Lather Optimization Updates

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

Today, I started my lather optimization guide in the ShaveWiki:

Lather Optimization Guide

This thread is for alerting you all to updates in the guide. The general guidance for optimizing lather could be updated, but updates will be mainly for additions to the optimum lather table with associated reviews as more soaps and creams are evaluated, which may also help others make better lather. So far, I've optimized six soap/cream products:

• Declaration Grooming (Formerly L&L Grooming) Shaving Soap
• Stirling Soap Co. Shave Soap
• Barrister and Mann Latha Shaving Soap (Discontinued)
• The Art of Shaving Shaving Cream
• Mystic Water Shaving Soap
• The Sudsy Soapery Shave Soap

The optimum lather table contains my optimum lathers ranked from best to worst. Mass and time measurements define the amounts of soap/cream mass, water mass, and lather-building time that work best for me. We all have different skin, hair, shaving hardware, lathering preferences, etc., but others might find my optimization results useful even if they do not measure mass and time. For example, comparing the water-to-soap/cream ratios to one another shows which soaps and creams work best with more water and which work best with less water, at least in my opinion. It could be fair to say that the water-to-soap/cream ratios relate to which soaps and creams are more "thirsty" than others, and with the ratios serving as guidance, they might help others figure out what hydration levels work best for them, regardless of whether they measure mass or not. The same goes with my optimized lather-building times, which vary among the different soap/cream products. One does not have to measure time to know if he/she is using significantly more or less time to build lather while using my optimized results for guidance. My optimized soap/cream masses could also help others determine what works best for them, even if they simply judge soap/cream amounts by eye.

Thanks for reading and, please, keep an eye out for future updates about soap/cream reviews and optimization results!

 

[ED3054]

Today, I started my lather optimization guide in the ShaveWiki:

Lather Optimization Guide

This thread is for alerting you all to updates in the guide. The general guidance for optimizing lather could be updated, but updates will be mainly for additions to the optimum lather table with associated reviews as more soaps and creams are evaluated, which may also help others make better lather. So far, I've optimized six soap/cream products:

• Declaration Grooming (Formerly L&L Grooming) Shaving Soap
• Stirling Soap Co. Shave Soap
• Barrister and Mann Latha Shaving Soap (Discontinued)
• The Art of Shaving Shaving Cream
• Mystic Water Shaving Soap
• The Sudsy Soapery Shave Soap

The optimum lather table contains my optimum lathers ranked from best to worst. Mass and time measurements define the amounts of soap/cream mass, water mass, and lather-building time that work best for me. We all have different skin, hair, shaving hardware, lathering preferences, etc., but others might find my optimization results useful even if they do not measure mass and time. For example, comparing the water-to-soap/cream ratios to one another shows which soaps and creams work best with more water and which work best with less water, at least in my opinion. It could be fair to say that the water-to-soap/cream ratios relate to which soaps and creams are more "thirsty" than others, and with the ratios serving as guidance, they might help others figure out what hydration levels work best for them, regardless of whether they measure mass or not. The same goes with my optimized lather-building times, which vary among the different soap/cream products. One does not have to measure time to know if he/she is using significantly more or less time to build lather while using my optimized results for guidance. My optimized soap/cream masses could also help others determine what works best for them, even if they simply judge soap/cream amounts by eye.

Thanks for reading and, please, keep an eye out for future updates about soap/cream reviews and optimization results!

WOW [emoji54]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

WOW [emoji54]

Thanks

 

[Mick]

I wanted to read it all before commenting.

Now that I have, I don't know what to say other than....

Thanks for all the time you have invested in this Wiki article. Amazing and through level of effort.

.

 

[dmshaver]

Outstanding research!

I have read it. I look forward to following this as you add more soaps & creams. This will benefit many, thank you!

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

I wanted to read it all before commenting.

Now that I have, I don't know what to say other than....

Thanks for all the time you have invested in this Wiki article. Amazing and through level of effort.

Outstanding research!

I have read it. I look forward to following this as you add more soaps & creams. This will benefit many, thank you!

Wow! Thanks, guys! I'm really glad that you read it and like it. As more soaps and creams are added, the table will get better and better. I hope that this all helps others experiment with lather optimization. The advice on building better lather is by itself really good, I think. You don't have to change how you build lather to experiment with the amounts of soap/cream, water, and time. I hope that I got that message across. If I didn't, then please let me know.

Interestingly, if you compare my old lather optimization results (without lather-building time optimization) to my new results (with lather-building time optimization), you'll see that the rankings are similar, but not exactly the same, and overall, I'm getting better slickness with less cushion now because of much smaller lather-building times.

Currently, I'm optimizing Barrister and Mann (classic) and I expect to have that done next week.

 

[xxvaleria]

Very impressive study. Thanks.

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

Very impressive study. Thanks.

You're welcome. Thanks for the compliment. I'd rather share my results with you guys than keep it to myself.

 

[Cal]

Now we need members to PM you offering samples of their favorite soap/cream to be tested in the SBTN laboratory.

I'd do that myself but I reckon CONUS would be better (and much cheaper) as I'm in the UK.

 

[Tokyospike]

Nicely done, sir! Thanks as always.

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

Now we need members to PM you offering samples of their favorite soap/cream to be tested in the SBTN laboratory.

I'd do that myself but I reckon CONUS would be better (and much cheaper) as I'm in the UK.

It's a good idea. Thanks, Cal. Maybe we'll see something like this happen someday.

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

Nicely done, sir! Thanks as always.

Thanks, Spike. I appreciate it.

 

[Canadian Mountain Man]

I am impressed...sincerely! That was very well done, thank you for the effort.

 

[Ad Astra]

Read it! A valuable and worthy scientific study.

It's hard to quantify this hobby's variables ... Grant makes it look easy (and lives up to his screen name!)

Many thanks.


AA

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

I am impressed...sincerely! That was very well done, thank you for the effort.

Read it! A valuable and worthy scientific study.

It's hard to quantify this hobby's variables ... Grant makes it look easy (and lives up to his screen name!)

Many thanks.


AA

Wow! Thanks, guys! More results will keep coming. With great generosity, @Tokyospike will be sending me some uncontaminated samples for optimization, so we'll have CRSW Select, Mike's Natural, and Barrister's Reserve soaps on deck soon.

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

More good news! @Cal will be generously sending several unused samples (Martin de Candre, Nanny's Silly Soap, etc.)! This is GREAT! You gotta love B&B!

 

[JTshaves]

That is very cool! Thank you for putting the time and effort into this.

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

That is very cool! Thank you for putting the time and effort into this.

You're welcome. It's my pleasure. I'll keep the updates coming. Next up: Barrister and Mann (Cheshire)

 

[ShavingByTheNumbers]

UPDATE! Barrister and Mann (classic) shaving soap has just been added to the Lather Optimization Guide. It is currently in 2nd place out of 7 brands:

Lather Optimization Guide

Declaration Grooming is still in 1st place, but new contenders have entered the arena. I just received three soap samples from @Tokyospike that might make it up top: Barrister's Reserve, CRSW SELECT, and Mike's Natural. Thanks, Spike, for your generosity! Very cool! I have some razor testing for maybe a week or two, but after that, I'll get to those new samples and get back to you all here with results.

 

[Tokyospike]

OK, I'm going to actually start studying this now. Note, the table does not seem to sort as you intend . . . clicking on column headings re-sorts, but not into straight ascending/descending order (for me, anyway).