I have seen what seems to be conflicting ways to build a lather. One is to shake or squeeze large amounts of water from the brush, one is you can't have too much water on the brush. I don't get it. These are completely opposite and contrary, yet advocates of both laud their system. I understand there is more than one way to skin a cat, but it would seem that you either would have too much water or not enough, yet that doesn't seem to be the case, what gives?
Different schools of lather
- Thread starter Raydermiike
- Start date
different product hold different amounts of water. some are thirsty, some are not. More often then not, soaps take more water to build then creams.
also, some people prefer thick, yogurty type lather (myself included) and some like it thinner.
as a general rule, until you know the ins and outs of a soap/cream, it's safer to start with a drier brush and add water slowly to your lather building process.
also, some people prefer thick, yogurty type lather (myself included) and some like it thinner.
as a general rule, until you know the ins and outs of a soap/cream, it's safer to start with a drier brush and add water slowly to your lather building process.
I'm kind of in the middle. I shake my brush a bit but leave a little water dripping from the brush. My thought is you can always add water but you can't take it away. At this point though, I have it about down so I really don't need to add water often. You'll get there.
Penn
Penn
+1 Every product is unique, and has its own water requirements. I started to get a better "feel" for soaps after trying a few different types, though in the beginning I stuck with one type to simplify my razor trials.
This. You can always add more water. For me, lots of water results in foam. I see lots of foam in lather pics.
Agreed. You can always add water, removing it is harder. The only way is to add more product, sometimes copious amounts. Add water slowly to build the lather you want. For me, I want the lather as dry as I can have it and still be usable. Water can be added for each pass if lather seems to be drying out. It just takes practice
I like thick, Cool Whip-y type lather.
So do I.. very curious to me as foamy lather tends to dry quickly and perform poorly.
Maybe it's my well water, but usually I prefer a thick, dry lather. My lather today with Harris Almond soap and a well-shaken out Thater brush was downright gooey. Result=great shave. But every now and then I'll use one of my Rooneys without shaking any water out and let wet lather fly to all corners of the bathroom. Result=again a great shave. Both work for me depending on the brush. The trick is to experiment. Once you get used to your brushes and product, you pretty much know what will work and what won't. I've come a long way since my early days of fighting to get a decent lather. Giving up the bowl and going to face lathering probably helped me the most. I still can't get a decent bowl lather with my water.
I tend to start with more water. Lather is yet another thing that everyone has a different opinion about. There is no wrong answer as long as you are getting the shave you want. I soak my brush while I shower give the brush two firm shakes and get to work. Also depends on what your working with. I like to face lather tallow soaps with boar brushes. Practicing your lather when a good shave isnt on the line is the best way to work it out. Soaps cheap and whipping up a lather is fun.
I face lather the majority of the time so like to start with a drier brush to avoid drips as I'm building the lather. I then dip the tips of my brush in the same mug I used to soak the brush in to add a little bit of water at a time. Once I can feel the brush getting really slick on my face and I see a sheen on the lather then I know I can stop and begin with the razor. Of course some times if I'm using one of my favorite brushes I will continue painting and swirling the brush a bit more just because it feels good.
You just have to find what works for you. And that might depend on the tool your shaving with also. For example with a Straight razor or a feather DX I have to use thinner lather to get great results.
Same here. It admittedly kinda drives me crazy.
I know it's a YMMV thing and some people like it thinner or thicker, but when someone posts up pictures of their lather and how wonderful they think a product is, and the lather is runny and full of bubbles or way under hydrated, makes my skin crawl.
B
BJJ
I think everyone has its one style, i personally don't like to build that crazy amount of lather, i like to keep the brush loaded and each pass I hydrate a little bit, I learned from this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg&feature=player_embedded#!
regards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg&feature=player_embedded#!
regards
Some people apply too little soap/cream and end up with foam not meringue-like lather.
If it's a stubborn soap, I tend to use more water in the brush. Otherwise, I soak my brush and squeeze out approximately 2/3 of the water. For me, this works everytime.
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Lather building is about getting the soap-to-water ratio to the place you desire. You can do that by starting wet and loading soap until it's right. You can also do it by starting dryer, loading the amount of soap you like and adding water until it's right.
Both methods can get you where you want to go. Both methods can make any kind of lather (Fully hydrated and meringue-like. Thick and yogurty. Etc), and each shaver will probably find that a certain approach just works better for them.
Personally, I'm better at estimating how wet my brush is than I am at estimating how loaded a dryer brush is. So I start fairly wet and load until I have almost-ready lather coming out the sides of by brush, then tweak in my bowl or on my face.
Both methods can get you where you want to go. Both methods can make any kind of lather (Fully hydrated and meringue-like. Thick and yogurty. Etc), and each shaver will probably find that a certain approach just works better for them.
Personally, I'm better at estimating how wet my brush is than I am at estimating how loaded a dryer brush is. So I start fairly wet and load until I have almost-ready lather coming out the sides of by brush, then tweak in my bowl or on my face.
I usually run the brush under water then gently shake it. I prefer a nice thick lather, but too much water in the brush means it takes longer to get the consistency that I want. Sometimes if I just have a bunch of foam, I'll actually shake it out into the sink to release some of the moisture from the brush.
I know most here really like the thick and yogurty lather, but after switching to a straight, I like my lather a lot runnier.
