How to make great lather from a soap ~ Tutorial

[Ishamael70]

I feel very fortunate that this tutorial was posted before I started wetshaving, because I have had a fantastic lather from my soap every time since I started a month ago. Without this, I am sure I would be doing it some other way that wasn't nearly as satisfying or fun.

Thanks!

 

[scotish shaver]

well iv never used shaving soap before, i usually use shaving cream (the stuff in jars or tubes) might get some next time i am out and about looks like a good idea.

 

[scagooch]

Well I finally got around to using this method. It works plain and simple. My problem is that I never make enough but i felt the soap (honeybee) could have taken more water as there were no bubbles yet. I got no Razorburn from a three day old Feather. My only issue right now is to make enough for 3 passes. This will be solved with experimentation.

 

[Hendu3270]

Well I finally got around to using this method. It works plain and simple. My problem is that I never make enough but i felt the soap (honeybee) could have taken more water as there were no bubbles yet. I got no Razorburn from a three day old Feather. My only issue right now is to make enough for 3 passes. This will be solved with experimentation.

What kind of brush are you using? This sounds like the issue I was having with my Boar brush. Once I tried this technique I had better lather but never enough. Once I switched to a badger brush I had enough for 4 or 5 passes and lather left over.

 

[scagooch]

I was using the C&E Best Badger but after last night's shave I finally figured it out. Since the brush was smaller I needed to load more soap up plus the brush was still too wet. I had no problem with the B&B brush.

 

[Texican]

Very helpful. I found when I started using a brush, my lather was very runny and had hardly any substance at all. I soon discovered that I was simply using too much water.

Maybe my wife's blondness is rubbing off on me.

 

[g4willy]

OK, looking for some advice. I have been shaving with creams for awhile (TOBS Lavendar and AOS unscented) and have built lather directly on my face with great results. I cannot for the life of me get the "slickness" from soaps or Trumper Violet cream by building lather in a mug (or my face). My razor drags and stutters and generally feels bad. So far I have tried Mama Bear and Tabac soaps and getting ready to try QED Sandalwood. I have followed the instructions here but obviously missing something? I am currently using C&E Best Brush, Anchor glass bowl for the soap (with the Tabac refill), and large latte mug for building lather. Help!

 

[scotish shaver]

well im just about to try my first shave soap shave and this looks like a good idea gona give it a go.

 

[g4willy]

I tried the QED Sandalwood today and same result By the time I got to my neck the lather was all but gone (evaporated?). I tried more water in the mug with additional whipping but still got light, airy, lather?? I decided to hit the soap with the brush again and lather directly on my face which worked much better. I am still looking for feedback on why I am getting such light airy lather in the mug. Thanks!

 

[Jim]

I tried the QED Sandalwood today and same result By the time I got to my neck the lather was all but gone (evaporated?). I tried more water in the mug with additional whipping but still got light, airy, lather?? I decided to hit the soap with the brush again and lather directly on my face which worked much better. I am still looking for feedback on why I am getting such light airy lather in the mug. Thanks!

There are only three components in the lather, soap,water and agitation.
In almost every case insufficiencies in any of the three will cause a problem. Ditch the mug and get a cereal bowl from the kitchen and load the brush more then work the lather and add water slowly.

How does your brush look after its loaded?

Can you snap a photo of the loaded brush?

Do you have very hard water?

 

[Hendu3270]

I tried the QED Sandalwood today and same result By the time I got to my neck the lather was all but gone (evaporated?). I tried more water in the mug with additional whipping but still got light, airy, lather?? I decided to hit the soap with the brush again and lather directly on my face which worked much better. I am still looking for feedback on why I am getting such light airy lather in the mug. Thanks!

If you're getting able to build good lather directly on your face, the only variable you've changed, when compared to building in a bowl, is the added water. Which tells me you're adding too much water in you mug/bowl when building lather. Start off loading your brush and then stirring in your bowl and adding only a couple of drops at a time.

 

[jazzman]

Best thread ever. Thanks, guys.

 

[g4willy]

Sounds like not enough soap on the brush and too much water. I will try hitting the soap a bit longer and a little less water. Will try the Tabac and post results tomorrow. Thanks for the tips.

 

[cymric]

Thanks for the tutorial---all of a sudden the messing around with these stupid hard soaps never yielding a proper lather seems rather clumsy.

However, I do have one question this tutorial doesn't seem to answer. After experimenting on my own, I found that with the amount of water used to 'load the brush' in this tutorial I was able to create a good mug full of lather so thick I couldn't even shake a clump twice the size of my brush back into the bowl without some effort. If I compare that to the small bowl used in the pictures which isn't even full after 'building', then the only conclusion can be that the depicted lather hasn't been built for as long as mine---it can be made (much) more voluminous.

My question: would you really want to do that? When do you stop building? I mean, with the addition of water and swirling and plunging and what not, you're just whipping more air into the mixture. But the amount of soap stays the same, so while the lather grows in volume, it becomes less soapy and slippery too. While great tufts of meringue on your face may look impressive, they help little in actual shaving: it's only the thin layer close to your skin where all the action takes place. (Well... tufts may help prevent drying out that critical layer, but if you shave and reapply lather quickly, it becomes less of an issue.)

So I'm led to believe that one shouldn't strive for maximum volume, but for significantly less, and apply the result sparingly... Anyone care to comment on these thoughts?

 

[g4willy]

Tried Mama Bear Trade Wind with the suggestions of more soap and less water. Built lather directly on my face and got pretty good results. Had to hit the soap a couple of times for more lather but got the best results so far. Still experiementing but process is improving. Thanks to all for the tips.

 

[g4willy]

Finally got to try with Tabac today. WOW! Definitely the best shave I have had in a long time. I hit the puck hard and lathered directly on my wet face. Actually got three passes with no irritation. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

 

[Naes12]

Between this thread and the other thread in the pictorial section I feel very confused. They are dramatically conflicting. Either way, I was able to get excellent lather using this method with wilkinson blue bowl soap, but I purchased another soap made locally and experienced the problem described by willy and the glycerin thread. I thought Wilkinson was also glycerin based? I also have hard water, but this is very confusing. Maybe I'll give Scotto's technique a go and see if there is success with the local soap. I prefer this tech though, because scotto's seems extremely time consuming.

 

[vespergo]

for me the key to getting a great shave with soaps one that i wasn't using before was to get the brush soaked and then shake off all the water so it was just damp. it helps it load up all that soap so much quicker.

 

[randomtw]

Do you mean leave the water on the soap just a few minutes, for example 5minutes or less? I was thinkin of just leaving in there while I take a shower-about 10-15min but not sure if there would be any negative effects

 

[Jim]

Do you mean leave the water on the soap just a few minutes, for example 5minutes or less? I was thinkin of just leaving in there while I take a shower-about 10-15min but not sure if there would be any negative effects

You can leave the soap wet whilst you shower,its the perfect timing.