Facelatherers: how do you get consistent lather for each pass

[chicken neck]

I am a diehard facelatherer - love the feel of the brush on my face, believe it must help with the prep and saves all the mess with a bowl. But ...

The first pass lather is very thick. The second pass lather is much thinner (even when just painted on). The third pass lather is derived by squeezing the knot and the quality of the lather is just gorgeous, but as I have to spread it with my hand, it is not quite as evenly spread as the first pass lather.

To be honest, all the different types of lather work fine and perhaps each type of lather is actually most suitable for that particularly pass (ie first lather very thick and protective for WTG, second lather OKish for XTG, third lather very very creamy for ATG).

I am just wondering though if any of you facelatherers have any tricks?

Bowl latherers clearly get consistent lather across all passes, but then they just don't get the face prep (or indulgence), right?

 

[galopede]

I think it's par for the course, though I get a good four passes. I probably use more soap or cream at the lathering stage.

As you mention I actually prefer the lather getting a bit thinner as I go through the passes and I find the thinner but slicker works better ATG.

Don't know if you do the same but I dip the tips of the brush in hot water before the second and following passes. Brings out more lather and makes it more slick.

I gave the bowl away a long time ago!

Gareth

 

[Dharion]

Either you have both a huge face and a tiny brush or you need to load up your brush more extensively (more product, not so-much more water) before the first pass.
If you're using a quality soap/cream three passes should not be a problem.

 

[jpkunst]

It is not forbidden to reload your brush between passes.

 

[fidjit]

I agree, you may need to load you brush up more.

I'd never had too many issues with my other brushes, can normally get 4 + touchup worth of lather.

When I first got my Omega 21047 , it's such a small brush that I was getting about two passes. By spending more time on the puck or more time on the face ( if you're applying shavestick direct to face ) all good.

Hope this helps

 

[HoratioCaine]

It is not forbidden to reload your brush between passes.

Bingo. Before each subsequent pass, I dip the brush tips in water just a little bit, then add just a touch more cream to the brush, then rebuild the lather on my face. Since adopting this method, my lather consistency for every single pass, every single shave, is up around 99%. I don't understand the idea that you have to build the lather for your whole shave prior to the first pass. If I lived by that rule, my shaves would suck.

 

[HoratioCaine]

Bowl latherers clearly get consistent lather across all passes, but then they just don't get the face prep (or indulgence), right?

When I bowl lathered, my results were actually quite inconsistent - not from pass to pass, but from shave to shave. I found it was just too easy to blow a "batch" of lather by overinfusing it, and once that happened, I could rarely get it back into shape, even by adding a ton more cream to the mix. And even under the best of circumstances, the lather I got was rarely as rich as what I now get from face lathering. That, and I didn't get the face prep or indulgence, as you point out. Once I mastered face lathering, I never looked back.

 

[VaHomebrewer]

Either you have both a huge face and a tiny brush or you need to load up your brush more extensively (more product, not so-much more water) before the first pass.
If you're using a quality soap/cream three passes should not be a problem.

+1

I had your same problem alot when I first started out. I wasn't loading my brush enough. Now, no problems.

Been face lathering since I started DE shaving. Can't imagine using a bowl...

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

I use a shave stick, no problems

 

[WhosYerBob]

I just add more soap at the beginning.