Many new shavers have used canned shaving creams and when they start off doing traditional wet shaving they are shocked that their lather looks nothing like what comes out of a can. They immediately think something is wrong with their lather since it is not as fluffy as what they used in the past. The goop that comes out of can may look nice but it does not have anywhere the lubricating qualities of what you can make for yourself. Plus, many new shavers see photos of what some of the folks on this site put up and they see mounds of lather and wonder why doesn't my lather look like that. Again, these photos are more for show than for what you use to shave with. Sort of reminds me of some soup commercials years ago. The bowl of soup looked like it was chuck full of meat and vegetables. When I opened the can of soup and dumped it into a pan I wondered what happened to the meat and vegetables. I learned later that the photographer put marbles in the bowl and then dumped the contents of the can on top resulting in a photograph showing the soup was full of meat and vegetables.
Another issue that comes up is the idea that there is only one way to make lather from a soap. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are a number of different techniques that can be used. One excellent technique was demonstrated by Jim and can be found here. Jim used a brush more on the dry side and added water to the soap gradually.
Another way to make superb lather was demonstrated by my friend Marco. It can be found here. Marco uses a wet brush to make lather and face lathers.
I have adopted a modification of Marco's method and I use it to bowl lather. The purpose of this post is to demonstrate how whipping the soap up changes its consistency and what at first looks like thin lather turns out to be rich, thick lather.
First, I take a brush and soak in in my scuttle for a few minutes. The purpose of wetting the brush is to soften the bristles.
Next, I shake the brush gently just once. I do not wring out the brush as Jim does. I then take a wet brush and twirl it around the soap. In the following photos I am using my favorite soap, McD, and the 2012 B&B LE brush with a Shavemac knot.
I twirl the brush around the soap puck for less than a minute. Since the brush is wet the soap appears foamy and thin at first. This is what the soap mixture looks like at first.
The amount of soap on the brush does not appear to be very much at first blush.
Next comes the important part. I use my brush similar to how I use a whisk to beat eggs. I twirl the brush rapidly in various directions for at least two minutes.
After a few minutes the soap changes. What was foam is replaced by a rich, lubricating lather.
This is what the lather looks like after whipping it up for a few minutes. I shaved with this lather today and got a wonderful shave with it.
(to be continued).
Another issue that comes up is the idea that there is only one way to make lather from a soap. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are a number of different techniques that can be used. One excellent technique was demonstrated by Jim and can be found here. Jim used a brush more on the dry side and added water to the soap gradually.
Another way to make superb lather was demonstrated by my friend Marco. It can be found here. Marco uses a wet brush to make lather and face lathers.
I have adopted a modification of Marco's method and I use it to bowl lather. The purpose of this post is to demonstrate how whipping the soap up changes its consistency and what at first looks like thin lather turns out to be rich, thick lather.
First, I take a brush and soak in in my scuttle for a few minutes. The purpose of wetting the brush is to soften the bristles.
Next, I shake the brush gently just once. I do not wring out the brush as Jim does. I then take a wet brush and twirl it around the soap. In the following photos I am using my favorite soap, McD, and the 2012 B&B LE brush with a Shavemac knot.
I twirl the brush around the soap puck for less than a minute. Since the brush is wet the soap appears foamy and thin at first. This is what the soap mixture looks like at first.
The amount of soap on the brush does not appear to be very much at first blush.
Next comes the important part. I use my brush similar to how I use a whisk to beat eggs. I twirl the brush rapidly in various directions for at least two minutes.
After a few minutes the soap changes. What was foam is replaced by a rich, lubricating lather.
This is what the lather looks like after whipping it up for a few minutes. I shaved with this lather today and got a wonderful shave with it.
(to be continued).
