/vertical paintbrush strokes. Seems to cover everywhere, though there's still some thinner areas where one day stubble pokes through. How do y'all apply lather to one's face?

I've been slowly improving on my lathering technique. I'll be using Stirling soaps for years (I've about six tubs and two sample pucks to go through before I even consider trying other soaps), Rod's video on lathering helped a lot.
 

Chef455

Head Cheese Head Chef
After I bowl lather I'll first splay my brush and work it on my face to get a decent "base" worked into those whiskers. Then I'll begin my painting. Figure eights, upsy downsy, in order to get a nice cushion. I'm a tad confused by your thick lather going thin in a few areas. How are you shaves? That's the most important issue in my mind. Lastly, no harm in trying to face lather...
 
Paint the Fence.

ralph macchio funny scene GIF
 
Paint it on after you have worked it into your whiskers. Unless your lather is too thin you can't have thin areas. Does thin mean too much water? Or thin as in the thickness of the amount of lather on your face? Lather doesn't need to be a certain thickness on your face. Make thicker/bolder/ heavier lather with as much water in it as possible but not runny in the bowl. Keep in mind that you should be putting the lather on and working it a little. You want the soap to penetrate the hair. This helps it to become easier to cut.
The lather is not just to give you a slick surface for the razor. If your whiskers are hard and wirey this is a must. If they are soft then not so much. Lather should give you a cushion for the blade, and a slick surface for the blade to run across which gives you more protection from the blade. Also, it should condition your skin and whiskers. A good shave soap is more than just a cleaning agent.

So put it on, work it into your whiskers then paint on some more. Keep it dense and not bubbly. It should look like whipped cream.
 
Often, lather is inside the knot instead of on the tips. That can cause a thin application. In that situation, the lather needs to be squeezed to the tips of the brush or if you are bowl lathering simply pick up more lather and dab it on.
On my first pass WTG, I often paint lather ATG.
 
So as nice as my Captains Choice copper bowl looks with my shaving gear, Stirling's silicon bowl with those nubs makes for a better lathering device. I loaded up the brush (A G5C synthetic from APShaveCo) and whipped it around that bowl until my hand started cramping up. I think I used a little too much water though, there were still minute bubbles and limp, droopy peaks despite all that whipping.

I've noticed that brush hogs lather up to the knot, and I've had to squeeze some out to fill in gaps. Usually I swirl the loaded brush around my face then paint it horizontally/vertically.

The shaves themselves have been borderline DFS, with the exception of a patch on each corner of my jaw/throat. Those are perfectly BBS with the grain after after shaving, and could grate cheese ATG. I've been slowly tweaking my technique in an attempt to smooth those out, though I can't do more than three passes without risking noticeable irritation.
 
I used to try swirling and circular motions. Simpsons says in the instruction manual to use “two and fro” motions.

My first several face lathers were very sore, brightly red or pink skin.

Now I think I load and build in the brush and there’s still water to add once you start applying to the face.

A shavette shave is going to have a very watery and thin bowl lather. You start with thick lather and add what is comfortable for you. Stirling is a light and airy soap though with more water it is incredibly slick for shavette.

Try some of the stirling matching aftershave. They have such great scents.
 
Most of the advice i've seen is to "paint it on using long strokes" but I find especially with my first pass working it in before painting makes a big difference. First, I'll take a big wad out of my bowl and slap it on one side or the other... kind of like the picture on the left but on a cheek :) ... then i'll swirl/splay/do circles to massage it into my face one side at a time - kind of like you would face lathering but firmer (depending on the brush) and not quite as agressively. Then I'll press my thumb into the brush to splay the brush out a bit and work it into my upper lip using the tips and first pushing the brush up /ATG to work the soap in, then painting down gently. Then, i'll take long strokes first WTG kind diagonally of from my upper cheeks near my nose to my neck below my ear on each side, and then ATG the opposite way.... then finally i'll finish the chin first WTG down from my lower lip and up/atg.
Right or wrong it feels good and it's FUN!... On second and third pass i usually spend alot less time working it in (although i still do work it a bit) using longer strokes first AGT and then WTG .. same as first pass but with alot less time working it in.
 
double the amt of soap you use(Add more water accordingly) to reduce thinning soap and paint on as your last step. Do whatever before. i personally paint , lightly scrub/splay then finish with paint. All what i feel like doing. Good luck
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Light splay scrubbing(very enjoyable for myself but do not over do it) and then just paint on and lather sit on face for 10-20 seconds possibly while getting the razor warmed up under the water and just start to shave.
 
Often, lather is inside the knot instead of on the tips. That can cause a thin application. In that situation, the lather needs to be squeezed to the tips of the brush or if you are bowl lathering simply pick up more lather and dab it on.
On my first pass WTG, I often paint lather ATG.
This is the same for me - I bowl lather and sometimes I scrape the side of the brush against the edge of the bowl to push some lather out of the brush, load this onto the top of the brush and paint over the areas where the application is thinner.
 
I still use circular going against the grain all over face then smooth everything out. So I'm doing more than just painting it on.
^^^ This is what I do. It is what I see a lot of the YouTube guys do as well. To me it makes sense, scrubbing it in, softening everything up, exfoliating, then smoothing for a nice consistent shave.
 
After I bowl lather I'll first splay my brush and work it on my face to get a decent "base" worked into those whiskers. Then I'll begin my painting. Figure eights, upsy downsy, in order to get a nice cushion. I'm a tad confused by your thick lather going thin in a few areas. How are you shaves? That's the most important issue in my mind. Lastly, no harm in trying to face lather...

I do this too. Get those whiskers up and use soap still deep inside the brush.
 
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