I've been using a DE razor and artisan soaps and creams with a brush for almost a year now but it's always been irritating and bloody. I suspect it's because of my inability to make a good lather because I get a perfect shave with ease with Barbasol and Gillette Foamy or any other canned cream. I've followed the steps, tips, and tricks that have been posted here, bowl lathered, face lathered, used synthetic and boar brushes but I still don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't know if I want to keep trying at the expense of my face. I see why some people can be finicky with their lather.
I think I'm finished
- Thread starter kyleifornia
- Start date
You can use canned cream if you like, some of it is all right. I used to use Aveeno and Nivea, for instance.
People here might be able to help you improve your lather making skill, if you want.
People here might be able to help you improve your lather making skill, if you want.
Extending my empathies for your frustrations. As a noob, I feel them myself. (Three days ago, slaughtered my chin into a bloody mess for first time.) Seems that every "answer" creates a few more questions, and the matrices of decision-making never end in a satisfying, smooth, blood-free, irritation-free shave. Fells like being at the end of a bottomless pit!
I do really hope you decide to persevere with just that one more technique, that one more skill, that one more attempt. Whatever your conclusion, I hope you stay here to enjoy whatever form of shaving you adopt!
P.S. Edge Gel worked wonders for me for as long as it has been in the marketplace!
I do really hope you decide to persevere with just that one more technique, that one more skill, that one more attempt. Whatever your conclusion, I hope you stay here to enjoy whatever form of shaving you adopt!
P.S. Edge Gel worked wonders for me for as long as it has been in the marketplace!
If you get a perfect shave with Barbasol and Gillette Foamy then why torture yourself with stuff that doesn't work for you? Shaving should be enjoyable.
Just to parrot what I've been told--and I heard this advice probably about 100 times before I did it. Wash your face with soap and hot water. Rinse with hot water, leaving your face wet. Set up your lather however you do it, and apply. After you do the second side of your face, use your non dominant hand to drip some water on your brush (hot hot hot) and do one side of your face. Repeat the water sprinkle a few times alternating from one side to the other. Paradoxically, you'll find the lather will tighten up instead of becoming runny and useless. For me, this helped immensely because it created a "hot towel" on my face without one. The lather retains heat more effectively with each repeated addition.
If you've already done this to no avail, ignore the above.
This turned things around for me.
Good luck to you.
If you've already done this to no avail, ignore the above.
This turned things around for me.
Good luck to you.
There are several good threads here (I'll try to link them in a bit) which purport to make anyone a lather master.
You have several options here:
1. Keep trying to make a decent lather, this is frustrating if you don't know what you're doing wrong or right, but practice makes perfect as the adage goes.
2. Go ahead and use the Barbasol and/or Gillette foamy. There's nothing wrong with that, and many folks use canned foam regularly. If that works for you, then that indeed is the famous YMMV everyone here spouts frequently.
3. Maybe take a very close look at your technique and HOW you are shaving. Perhaps it isn't your lather, but your angle or something similar.
A combination of these wouldn't hurt either.
Use your canned foam, and practice periodically with the soaps and brushes you have now. Try to improve the lather.
In either case, take a shave or two to pay particularly close attention to your shaving angle, how the hair grows on your face, and whether you need to skip an Against the grain pass due to skin type.
Don't give up the ship, but you should certainly try to enjoy what it is you are doing, if you hate doing it, it's no different than the tedious chore that many of us switched back to wet shaving to avoid.
You have several options here:
1. Keep trying to make a decent lather, this is frustrating if you don't know what you're doing wrong or right, but practice makes perfect as the adage goes.
2. Go ahead and use the Barbasol and/or Gillette foamy. There's nothing wrong with that, and many folks use canned foam regularly. If that works for you, then that indeed is the famous YMMV everyone here spouts frequently.
3. Maybe take a very close look at your technique and HOW you are shaving. Perhaps it isn't your lather, but your angle or something similar.
A combination of these wouldn't hurt either.
Use your canned foam, and practice periodically with the soaps and brushes you have now. Try to improve the lather.
In either case, take a shave or two to pay particularly close attention to your shaving angle, how the hair grows on your face, and whether you need to skip an Against the grain pass due to skin type.
Don't give up the ship, but you should certainly try to enjoy what it is you are doing, if you hate doing it, it's no different than the tedious chore that many of us switched back to wet shaving to avoid.
I use col conk and arko soaps and they work well for me. I know they are the run of the mill cheaper soaps but I like them. If I travel I use gillette foam or barbasol or whatever and while they are not as good as the soaps, they get the job done. I made the mistake of buying some locally made artisians soaps at farmers markets and local stores and they were so bad that I just threw them away even though they cost around $8 each.
I would just use the can if that works best for you.. I would continue to try thou
It might help for us to know what DE razor you are using.
And welcome to our little community.
And welcome to our little community.
Are you face stretching, what razor and blade combo are you using, and finally are you playing attention to the amount of pressure you’re using? Best wishes for better shaves.
Canned foam and gel just don't work at all for me. To me they are worse than just using water because they give an illusion of slickness and protection they just don't provide me.
Shave soap can work pretty well if you get sufficient lather and body, but it can be a challenge at first to get it properly "dialed in." My advice is not to use shave soap until you get good technique with both razor and soap.
If the canned stuff works for you, great! (It doesn't work for me at all, for whatever reason.)
Shave soap can work pretty well if you get sufficient lather and body, but it can be a challenge at first to get it properly "dialed in." My advice is not to use shave soap until you get good technique with both razor and soap.
If the canned stuff works for you, great! (It doesn't work for me at all, for whatever reason.)
There is great knowledge here. Also you must remember everyone’s technique is different- razor angle, razor, blade, etc.
If I read right you are using soap. Try cream. Lather comes easier.
What razor and blade are you using?
( this is from a multi year beginner. Finally getting great shaves)
If I read right you are using soap. Try cream. Lather comes easier.
What razor and blade are you using?
( this is from a multi year beginner. Finally getting great shaves)
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
It's probably not the lather. If it's a bloody shave, the blade is obviously cutting below skin level, and lather choice will never correct that. That onus is on the driving hand.
However, if a blade is capable of cutting BELOW skin level, then it is capable of cutting AT skin level. Where a lather might not be helping, is if it is too rich/dense. That can mute shave feel, and lead someone to shave "heavier" than they should be doing.
The thinnest/wettest lather possible (while still being lather and not dirty dish water - think cream - but not whipped cream), and a far lighter touch should help. If my lather makes peaks, I've done something VERY wrong. Skin stretching to prevent looser skin getting snagged might be needed on some faces. If those corrections lead to stubble being left behind, then the angle needs refining.
I spent months with red burning faces, bumps that acted like small
knicks etc,,,I thought I was scaping the crap out of my
face. Most of it turned out to be allergies to some of the ingredients in the soaps.
In my case lanolin and essential oils. You might try an unscented soap without
lanolin for a week and see what happens
Arko is Far from unscented but it works great for me and it's cheap. YMMV
knicks etc,,,I thought I was scaping the crap out of my
face. Most of it turned out to be allergies to some of the ingredients in the soaps.
In my case lanolin and essential oils. You might try an unscented soap without
lanolin for a week and see what happens
Arko is Far from unscented but it works great for me and it's cheap. YMMV
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I also vote that the most important thing is a clean, non-irritating, enjoyable shave. If you’ve been working on it for a year, then I’d say you gave it more than a fair shot and should now focus on what works for you.
Good luck and enjoy the shave!
Good luck and enjoy the shave!
I have some skin issues too... one soap that really combatted that is Canada Shaving Soap... you can get it on Amazon for less than their own site. They only have one soap and it's unscented... makes a great later in a bowl. It's very hard but I guess you could lather out of the puck, but it's full all the way to the top.
I am like a broken record (for those you who remember what a record is), but I started with an Artist Club Single Edge razor... It's so easy to shave with one... doesn't irritate my skin... there are a few of them out there, I use the Executive Shaving Company's Claymore Evolution. There are people here with much more experience than I had who are enjoying it: Executive Shaving/Alpha Claymore Evolution. - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/executive-shaving-alpha-claymore-evolution.612985/
I am like a broken record (for those you who remember what a record is), but I started with an Artist Club Single Edge razor... It's so easy to shave with one... doesn't irritate my skin... there are a few of them out there, I use the Executive Shaving Company's Claymore Evolution. There are people here with much more experience than I had who are enjoying it: Executive Shaving/Alpha Claymore Evolution. - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/executive-shaving-alpha-claymore-evolution.612985/
I just started using "Stirling Unscented with Beeswax" this week and
two thumbs way up for it so far. The Canada soap is on my list but it's
been in short supply and expensive.
two thumbs way up for it so far. The Canada soap is on my list but it's
been in short supply and expensive.
What razor & blade are you using?
I don't believe the issue is your lather.
It's probably the combo of razor & blade that you are using and some modification of technique (pressure) that needs to be made.
(I say this for when you use shaving soap since the canned stuff is working for you)
Even lathering incorrectly with a shaving soap, you'll still have more slickness than the canned variety. Especially Barbasol which has zero slickness!
But hey, everyone's face & skin is different. The canned stuff might work for you over other products.
I don't see why you would give up though. Nothing wrong with the canned stuff if they're giving you good shaves. Keep shaving with a DE, using the canned cream that works for you!
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