Leaving water in the brush.

[neilz4]

I know most tutorials about lathering always have some step guiding readers to leave water in the brush/not leave the brush completely dry prior to beginning the lathering process.

Every time I've done this I have usually left too much water in and the lather doesn't so much get ruined as not explode as it would if I load dry and add water slowly.

Am I doing something wrong here? I always soak my animal hair brushes before use and always end up with too much water if I don't squeeze it all out (or shake vigorously).

 

[djh]

For every lathering product there is an optimal product to water ratio. I am a soap shaver and tend to load very heavily and never have a problem with my lather being too watery. If you wish to try starting with a wet/damp brush you might simply need to use more cream or soap to begin with.

 

[GreekGuy]

For every lathering product there is an optimal product to water ratio...... If you wish to try starting with a wet/damp brush you might simply need to use more cream or soap to begin with.

+1

I prefer to load with a drier brush and add water if needed, so I always squeeze out the excess water. One way isn't better than another, its just different technique. If squeezing your brush works better for you, theres no reason why you shouldn't do it

 

[beardybrewer]

Really depends on the brush. My 21/58 (floppy) badger needed to be bone dry to work with soaps. My 24/56 silvertip needs to be shook out but not squeezed. I think each brush needs to be learnt and do whatever gives the best results. Also maybe bowl lather rather than face lather if you have any uncertainty as you can better judge the results.

 

[Predict]

Really depends on the brush. My 21/58 (floppy) badger needed to be bone dry to work with soaps. My 24/56 silvertip needs to be shook out but not squeezed. I think each brush needs to be learnt and do whatever gives the best results. Also maybe bowl lather rather than face lather if you have any uncertainty as you can better judge the results.

+1 and when you have boars and badgers in the rotation there is even more variance

 

[andrestole]

More product= more fun. Load that brush

 

[Searlands]

More product= more fun. Load that brush

+1. I try to shake out a fair bit of water after prep soaking. I use a fair bit of product (cream & soaps).

Less water in the brush means I can add water as required, rather than having too much to start with.

 

[Str8 Shaver]

as a face latherer, I usually keep quite a lot of water in the brush and just load the hell out of what ever soap/croap i'm using... I'm not afraid of using up a product, it's what it's there for.. ;-)

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

Do some test lathers with different water ratios. If you run out of soap they will sell you more.

 

[tfinch]

Is there really a way to save a lather with too much water? I've tried adding more soap or cream to the brush but it never seems to make much difference if the brush had too much water in it at the start of the process - the lather will just stay watery and thin and I have to rinse it all out and start over.

 

[shave~extacy]

I dont shake any water out of any of my brushes. I have knots from 21-30mm and use both cream and soap.

 

[njpaddy]

More product= more fun. Load that brush

I agree. I learned that "almond" sized or a few swirls just isn't enough product with my well water. I need to use more product to get a good lather. How much water I shake out of the brush depends on the product. I don't squeeze or shake vigorously, just 3-5 up and down motions. This is for face-lathering. When I bowl lathered, I started with a dryer brush. Sometimes I won't shake any water out of a brush, then load a hard soap with 120-150 swirls. I wind up with lather flying everywhere, but it's so much fun.

 

[Magnaminous_G]

... If you run out of soap they will sell you more.

+1

 

[celestino]

For every lathering product there is an optimal product to water ratio. I am a soap shaver and tend to load very heavily and never have a problem with my lather being too watery. If you wish to try starting with a wet/damp brush you might simply need to use more cream or soap to begin with.

+1 David offers some very good advice and it really depends on how you like to do it. Also, you can not go wrong with loading the brush more with soap. Good luck.

 

[rajagra]

It is impossible to leave the brush completely dry just by squeezing it (except synthetics???)
It sounds to me like you're doing it right. I always get best results by giving the brush a squeeze before loading.

 

[JetsMets#1fan]

I was experementing with a wetter brush also but I'm reverting back to squeezing all the water out and starting my lather with the brush damp and adding water as needed because the lather didnt feel right, it was kinda thin and didnt feel protective. I think the learning curve for having water in your brush is kinda steep.

 

[neilz4]

If you run out of soap they will sell you more.

This is hands down one of the best things I've heard on B&B

And thanks for all of the responses, people! I appreciate all of the input. Gonna just go with starting dry and working up that way. It all works out a lot easier for me. Not too big of a fan of bowl lathering any more as it takes quite a bit more time to do/clean.

 

[Deltaboy]

I give them 3-4 shakes and go!

 

[RichieRich3902]

I almost always give my brush a squeeze before loading. I normally use various soaps and some I need to add a little water while loading to help the process along, others I really don't. When I use creams I usually leave just a bit more water in the brush than I do when using the soaps, but sometimes I mess it up and have to shake out most of the runny lather and load again. Oh, and I exclusively face lather with either a Simpson's Duke 1 best, Commodore X2, or Persian Jar 1 Super.

 

[ThomasB98908]

I have hard water which is hard to lather with sometimes. I usually let the water drip out of the brush till it stops - then give it a couple of good jiggles to get the excess out. If I need more will just "dip-the-tip" as needed for a nice lather (face latherer). Learned to do that after the first time I had hot water running down my neck and onto my chest. Tends to sting a little......Anyway, like anything else, you will learn the water retention capabilities of your brush and how much to jiggle/shake/squeeze out of it. Thats part of the learning curve and part of the fun. Good Luck