Have you noticed some soaps are not easy to face lather?

[Lusitano]

I'm just starting to try face lathering, having used bowl lathering for quite some time. I noticed that some soaps are easy to face lather, but others aren't.

Monsavon and "Antiga Barbearia de Bairro" are very easy to face lather.

MWF and CADE are not that easy. In fact, I'm not getting a decent lather from MWF unless I use a bowl. I believe that happens because MWF needs more water than most soaps.

CADE in the other way, does not produce a great lather, it's not that protective, doesn't matter where you make the lather.

 

[cegadede]

Funny, I get great lather from both MWF and CADE when face lathering. I think the reason you don't get it is because, as you said, you are begining to try face lathering.

Also, judging by the amount of SLS that Antiga Barbearia do Bairro uses, it's a surprise people don't get lather by just looking at it!

I'm just starting to try face lathering, having used bowl lathering for quite some time. I noticed that some soaps are easy to face lather, but others aren't.

Monsavon and "Antiga Barbearia de Bairro" are very easy to face lather.

MWF and CADE are not that easy. In fact, I'm not getting a decent lather from MWF unless I use a bowl. I believe that happens because MWF needs more water than most soaps.

CADE in the other way, does not produce a great lather, it's not that protective, doesn't matter where you make the lather.

 

[Optometrist]

Could never get on with Cade either way, but MWF certainly seems to be a better face latherer. The Mantic59 Video on lathering MWF also recommends this too.

David

 

[Hex]

I'm the same way Lusitano. I was having trouble with, and quit the Cade challenge before I mastered it, and so I could get into the MWF challenge.

Still having trouble with it though I am getting better. I too am a beginning face latherer.

Just for grins, I used 2 brushes, loaded each the same and lathered both ways. On my face and in a bowl. The bowl was perfect and my face was better than usual. So, that implies it has to do with the water/soap ratio, which is what I had expected. Or perhaps there is something in the hand motion that I am unaware of. I am determined to master this.

Best of luck/

 

[ryeblade]

I recently read a tutorial here on B&B that recommends a drier brush for soap, actually giving the brush a squeeze like an udder. Smoosh/plunge it some as well as swirl. I did that with Cade and it worked for me. I use an inexpensive Omega boar.

 

[SSGDPM]

I have had good luck face lathering with all my soaps (Cella, Proraso, GFT Coconut, VdH, Col Conk). Once I overcame the slight learning curve, this is the only way I lather soaps now. For me it produces better more consistent results than I could ever achieve bowl lathering. For creams, I still only bowl lather them.

Face lathering takes some experimentation to get the brush load vs. water ratio down right for each soap/brush combo but the best results come when I use a well shaken out brush (damp but not dripping water any longer) and load the soap fairly heavily. I apply the soap to my face and then I then add water a little at a time by dipping the very tips of the brush in the sink and working that added water into the lather. I repeat this until I get the lather I am looking for. Cella is a water hog too (uses way more water than anything else I use) but works wonderfully for face lathering for me using the above technique. YMMV though.

 

[Bestarrkin]

I am using both Cade and MWF. I had experienced indecent lather at the beginning of my face lathering journey. FYI, I am a bowler. If you use more product and start with a dry(I mean a little moisturized) brush, your lather will be improved.

 

[Islander]

I use a boar to face lather those soaps and get away just fine... Used Cade 2 times untill now and found it very easy to get good lather face lathering it!
Squeeze, shake the brush and dip the tips a few times to get the lather how I want and it works just fine.

 

[cegadede]

+1 to that! And it works like a charm for every soap and cream that I have (Tabac Soap, Speick Stick, Santa Maria Novella, Proraso, Safari, Dr. Selby, MWF)

Squeeze, shake the brush and dip the tips a few times to get the lather how I want and it works just fine.

 

[Lusitano]

I tried the method described in this video

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LAzcxK6lHU[/YOUTUBE]

As you can see, Teiste starts with a damp brush and uses lots of water during the process. It seems to work, but I'm concerned about wasting too much soap. MWF is not an expensive soap, but there is no need to waste a perfectly good soap It's a pitty all that lather down the drain

I will try other methods though.

 

[Lusitano]

New test run today. This time used a almost dry brush on the soap and then adding more water on the brush's tips as needed. Much better this way, a very lubricating lather was created

 

[atison]

I also find that working the soap on my face for longer till adding the first bit of water helps.

And for what it is worth, MWF in the tub still doesn't give me great results. But I milled some into a stick and it works like a champ for me.

 

[Hex]

Well, I have had 2 acceptable shaves in a row.

I used a badger brush both days, figuring that if I could make it with a badger, a boar would be a cinch.

Very different technique from others, I started with a completely dry brush and dry puck of MWF. Though the MWF still retained a bit of moisture from yesterday's shave and being covered.

I dribbled about 2~3 drops of water on the MWF and swirled the dry brush until the puck started to look a bit dry. More water dribbles, more swirling.
I think I did this about 4~6 times until the MWF started to produce foam around the edges. I folded the foam into the brush and took the brush to my face.
Then I lightly dipped the brush into some warm water and began building lather on my face. More water dipping, more face lathering.
I think I went back to the MWF once more and continued on my face.

It took a while but eventually I got there.
The MWF has a very clean fragrance to it.

No doubt my results are similar to others who start with a semi dry brush, but I seem to have a better way of judging if I have loaded the brush adequately.

good luck

 

[RayH]

Really nothing to add here. A drier brush and add water as you go. It works for me. Also works great for either badger or boar when face lathering.