Lather keeps drying out when I shave with straight

[ccrowder]

So while this might be better off in the soap forums it only seems to be when I am straight shaving (probably because I don't take that long with a DE). The issue I have is my lather is drying out way to fast. I will have barely done my sideburns and cheeks and the lather on my chin and neck is already very dry. Now I am slower with the straight then a DE since I am still learning but I am not super slow. I don't know why my lather seems to be drying out. If I try to use more water it just gets runny.

So here is my current setup for when I use the straight. I have a boar brush that is mostly broken in. I soak it while in the shower and then shake out as much water as I can. I then load up with AoS sandlewood soap for around 30sec-1min. I then face lather and dip the tip of the brush into the sink of water a couple of times to try and get a bit more water. But no matter what I do the lather still gets dry fast. I will try to get some pictures of the lather tonight but I wanted to know if anyone had suggestions or ideas as to what my problem could be.

 

[Wid]

This used to happen to me when I first started using a straight. I would just wash off the dry lather and reapply. In time you will become efficient enough that this problem will pass.

 

[Brush_with_Fame]

I'm new to straights as well, been at it for about a month now...

Among the good advice I received was this tidbit:
Only lather the part of the face you are working on.

 

[Leche]

I'm new to straights as well, been at it for about a month now...

Among the good advice I received was this tidbit:
Only lather the part of the face you are working on.

This works very well.

 

[Hawkeye5]

Indeed.

Although I've been using a straight razor for several years, I continue to lather only half my face when shaving XTG. Just a habit left over from when I was learning.

As an alternative, just grab the brush and relather the areas that have dried somewhat.

 

[Mink]

Patience is hard. Whatever you do, don't force your way through and just keep on shaving with the dried out lather. Even applying good lather over the dried lather can cause problems because the dried out lather can actually be sticky next to your skin. Completely rinsing off your face to keep it moisturized and only applying where you intend to shave next works really well. The area you can shave next keeps getting larger.

 

[global_dev]

Patience is hard. Whatever you do, don't force your way through and just keep on shaving with the dried out lather. Even applying good lather over the dried lather can cause problems because the dried out lather can actually be sticky next to your skin. Completely rinsing off your face to keep it moisturized and only applying where you intend to shave next works really well. The area you can shave next keeps getting larger.

interesting... if you were to relather with a brush, you don't think that the dried lather would be integrated into the new lather? honest question... now that i think about it, i do remember reading about not lathering over a layer of old lather for some reason, but dried lather is mostly dehydrated soap or cream so I would think it would not be so bad...

 

[professorchaos]

It happens, especially in the winter. I just re-apply lather when a particular spot starts to dry.

 

[paachi]

That happens to me as well. I am new to straight razor shaving. My solution to that is as many have mentioned, shave my face in segments and ergo apply lather to areas that I am shaving. My flow of surfaces is cheeks, neck, chin and under the nose.

I also observed that some creams/ soaps dry out much faster than others. For example TOBS Rose, Poraso(not as much as others but does dry out) and Acqua di Parma dry faster where as the humble Godrej, Spieck and AoS Sandalwood stay creamy for quite a while. Do others experience this or is it just me??

PK.

 

[Seraphim]

Nobody is keeping score. Apply, and re-apply as often as needed. There is no rule saying that you must apply only a single layer of lather per pass.

Enjoy your lather, enjoy your brush, as often as you so choose!

 

[Brownbear]

That happens to me as well. I am new to straight razor shaving. My solution to that is as many have mentioned, shave my face in segments and ergo apply lather to areas that I am shaving. My flow of surfaces is cheeks, neck, chin and under the nose.

I also observed that some creams/ soaps dry out much faster than others. For example TOBS Rose, Poraso(not as much as others but does dry out) and Acqua di Parma dry faster where as the humble Godrej, Spieck and AoS Sandalwood stay creamy for quite a while. Do others experience this or is it just me??

PK.

My AOS sandalwood stays much wetter and creamier than my Trumper Eucris soap, especially now that winter is here and the heat is on. I also wet my face between passes when I relather to keep the lather moist.

 

[ouch]

This reminds me of the true story of the man who complained to GM that he couldn't restart his car when he would stop to buy vanilla ice cream as part of his daily routine, but it would restart when he'd buy another flavor.

There was a logical explanation for it.

 

[rajagra]

Go with the workarounds suggested. But know that well made lather can last an hour (yes, I sometimes take that long when using a straight. )

 

[ccrowder]

Go with the workarounds suggested. But know that well made lather can last an hour (yes, I sometimes take that long when using a straight. )

That is what has me wondering if I am doing something wrong with my lather...

 

[rajagra]

Maybe try less water. I prefer a thick, creamy lather and suspect many would say it's too dry. But it sure lasts a long time. Ironically, I believe a watery lather dries out faster.

 

[Gustav]

That happens to me as well. I am new to straight razor shaving. My solution to that is as many have mentioned, shave my face in segments and ergo apply lather to areas that I am shaving. My flow of surfaces is cheeks, neck, chin and under the nose.

I also observed that some creams/ soaps dry out much faster than others. For example TOBS Rose, Poraso(not as much as others but does dry out) and Acqua di Parma dry faster where as the humble Godrej, Spieck and AoS Sandalwood stay creamy for quite a while. Do others experience this or is it just me??

PK.

This is of course one of those YMMV things but in my experience their are some soaps which I loved when using a DE that just are no good when using straights because, being somewhat of a beginner, I cannot shave fast enough to compete with the lather drying out. Thus I am having trouble with Floris no89 and Valobra shave stick but I have no trouble whatsoever with Tabac, Cade or Monsavon. In the beginning I would recommend to stick to one soap you really like and that gives lather with staying power. Lathering only the portion you are shaving is also a good option.

 

[Xman74]

This reminds me of the true story of the man who complained to GM that he couldn't restart his car when he would stop to buy vanilla ice cream as part of his daily routine, but it would restart when he'd buy another flavor.

There was a logical explanation for it.

I have to admit I was so curious about the vanilla ice cream story, I googled it. Below is a link to the whole story, for those who may be interested.

http://www.heinpragt.com/wijsheden/stories.php

 

[Luc]

I must be a ninja as this doesn't happen to me... I was going to say try to use a bit more product but looking at the answers, I'm guessing I'm in the right country as my lather doesn't dry in winter...

 

[global_dev]

I have to admit I was so curious about the vanilla ice cream story, I googled it. Below is a link to the whole story, for those who may be interested.

http://www.heinpragt.com/wijsheden/stories.php

i was curious too, but thought it was something else and just went with what i thought even if i didn't know what the true story was... thanks

 

[Drybonz]

My fix for the dry lather is to get my hands wet and massage my face for a sec in between passes (and before the first) so that my face is moist before I lay down the lather. I feel like it helps prep the face a bit and keeps that next layer of lather nice and moist.