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Getting the most out of the brush

I just want to verify my technique and/or change it so as to get the most lather out of it. I can lather up my cream pretty good with lots of lather, but I have trouble applying it to my face (I whip it up in a bowl). I can't get a nice thick layer of lather on my face, I kind of paint the lather onto my face. Maybe my face is too wet, I'm not sure. But if there's a certain way you are supposed to use the brush to apply the lather that I'm missing please let me know. THANKS!
 
Hi there,

I can advice for you get the B&B DVD , Joel shows how the merinque lather is build , he is not afraid to show or admit he used too little water for the Method Shaving cream to me that is just being cool not too edit out mistakes you make and genuine trying to bring info to newbies.

Im still in the experimental phase myself. there is a difference the way soap or cream lathers. in my opinion cream lathers faster, more easy then soap.
For soap I would use a different brush then for creams , for example the BK8 made from the wilkinson a thin weak lather, the muhle boar bristle attacked the soap like there is no tommorow I use lots of water in the boar brush shake it out once or twice then go mad on the soap cake making circles then grab the bowl make some whirls in there aswell you will see lather build up forming and then I transport it to my face building the final thick lather layer on the face so NOT in the bowl making circles on the faces and then up down like a house painter you create a thick lather.

good luck ,
 
Seeing as the vast majority of my endeavours in into the world of wetshaving have been fruitless, at time painfully so, please feel free to ignore any advice I offer. I have never had any major problems with brushes, creams and lathering though and if I can do it without problems I am sure just about anyone else can too. The first major obstacle is cream water ratio, but seeing as you say you can get a good lather in your bowl I assume you don't have a problem with this. I always make sure that my face is well moistened so I don't see the water on your face as a problem either. That only really leaves the method of application. I utilise a paintbrush technique myself, but ony after I have spent a couple of minutes using an upward circular motion to get the lather spread onto my face. The paint brush strokes are good for making sure that your bristles are standing up and are all going in the same direction, but I couldn't get a good thick lather using that stroke as the sole method of application. The circular strokes seem to bring out more of the lather and help it go on thicker. Also, do you pump your brush up and down. I do this in my mixing bowl and it brings out a lot of the lather trapped deep inside the brush right to the surface. Oftentimes, when starting out, I had a reasonably impressive amount of lather in my bowl but it wasn't where I needed it on the brush. If you still have problems with too thin lather on your face, trying pumpimg the brush up and down on your visage and that should help get more cream on your face.
One more thing, I would check the lathering tutorial on www.methodshaving.com althought the theory and techniques are designed primarily with the shavemaster brush and method shaving system in mind, it gives a good explanation of the mechanics of a brush and there is some good information on building a lather.
Good luck.
Warm regards,
Alex
 
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