How to make lather with boar brushes?

[cegadede]

Hello,

I've been a silvertip badger user since I started wetshaving. Never had a problem lathering with badger brushes.

Out of curiosity, I've bought a omega professional #48 boa brush (a HUGE and very nice looking brush!), But I can't make a decent lather with it! No mather how much I try, there is always too little lather (compared to the amount my straightrazor designs #3 brush makes).

Usually I face lather using Mantic's upside down lathering trick. I am doing something wrong?

 

[jrowen]

I guess I don't know how to help you with your specific problem, probably others will be along with more knoweldge. But when I first started using boar brushes, I found the following to be exteremly helpful: click me

I also found this video to be helpful. There is a link to it from the SMF page I referenced above.

[YOUTUBE]OIsj58fqVjY[/YOUTUBE]

I had a hard time making good lather off of a soap puck, PERIOD, until I saw that video and realized I wasn't loading up the brush nearly enough. Hope that helps somewhat.

- jason

 

[JeffE]

The thing that makes boar SOOOO much better than badger is the same thing that's causing your problem here. Boar actually holds a lot less water than badger, which means two different things. First, the hairs are a lot stiffer than badger so they pick up a lot more soap when you're swirling it around. Second, because they hold less water, you've got to add some water to the tips of your brush when you're beating the soap into a lather.

I suppose I'm in the minority, but my problem with badger was that the amount of water soaked into the badger brush would always doom my lather as a thin, runny mess. Eventually I figured out how to add more soap to the mix to compensate for the amount of lather, but I find it's much easier just to start with a brush that doesn't pick up as much water to begin with.

I hope you stick with the boar! There's plenty of devoted followers here.

 

[mkevenson]

#1 on above. Boar = less water retention which = more added water to make the lather. Used mine today with soap and made copious amouts of lather. Another tip for soap users, put a tbls or 2 of hot watter on soap puck, then pour soapy water into a container and use that soapy water to add to your brush or bowl. Really adds to the lather and is economical as well.

 

[fishops]

Your brush needs to break in. Good boar brushes don't start getting fantastic until after at least 2 weeks of daily use. It's worth the wait though, I find that the kind of lather you can make from a good soap and a broken-in Semogue or Omega is impossible to achieve with a badger.

 

[LarryAndro]

If you lather in a shave mug on top of your soap, or if you lather on your face, I would recommend for a time or two that you lather in a separate bowl. Any old cereal bowl. Load your brush with soap, and scrape it off into the bowl. Lather, add a few drops of water, lather, experimenting all the time.

The reason for lathering in a separate bowl is that it gives you the best ability to control the variables. The variables are basically the ratio of soap to water.

One of the big enemies of good lather in my opinion is having too much soap and too little water. And, this is more likely when you lather on top of your soap plug. And, I think the stiffer boar brush might be scuffing more soap off the plug.

Just guessing and by goshing...

 

[Kevan]

This is heresy to many here on this board, but a good, dense, broken in boar makes better lather with soaps AND creams than any badger I've tried.

I love my Rooney 3/1, but since I've had my Semogue 2009 LE it's been largely benched.

Just wait till it's broken in and you'll be amazed.

 

[LarryAndro]

This is heresy to many here on this board, but a good, dense, broken in boar makes better lather with soaps AND creams than any badger I've tried....

Remember that Pee Wee Herman "Big Adventure" line... applying it good naturedly to Kevan...

I say we hang him.
I say we shoot him.
I say we whip him.
I say we let him go... (Pee Wee speaking here...)

NO!!!!

(OK, watch the movie.)

Kevan, good for you we are in a forgiving mood today.

 

[Kevan]

Sorry, but the Semogue LE has truly spoiled me. I used to be in the badger camp, but no longer.....