How do You Vary Your Loading & Lathering Techniques for Different Soaps & Creams?

[BlueMaxx]

I am a firm believer of starting with hot water in a cup and soak the brush, then a small amount of hot water on the soap to bloom.
By the time I am done getting everything prepared I pour the water off the soap into my Captain's bowl, take the brush and give the tip a little squeeze.
Then to the soap for some swirls and then start the lathering in the bowl.
If I have a thirsty soap, add a bit of water.
If it is too watery a few more swirls of soap.
I suck at face lathering.
I also have boar brushes that require a little more finesse.
Bottom line, just start playing around with different methods and soaps and brushes and it will all come together for you eventually.
You will find out how different soaps and brushes and water amounts work together.
Experience is the best teacher.
Just my two cents.
YMMV
HTH
M

 

[Razrnewb]

I do a lot wrong, but obviously some right. Hers what works for me-
For hard soaps- For my TOBS Sandlewood and MWF, the only two hard soaps I own, I put hot water on top to bloom before getting in the shower. When I’m out an ready to shave, I pour the bloom water into the lather bowl, run very hot water on my brush (as opposed to Badger, you don’t have to soak a synthetic) then take my favorite cheap RR Pissoft brush and push down on it, swirling aggressively until the brush is loaded, never fearing some type of damage to precious unobtanium badger fibers or dealing with them splaying out to the size of a grapefruit, larger than the soap container and getting soap everywhere. Because of the soap slinging factor, I tend to prefer a 24 knot for face lathering right from the soap container and a 26 if using a lather bowl. I have no need for anything larger. Once the brush is loaded, I add hot water as needed in my lather bowl as I whip up a nice lather. Then, I rake out the excess soap in the brush on the side of the bowl and smash the soft bristles vigorously into my skin and swirl again to condition my whiskers. It also gets the lather/soap in the brush going. I then lightly brush back and forth for a minute or two, adding water or lather as needed to get a super smooth lather. YMMV, but this is quick, effective and efficient for me.

For soft soaps, including Proraso, Razorock Dead Sea, A&E, Stirling, etc. the bowl is a waste of time for me as these soaps work so well, (better, actually) and quickly, to face lather With a soft synthetic knot. When I’m finished, I run VERY hot water thru the brush till it is absolutely clean and sterile (once again, super hot water not recommended with Badger). The Plissoft brushes are basically dry after three hard slings over the tub and 10-15 quick back and forth strokes against a towel and hung up. YMMV, but these soft, cheap synthetics work 10x better and faster for me than badger, and I don’t have to baby them. IF I destroy a Plissoft brush that’s OK- I can destroy a lifetime supply of them for the cost of one luxury badger brush I don’t like as much. YMMV, and you may love Badger and/or know something about using one that I don’t. My only desire for an expensive brush is bathroom bling.
Experiment and do whatever works best for you. I haven’t tried a boar yet but understand those work real well with harder soaps.

 

[Lane101]

I do a lot wrong, but obviously some right. Hers what works for me-
For hard soaps- For my TOBS Sandlewood and MWF, the only two hard soaps I own, I put hot water on top to bloom before getting in the shower. When I’m out an ready to shave, I pour the bloom water into the lather bowl, run very hot water on my brush (as opposed to Badger, you don’t have to soak a synthetic) then take my favorite cheap RR Pissoft brush and push down on it, swirling aggressively until the brush is loaded, never fearing some type of damage to precious unobtanium badger fibers or dealing with them splaying out to the size of a grapefruit, larger than the soap container and getting soap everywhere. Because of the soap slinging factor, I tend to prefer a 24 knot for face lathering right from the soap container and a 26 if using a lather bowl. I have no need for anything larger. Once the brush is loaded, I add hot water as needed in my lather bowl as I whip up a nice lather. Then, I rake out the excess soap in the brush on the side of the bowl and smash the soft bristles vigorously into my skin and swirl again to condition my whiskers. It also gets the lather/soap in the brush going. I then lightly brush back and forth for a minute or two, adding water or lather as needed to get a super smooth lather. YMMV, but this is quick, effective and efficient for me.

For soft soaps, including Proraso, Razorock Dead Sea, A&E, Stirling, etc. the bowl is a waste of time for me as these soaps work so well, (better, actually) and quickly, to face lather With a soft synthetic knot. When I’m finished, I run VERY hot water thru the brush till it is absolutely clean and sterile (once again, super hot water not recommended with Badger). The Plissoft brushes are basically dry after three hard slings over the tub and 10-15 quick back and forth strokes against a towel and hung up. YMMV, but these soft, cheap synthetics work 10x better and faster for me than badger, and I don’t have to baby them. IF I destroy a Plissoft brush that’s OK- I can destroy a lifetime supply of them for the cost of one luxury badger brush I don’t like as much. YMMV, and you may love Badger and/or know something about using one that I don’t. My only desire for an expensive brush is bathroom bling.
Experiment and do whatever works best for you. I haven’t tried a boar yet but understand those work real well with harder soaps.

Thank you for sharing. You should definitely try a boar on MWF to see how it works for you. Link below to my recent post on my method for MWF with a Razorock Blondie/Zenith 80N with a 26mmx63mm knot. Works well with a bone dry MWF puck pulling plenty of soap for great lather (almost too much). An advantage of not having to bloom the puck is that in minimizes the risk of it cracking.

My other two brushes are plissofts, Razorock Monster and Big Bruce. Both with the same 26mm knot. They are great and easily lather all my other soaps other than MWF and Williams. I do the same with a thorough rinse after each shave and they are tough. Monster is roughly 3 years old with almost daily use the first two years and still looks almost like new. Note I rinse with warm, not hot water and this completely cleans the brushes. Use very hot water at the start of the shave on the brush as this allows creation of a warmer lather. Not worried about sterilizing the brushes since I clean thoroughly and with three brushes they get to dry completely as none are used on successive days.

Like you it's been fun to experiment to figure out what works best for me.

Fat Friday

This week for Fat Friday I used my MWF and my blue paua shell S.K. Colling straight razor. I used an APSHAVECO G5C brush to build a wonderfully thick lather. I had a great shave. I think on Sunday I'm going to try my Rudy Vey Muhle STF brush. it is softer, but the MWF is well broken in.

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Razrnewb]

Thank you for sharing. You should definitely try a boar on MWF to see how it works for you. Link below to my recent post on my method for MWF with a Razorock Blondie/Zenith 80N with a 26mmx63mm knot. Works well with a bone dry MWF puck pulling plenty of soap for great lather (almost too much). An advantage of not having to bloom the puck is that in minimizes the risk of it cracking.

My other two brushes are plissofts, Razorock Monster and Big Bruce. Both with the same 26mm knot. They are great and easily lather all my other soaps other than MWF and Williams. I do the same with a thorough rinse after each shave and they are tough. Monster is roughly 3 years old with almost daily use the first two years and still looks almost like new. Note I rinse with warm, not hot water and this completely cleans the brushes. Use very hot water at the start of the shave on the brush as this allows creation of a warmer lather. Not worried about sterilizing the brushes since I clean thoroughly and with three brushes they get to dry completely as none are used on successive days.

Like you it's been fun to experiment to figure out what works best for me.

Fat Friday

This week for Fat Friday I used my MWF and my blue paua shell S.K. Colling straight razor. I used an APSHAVECO G5C brush to build a wonderfully thick lather. I had a great shave. I think on Sunday I'm going to try my Rudy Vey Muhle STF brush. it is softer, but the MWF is well broken in.

www.badgerandblade.com

Thanks! I will definitely take your suggestion on boar. I have a very, very old Ever-Ready that was a great grandfathers that I can try- needs restoring and there isn’t much left of it though! Will buy one new as they are so cheap anyway.

 

[MacMarty89]

I don’t use a different lather technique with any soap. Perhaps a bit more water when is needed. As form Williams and MWF: I never had that much trouble. I found that using a bowl works better for MWF than directly on my face. My general rule of thumb is that if a soap is not lathering up instantly, I just don’t bother using it. There are many soaps out there which do a great job. Why use one that’s not?

 

[Galaktus]

1) Get the soap on face.
-Hard pucks, with just tips of brish dipped into water.
-Cream in a tube, I squeeze some on my finger or on top of the brush.
-Sticks are self explanatory.

2) Face lather. I dip brush tips into water, adding just a little water at a time. Repeat till done.

 

[Lad]

I bowl lather them all the same. Variables are the amount of water and how many swirls based on the individual soap.

 

[Bugin]

Using the 3017 method, using one soap till it's gone, my technique varies per soap but very little day to day. The first few lathers you're figuring out the water ratio and technique for the particular soap then dialing it in. After a dozen shaves I tend to figure out how to get the most out of any soap.

That said there is no technique that's great for all soaps and creams. And it's fun to have a hand full of techniques to throw at it.

 

[pow0622]

I've converted most of my soaps into shave sticks. So I face lather them the same as i do my creams. Rub it on and start brushing and creating lather. I shave daily before working so it really speeds things up & helps with the time crunch. On weekends I enjoy it alot more and take my time.

 

[nickm]

Men, this is serious. Lather is the only thing protecting your face. Assemble a team of your finest men, take action, hold the fort, reinforce the bunkers, and hold the inner wall. Avoid the barbed wire.

Projecting into enemy lines, scanning. Tree lines are clear. Rocks are clear. Coconuts, tap two together. *click* *click* check. Radio works. Antennas up. Radio transmission to base, send Marshall. Alpha bravo up. Move forward. Advance into reconnaissance position. I’ve got my two cans of tomato soup and a shoestring line.

Lather is easiest to see when made in the bowl.
It is easiest to control in large batches.
Then it is all the same technique.

LOAD + BUILD + FACE TIME

Load is enough to get it on the brush. Load too little and it is soapy bubbles, slickness though no volume.
Load too much and the soap burns, is thick and adheres to the face. And hard to remove.

Water is really the ticket to BUILD TIME. 2-3 minutes of slowly turning your brush LOAD into BUILD. The lather is built in the bowl, dissolving hard or soft soaps, creams, anything in the bottom of the bowl (oils, glycerine) and adding water and air.

FACE is where you continue to add the water once on the face. @EclipseRedRing I am in agreement you should have fine badger brushes suitable for face lathering.

For your first 20-50 lathers try the bowl with a 26mm knot. Use your synthetic. After when you can successfully replicate the good lather you have in the bowl try the same approach with the face lather.

The LOAD + BUILD then is about loading from your soap (or bowl) and build then is on the face.

BUILD TIME (bowl) then shifts to BUILD TIME (face).

It is the same process regardless of the soap and applies to all soaps.

The sticks are easiest to demonstrate, load is done on the face by applying soap directly to the face. The only variable then is the water from the brush and what you add during the face build time.

If you insist on using bowls, get a massive bowl to start with. And then move to a smaller one for your creams with smaller controlled semi-circular motion.

Size of the brush for a face lather should be around 15-20mm. If you like a bigger brush 22mm for boar.

Badger holds water better.
And boar is easiest to load harder soaps.

I use a conical shaped bowl to maximize surface area and use a thin film of tallow.

I think you should have same soap for 15 days. Same razor. Same bowl. Same amount of soap (gram scale if necessary). And 3 blades at 5 days each of the same package. Scientific method should be one variable at a time. It is really about water.

Load is the same 4-5g or 1-2 almonds.
Load time should roughly be the same after 15 days. You are a consistent shaver. Then you can determine more variables. A new bowl. A new brush. A new razor. Different blades than the ones I have. And the shave becomes yours.

 

[Lane101]

Men, this is serious. Lather is the only thing protecting your face. Assemble a team of your finest men, take action, hold the fort, reinforce the bunkers, and hold the inner wall. Avoid the barbed wire.

Projecting into enemy lines, scanning. Tree lines are clear. Rocks are clear. Coconuts, tap two together. *click* *click* check. Radio works. Antennas up. Radio transmission to base, send Marshall. Alpha bravo up. Move forward. Advance into reconnaissance position. I’ve got my two cans of tomato soup and a shoestring line.

Lather is easiest to see when made in the bowl.
It is easiest to control in large batches.
Then it is all the same technique.

LOAD + BUILD + FACE TIME

Load is enough to get it on the brush. Load too little and it is soapy bubbles, slickness though no volume.
Load too much and the soap burns, is thick and adheres to the face. And hard to remove.

Water is really the ticket to BUILD TIME. 2-3 minutes of slowly turning your brush LOAD into BUILD. The lather is built in the bowl, dissolving hard or soft soaps, creams, anything in the bottom of the bowl (oils, glycerine) and adding water and air.

FACE is where you continue to add the water once on the face. @EclipseRedRing I am in agreement you should have fine badger brushes suitable for face lathering.

For your first 20-50 lathers try the bowl with a 26mm knot. Use your synthetic. After when you can successfully replicate the good lather you have in the bowl try the same approach with the face lather.

The LOAD + BUILD then is about loading from your soap (or bowl) and build then is on the face.

BUILD TIME (bowl) then shifts to BUILD TIME (face).

It is the same process regardless of the soap and applies to all soaps.

The sticks are easiest to demonstrate, load is done on the face by applying soap directly to the face. The only variable then is the water from the brush and what you add during the face build time.

If you insist on using bowls, get a massive bowl to start with. And then move to a smaller one for your creams with smaller controlled semi-circular motion.

Size of the brush for a face lather should be around 15-20mm. If you like a bigger brush 22mm for boar.

Badger holds water better.
And boar is easiest to load harder soaps.

I use a conical shaped bowl to maximize surface area and use a thin film of tallow.

I think you should have same soap for 15 days. Same razor. Same bowl. Same amount of soap (gram scale if necessary). And 3 blades at 5 days each of the same package. Scientific method should be one variable at a time. It is really about water.

Load is the same 4-5g or 1-2 almonds.
Load time should roughly be the same after 15 days. You are a consistent shaver. Then you can determine more variables. A new bowl. A new brush. A new razor. Different blades than the ones I have. And the shave becomes yours.

Hi Nickm, Thank you for posting what appears to be a very detailed process and some interesting ideas. Did you develop this on your own or are these based on approaches you've seen elsewhere? Out of all these recommendations how are you actually shaving?

Curious about the recommendation of a 4-5 gram soap load. What type of product is this for? Hard soap, croap or cream? "One or two almonds" sounds more like a recommendation for shaving cream. For hard soaps this seems excessive as most B&Bers typically load a gram or less with good results. My experience has been similar where going much over a gram loaded from a hard soap produces too much lather.

Regarding your brush recommendations they seem a bit confusing. You start with a recommendation for badger use, shift to 26mm synthetics and then recommend small 15 -20mm brushes before going back to a 22mm boar brush. Curious as to your reasoning as to why face lathering is better with a small brush? I get excellent results with 26mm synthetic and boar knots. Finer brushes designed for face lathering have a flat profile to maximize the top surface area used for lathering. Doesn't the type of brush used really come down to YMMV and personal preference?

 

[steveclarkus]

Do you vary your loading and lathering techniques for different shaving soaps and creams or do you use a standard method regardless of what you are shaving with? If the former how do you adjust to get the best out of each soap or cream? If the latter what is your technique and what products work well for you?

We have lots of posts regarding how we adjust our shaving techniques for different DE razors based on aggressiveness, blade used, etc. While there is some discussion there are far fewer posts regarding adjusting our loading and lathering techniques for different shaving soaps and creams or we just focus a post on the technique for a specific product. If anything we tend to have a favorite method for doing this across all of our soaps. For example one of our highly respected members significantly downgrades a soap if loading take more than roughly 20 seconds. Not surprising that many of us have our favorite methods as building lather is one of our favorite zen like activities in the wet shaving process.

We started to touch on this topic in one of our Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF) threads (link at bottom below, see posts #148-152) as there are both a wide variety of perspectives and lathering techniques for this soap. Successful MWF shavers often use one or more of a variety of techniques from use of a stiffer brush, loading longer (often a full minute) or blooming the puck to enable a shorter loading time. Shavers who try using a really hard puck like MWF or Williams may be challenged to generate enough good lather if the only load for a short period with a small soft brush.

If, like razors and blades, different soaps require adjustments to technique then could many of the lather issues we hear about be the result of use of the wrong lathering technique for the specific soap? Understanding this and the ideal lathering approach for the different soaps out there would be helpful. Based on preferences we could then either adjust our techniques as needed to get the most out of each shaving soap/cream or only select those products that work with our preferred methods. Additionally we can provide fellow B&Bers with more helpful reviews with specifics on how the soap or cream was used to generate the reported result.

I'll go first. Most of what is use are hard soaps including MWF, Williams, Tabac, Razorock What the Puck, Tcheon Fung Sing Red Bowl (TFS), Arko, Derby stick, Van Der Hagen and custom Van Der Williams blends. Also use one croap, Proraso Red, and just started using some LEA and Cyril R. Salter shaving creams. I always use the product as it was made, no blooming, dry hard puck, cream straight from the container etc, and I face lather. To get the most out of each product adjustments to my lathering technique were required as follows:

• For all my hard soaps I load/build proto lather directly on the puck for a good minute or so.
• For my two hardest soaps, Williams and MWF, I use a stiffer boar brush that is soaked in warm water for a couple of minutes. For all other soaps my plissoft synthetic brushes work well. 26mm knots on all my brushes.
• For the Proraso Red croap just 20 seconds of loading with a wet plissoft synthetic brush is all that is needed. Then to right to face lathering. Load TFS for around 30-40 seconds.
• For my creams the required amount is applied straight from the container directly to my face and then face lathered. For LEA (both in tubes) I squeeze out the required amount to my finger and spread it on different areas of my face. Use a small expresso spoon to scoop out the Cyril R. Salter.
• The different soaps deliver optimal lather with varying levels of hydration that I add to my brushes while face lathering

Surprisingly, as I use these products more, there are more subtle differences. I evolved my hardest soap boar brush routine for Williams and have found it's a bit too aggressive for MWF. It pulls two grams of soap off the MWF puck for each shave, likely twice what I need and almost 3x what I use for a Williams shave. Currently add a lot of water to the 2 gram load to get desired slickness. The larger MWF puck surface may have something to do with this. Will continue to dial in on the optimal MWF load with either a switch to my synthetic brushes or less loading time.

Usual YMMV disclaimer here as our preferred techniques and lather characteristics will vary. Realize there are other selection factors such as scent, ingredients sensitivities, artwork etc that also come into play. The question here is, to get the lather you want, from each of your shaving soaps or creams, how do you adjust your technique or do you stick with a preferred lathering method and only select products that work with it?

Best wishes to everyone for a happy holiday season!

Is Mitchell's Wool Fat the best ever shaving soap?

I was considering getting one just for the ceramic bowl, but I'm not sure if it's worth ~$25 or so. It is...

www.badgerandblade.com

I face lather and treat all soaps and creams the same.

 

[Ratso]

Boar or badger brushes get presoaked in a sink of hot water. Synthetics get dipped.
I shake most of the water from the brushes.
For hard soaps and croaps I swirl the brush until I have a thick paste on the brush. For tube soaps I squeeze a dollop into a bowl.
In all cases I take it to the bowl and add water until I get the consistency I want.
Now the brush goes to my face and I use a combination of swirls and painting strokes to apply the lather.

With a stick I rub the stick on my face and face lather taking as much as I can to the bowl to finish off the same way as with soaps and croaps.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I have a standard method that I use to hydrate all but my boar brushes that results in the minimum moisture left in the bristles so I can get a good proto lather instead of instant bubbles. What I have started doing is cupping water in one hand and palm lathering the brush, no soap, until it feels like it's hydrated and give it a good shake. This works with both synthetic and badger so that I don't have to think about which one I am using and it keeps the water from getting deep into the knot. With hard puck soaps, I actually start by carefully drizzling hot water on the surface to bloom the soap. It may be unnecessary for regularly used soaps, but I don't like to keep track of when I last used a soap.

I don't think much needs to be said about picking up a proto lather other than learning to know when you have loaded enough soap by some method, either strokes or just visually. I prefer visually because I have brushes of different knot size and shape. Some soaps can be harder to pick up enough soap, but I always make sure that I have at least enough, never too little. I don't like to add additional water at this stage, so I will keep going at the nearly dry puck as long as necessary.

Hmm, this post is apparently about standardisation because I can't be bothered to think too much because I have too many brushes and too many soaps. Hmm.

I am going to read this entire thread but I wanted to reply to your post directly. That's what I do. I bowl lather and every soap, croap and cream acts a bit differently. Most of them are unique. But I want to get a similar lather with them all. I prefer thinner lather at the very end.. not sloppy thin.... but thin instead of thick. I use the right amount of soap, based on previous experience, lather them up in the same bowl: the Timeless blue "modest" plastic shaving bowl. If I need to, I add some water as I face lather with the chosen brush for that day. All the brushes are different as well, but I've become accustomed to all the ones I own. I don't paint on the lather with my brushes: I use the brush like someone who face lathers, from what I've read. I did face lather in Indonesia after my ceramic bowl got flung across the room and didn't survive. Lesson learned.

I remember well what I learned from @Tomo and you. I bought all my initial soaps, croaps and creams based on our interactions. I have to say... job well done. I have just a few others I learned about here on B&B. I owe them too, esp. for the Canada Shaving Soap . Thanks @godlike .

 

[nickm]

Hi Nickm, Thank you for posting what appears to be a very detailed process and some interesting ideas. Did you develop this on your own or are these based on approaches you've seen elsewhere? Out of all these recommendations how are you actually shaving?

Curious about the recommendation of a 4-5 gram soap load. What type of product is this for? Hard soap, croap or cream? "One or two almonds" sounds more like a recommendation for shaving cream. For hard soaps this seems excessive as most B&Bers typically load a gram or less with good results. My experience has been similar where going much over a gram loaded from a hard soap produces too much lather.

Regarding your brush recommendations they seem a bit confusing. You start with a recommendation for badger use, shift to 26mm synthetics and then recommend small 15 -20mm brushes before going back to a 22mm boar brush. Curious as to your reasoning as to why face lathering is better with a small brush? I get excellent results with 26mm synthetic and boar knots. Finer brushes designed for face lathering have a flat profile to maximize the top surface area used for lathering. Doesn't the type of brush used really come down to YMMV and personal preference?

@Lane101 I do not use synthetics except for a Vikings blade brush about 18mm.

I used to use 5g and put it in a captains choice bowl for the week. It wasn’t an almond for me, more like a thumb size portion. Load once and it is there for a day or so.

I have large mugs now and they can be loaded and built in the same mug. They have 150g in these and good for months.

Face brushes are meant for the face. Simpsons UK says to use paint two and fro motion, not swirl. Not circular. Their brushes I assume are meant for face lathering.

For head shaving I like a larger brush and occasionally could do both face and head at the same time.

Boar brushes are versatile. They are not my largest brushes. They lather from the hard soaps easily.

Not crazy about the synthetic. Backbone is unnatural and does not hold much water. And it is too small for me to shave both the face and the head with. I use as a travel brush.

Softer soaps usually go in the bowl, 5g not from the tub. And I might like a pure brush or a smaller knot and work with the captains choice bowl.

I have probably 2-3 pass face shave and 2-3 head shave passes plus touch up pass or pickup pass for each.

Thin lather is better for shavette.
Thick is better for safety.

I use CELLA most days. WSP is another. Stirling is another. I load heavily.

I have cream though it is usually soap.

 

[Lane101]

@Lane101 I do not use synthetics except for a Vikings blade brush about 18mm.

I used to use 5g and put it in a captains choice bowl for the week. It wasn’t an almond for me, more like a thumb size portion. Load once and it is there for a day or so.

I have large mugs now and they can be loaded and built in the same mug. They have 150g in these and good for months.

Face brushes are meant for the face. Simpsons UK says to use paint two and fro motion, not swirl. Not circular. Their brushes I assume are meant for face lathering.

For head shaving I like a larger brush and occasionally could do both face and head at the same time.

Boar brushes are versatile. They are not my largest brushes. They lather from the hard soaps easily.

Not crazy about the synthetic. Backbone is unnatural and does not hold much water. And it is too small for me to shave both the face and the head with. I use as a travel brush.

Softer soaps usually go in the bowl, 5g not from the tub. And I might like a pure brush or a smaller knot and work with the captains choice bowl.

I have probably 2-3 pass face shave and 2-3 head shave passes plus touch up pass or pickup pass for each.

Thin lather is better for shavette.
Thick is better for safety.

I use CELLA most days. WSP is another. Stirling is another. I load heavily.

I have cream though it is usually soap.

Hi Nick, Thank you for clarifying that you use the thumb size/5g portion of soap for multiple shaves and that you do not like synthetic brushes. Also get that as a head and face shaver more soap will be required.

Confused as to why you recommended use of a 26mm synthetic in our original post above when you don't use one per your post above "I do not use synthetics except for a Vikings blade brush about 18mm and do not like using this type of brush" Specifically, in your original post above, you said: "For your first 20-50 lathers try the bowl with a 26mm knot. Use your synthetic. After when you can successfully replicate the good lather you have in the bowl try the same approach with the face lather." Also, per your post#18 in the thread via the link below, you said that synthetics are great. Why the contradictory recommendations in different posts?

Synthetic versus Badger

I've used a Semogue Owner's Club badger brush exclusively for ten years until recently, falling victim to acquisition disorder and expanding my selection of shaving tools. While I have a Manchurian Simpsons and a Shavemac DO1 en route, my only other brush is a Platinum Synthetic Chubby 2. After...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[nickm]

Hi Nick, Thank you for clarifying that you use the thumb size/5g portion of soap for multiple shaves and that you do not like synthetic brushes. Also get that as a head and face shaver more soap will be required.

Confused as to why you recommended use of a 26mm synthetic in our original post above when you don't use one per your post above "I do not use synthetics except for a Vikings blade brush about 18mm and do not like using this type of brush" Specifically, in your original post above, you said: "For your first 20-50 lathers try the bowl with a 26mm knot. Use your synthetic. After when you can successfully replicate the good lather you have in the bowl try the same approach with the face lather." Also, per your post#18 in the thread via the link below, you said that synthetics are great. Why the contradictory recommendations in different posts?

Synthetic versus Badger

I've used a Semogue Owner's Club badger brush exclusively for ten years until recently, falling victim to acquisition disorder and expanding my selection of shaving tools. While I have a Manchurian Simpsons and a Shavemac DO1 en route, my only other brush is a Platinum Synthetic Chubby 2. After...

www.badgerandblade.com

I don’t use synthetic unless it is a small 18mm knot.
Synthetic is great for bowl lathering. Why? Give it a try yourself and see. They are also preferred for travel brushes they dry a bit quicker.

Hydration is a bit hard for a new badger to comprehend. It makes perfect sense where you can see the lather coming together in the bowl, right @Lane101 ?

I like the feel of badger for face. I appreciate the badger more.

The tips for synthetic are usually a lot softer. The animal hair I have does not have soft tips. Up to your wallet and personal preference what you spend your money on. Some men intentionally find a badger with a bit of scritch and backbone while others like if floppy.

Larger brushes regardless of size take a lot of soap. For me it’s easier to add a handful of water to the bowl. The brush looks full of soap from the load on a larger brush. Especially those Zenith, they are dense knots.

Once you get proficient you can add water onto the brush for face lathering and completely omit the bowl if you like.

For a new badger it requires learned skill of learning what amount of water makes for a satisfactory shave.

Simpson has a lot denser of a brush and tends to need more water.
Some of the pure brush is very light despite the larger knot.

I think two points.
Water is something you need to know how to add for every brush.
And every soap is going to have water requirements.
It’s a lot for someone new if they are trying to get a good lather. Brush size and soap you need to know your method. So you can successful with any brush.

Once you’ve learned to use several brushes I think people get more comfortable around the badger with face lathering.

 

[steelwindmachine]

I'm trying to avoid a set process for getting the lather to where it needs to be.

Adjust the loading, water and application to get slick, moist lather that will last for each pass.

I'm onboarding a new Ariana & Evans K2E soap - my first new soap since having only used MdC varieties over the last ~10 years. It's different, but ultimately just need to adjust the inputs to get the output I want.

 

[Lane101]

I'm trying to avoid a set process for getting the lather to where it needs to be.

Adjust the loading, water and application to get slick, moist lather that will last for each pass.

I'm onboarding a new Ariana & Evans K2E soap - my first new soap since having only used MdC varieties over the last ~10 years. It's different, but ultimately just need to adjust the inputs to get the output I want.

Sound approach - as our soaps often have unique characteristics. I'll typically start a new soap with what works for my most similar existing soap and adjust from there varying the loading time, type of brush, addition of water and for creams vs soaps, lathering technique.

How is your new soap and how does it compare to MdC?

 

[steelwindmachine]

@Lane101 - Firstly, I'm realizing that my lather making is not great. Secondly, I think part of my problem is that my tap water is moderately hard. I need to try some distilled water.

That said, I do think the A&E soap has more after shave moisturization properties than the MdC. My face felt especially soft with almost a buttery plumpness post-shave. However, I've only used the A&E twice - so take my assessment with a grain of salt.

Nonetheless, I think it's a good soap but I don't think my technique or water is giving them the best opportunity to perform.