Lather

[Burnside]

Do i want my lather a little foamy or thicker like pudding?

Example - Like Cool Whip or like Jello Pudding??

Or is this question just preference for each individual?

Ive noticed on my last pass the lather has a hard time holding to my face. Should i use less water? But, i dont use a lot of water in my lather anyway. So, i dont know. I do know that distilled h2o helps me make lather

 

[brucered]

it's a personal preferance. just do what works for you.

i have never experimented with distilled water, nor will I. if i can't shave at my sink or wherever i am making lathe (vacation, camping, hotel) i won't shave but that has yet to happen.

i like mine like cool whip home made whipped cream in a mixer. creamy, thick, forms peaks but has a nice shine to it so i know there is enough water.

 

[jeffr0]

i like mine a little wet. so the suds are dripping off my face. seems to be the slickest i can make it. d owhat makes you happy, bro.

 

[Marco]

+1 on the above. And regarding distilled water it can certainly help in those places where water is very hard.

 

[Burnside]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[SliceOfLife]

Jeff's right. It's not a choice between foamy and pudding. Foamy is indisputably bad. It's between drippy and pudding. I prefer a little drippy. Generally I start my shaves with a more pudding-like texture and either wet my face or just dunk the brush (lather and all) in a mug between passes to wet it up. The sign of a good lather in my books is being able to be dunked into water and not lose any structure. And the extra water in the mix makes the XTG and ATG passes slide better. Though really I only dunk when Im in a hurry, rinsing and applying later passes over the wet face with a touch of a scrub to absorb the water into the lather seems to give slightly better slip than just dunking the brush and applying.


I like my lather the texture of whipped cream a bit before soft peaks. Where a finger-trail in it would flow back together, not instantly, but rapidly.

 

[gash]

The way in which you add the water makes a big difference. Try adding it very gradually - a few drops at a time.

 

[Rattray]

I start my lather a little stiffer, since my face is wet when applying the lather gets more wet with each pass. If I start out to creamy, the last pass isn't pleasant. YMMV and it depends on preference.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I think Jim described it once " like yoghurt" ....and I agree with him.

 

[Jefebadskin]

Preference. I do both but in the end, I prefer the thick pudding/yogurt like lather

 

[Teddyboy]

Confucius say, "man who confuse toppings with shaving lather will have dinner guests that leave after main course."

 

[VerbaVolant]

I like the thicker, creamy lather and with a nice shine. I noticed that when too much water is added (lather is thin) lather actually dries faster on my face. One other hint the lather is perfect is when I cannot wipe clean the inside of the bowl / palm with the loaded brush. Also, first pass lather is slightly different than second pass lather.

 

[attime6]

The way in which you add the water makes a big difference. Try adding it very gradually - a few drops at a time.

+1, i like to start drier and then add water as i go along.