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How much lather?!?!

For me, any extra lather (which is usually enough to do one more bad pass) gets used to wash my entire face. Tbh, i might even use it on my hair if its prior to a shower.

I’m trying to find a way to use more soap up rather than less, and I think bowl lathers tend to generate more lather and use more soap than face latherers, but thats all anecdotal and not supported by any real research. I cant imagine that the last remnants of lather, especially voluminous, has a lot of soap in it, but I guess over time, it could be a fair share of product, if you are aiming to be efficient.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
you can't even really see where you're shaving.

My mirrors fog up relentlessly after my shower, so it can be as runny and slick as I like or a thick monument of thick suds and my blindness will be similar. Always a lot more stubble left over after a pass when the lather’s too thick, though.
 
My goal is to make the copious amounts of lather we see in the photos, and I probably do over produce lather. But as has been said, I have tons of soap, probably enough to last until I no longer need to shave.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
If I had to use that lather every day, I'd give up shaving! I love a nice creamy lather on my face. NOT like Santa's beard, but a nice layer. I've tried the minimal approach, but for me, hopeless.

It doesn't look much in the pic, but it was wonderful to shave with. Seriously. Ultra slick, well hydrated, no reduction of blade awareness, and an excellent post shave feel. The only area in which it lacked, was photogenic appeal.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
For me, any extra lather (which is usually enough to do one more bad pass) gets used to wash my entire face. Tbh, i might even use it on my hair if its prior to a shower.

I’m trying to find a way to use more soap up rather than less, and I think bowl lathers tend to generate more lather and use more soap than face latherers, but thats all anecdotal and not supported by any real research. I cant imagine that the last remnants of lather, especially voluminous, has a lot of soap in it, but I guess over time, it could be a fair share of product, if you are aiming to be efficient.

I'm not particularly trying to be uber efficient, just using what I need, in the consistency I need, and noting how different it is to others. I don't consider what I do any more frugal than not chucking a few clean and unused sheets of toilet paper down the pan, or a little squirt of toothpaste down the drain, just for good measure 🤣
 
I great a better shave with dense thick lather than with thin slightly runny lather so I take the extra time it takes to whip enough air into the lather that it will form peaks.
 

Ravenonrock

I shaved the pig
When I’m loading a brush, I’ll stop and massage the lather into my whiskers by hand as a sort of pre shave. I often think this is all it would take to shave, but still face lather with the brush because it feels great. I don’t need to produce much lather this way I find. Nothing like Cella man.
F054F141-CA69-491A-AC9A-4F2206A421B1.jpeg
 
That's usually the first thing that pops into my head, when I see pictures or video of someone knocking up lather in a bowl. Enough to shave an entire street, and thick enough for the razor to stay stood up in, should they happen to let go mid shave.

Conversely, I was just getting my lather ready for tonight's shave, and thought "If most of the folks on B&B saw this, they'd think I was completely mad!!! So, I did the honourable thing, and took a photo :)

This is my brush and bowl, lather built, and ready to go. Not a bowlful, just a brush full. No rich peaks and dense churning yoghurt, just ultra slick skin nourishing goodness.

View attachment 1144730

A few bubbles were visible in the brush, but none on the face. That lather gave me a wonderful three pass shave this evening (whole face and neck, bar the handlebarred goatee), and when I'd finished there was still enough left in the brush for another lap, should I have needed it.

View attachment 1144731

So for those shavers who are still finding their way, and looking to emulate the face meringues of YouTube, be aware that not everyone shaves like that.

After 30 years of DE shaving, I don't want traditional lather that looks like it just came out of an aerosolised can. I just want the razor to glide freely, and let my face feel fantastic afterwards. My non-photogenic lather of barely a brushful, does that perfectly!

You are more frugal than I am!

However, I am with you on my strong preference for ‘slick’ lather rather than the thick ‘yogurt’ typically shown in photos and videos!! :a29: :a29: :a29:
 
Mine doesn’t look pretty either but it gets the job done. Meringue is great for photos but not much good for shaving in my book. Slick is the way to go.

Meringue !!!

I get slickness from adding coconut oil to Dove soap.
It doesn't dry quickly, it washes off easy and it's very slick
especially on the final touch up pass when I only
put clean water on my hands and let it combine
with the residual soap from the ATG pass.
I only load the brush once and when I'm done,
I squeeze the remaining soap back into my shaving cup
and use it again next time.



DSCN0990b.jpg
 
Meringue !!!

I get slickness from adding coconut oil to Dove soap.
It doesn't dry quickly, it washes off easy and it's very slick
especially on the final touch up pass when I only
put clean water on my hands and let it combine
with the residual soap from the ATG pass.
I only load the brush once and when I'm done,
I squeeze the remaining soap back into my shaving cup
and use it again next time.



View attachment 1145803
Looks good and shaveable :straight:
 
Do you load one then the other, or have you combined them somehow?

Originally, I started mixing pieces of soaps into my shaving cup.
Then I added the oil and let it fill in the spaces.
It didn't seem to matter whether the oil and soap stayed
separate in the cup, because they combined when I
loaded the brush.
I noticed that after a while, the soap in the cup absorbed the oil.
Currently, I make and store the mixture in an
old Taylor Of Old Bond Street container.
I slice up the soap before I add it to the container.
I pack it using the bottom of a teaspoon.
When I think it could use some oil, I add oil.
When the soap in the cup gets low, I add to it
from the Taylor container.
The mixture in the cup gets used slowly enough that the
oil in the Taylor container has enough time to be completely
absorbed by the soap.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Originally, I started mixing pieces of soaps into my shaving cup.
Then I added the oil and let it fill in the spaces.
It didn't seem to matter whether the oil and soap stayed
separate in the cup, because they combined when I
loaded the brush.
I noticed that after a while, the soap in the cup absorbed the oil.
Currently, I make and store the mixture in an
old Taylor Of Old Bond Street container.
I slice up the soap before I add it to the container.
I pack it using the bottom of a teaspoon.
When I think it could use some oil, I add oil.
When the soap in the cup gets low, I add to it
from the Taylor container.
The mixture in the cup gets used slowly enough that the
oil in the Taylor container has enough time to be completely
absorbed by the soap.

Are you using the white waxy stuff, or the fractionated clear liquid coconut oil?
 
Are you using the white waxy stuff, or the fractionated clear liquid coconut oil?

In the Summer time, it's a clear liquid.
In the Winter time, it's a white solid.

Viva Naturals Virgin Coconut Oil is one of the ones that I've used.

It takes a while to load the brush.
I do it while I watch TV.

I let the loaded brush sit while I take my preshave shower.
 
A few days ago I promised photos of my lather bowl before each pass and at the end. I lather MWF in a bowl instead of face lathering like everyone recommends.

Initial Lather

DE17BECA-80D4-4A9C-A409-F8DA71A75D2E.jpeg


before the second pass.

253E982F-D510-439B-88E5-AB99075FF17A.jpeg


before the third pass

A0E65162-1F7E-4907-B1A7-4093D1296632.jpeg


after the third pass

6F1F9BD0-ED33-4677-8742-9AE7381DFC56.jpeg


as you can see, I’m not nearly as efficient as the OP, but I don’t wash much down the drain.
 
That's usually the first thing that pops into my head, when I see pictures or video of someone knocking up lather in a bowl. Enough to shave an entire street, and thick enough for the razor to stay stood up in, should they happen to let go mid shave.

Conversely, I was just getting my lather ready for tonight's shave, and thought "If most of the folks on B&B saw this, they'd think I was completely mad!!! So, I did the honourable thing, and took a photo :)

This is my brush and bowl, lather built, and ready to go. Not a bowlful, just a brush full. No rich peaks and dense churning yoghurt, just ultra slick skin nourishing goodness.

View attachment 1144730

A few bubbles were visible in the brush, but none on the face. That lather gave me a wonderful three pass shave this evening (whole face and neck, bar the handlebarred goatee), and when I'd finished there was still enough left in the brush for another lap, should I have needed it.

View attachment 1144731

So for those shavers who are still finding their way, and looking to emulate the face meringues of YouTube, be aware that not everyone shaves like that.

After 30 years of DE shaving, I don't want traditional lather that looks like it just came out of an aerosolised can. I just want the razor to glide freely, and let my face feel fantastic afterwards. My non-photogenic lather of barely a brushful, does that perfectly!
I couldn't imagine how long a tub of soap lasts you! I'd love to know what your numbers are if you've got them.

As for me, I'll stick to my copious amounts of lather. Part of the enjoyment for me is the childish fun of seeing a mess of lather.
I'd love to give your method a shot sometime though, I do get a kick out of feeling like I've done something with total efficiency. :thumbup:
 
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