I will try to show what Good, Bad and Ugly lather looks like using MWF and Williams. This thread is not intended to be a tutorial on how to make lather. All the tutorials are currently available here: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers
This thread should help you diagnose how to make better lather and recognize bad lather. Keep in mind that I'm no expert in the lather department but I usually get decent lather.
I did 3 batches of lather with both soaps.
The first batch is too much water: The Bad
The second batch is too dry: The Ugly
The last batch will be to good lather: The Good.
Let's get started. Tools for today:
Everything was soaked in warm water for 3-5 minutes between each batch. I used the bristle brush as most newbie will use a boar/bristle brush. This is a very cheap brush, less than $5.
MWF - The Bad
Starting with a lot of water
Right away, after a 20 seconds charge on the soap, you can see how big the bubbles are
Even the soap has big bubbles!
The end result after 3 minutes of mixing. The bubbles are still quite big!
The lather won't provide much protection...
MWF - The Ugly
Dry lather is another common problem
The soap and brush are very dry. I squeezed out all the water from the brush before I charged it. The soap was soaked in water and then turned upside down to get rid of the water.
After 1 minute of mixing and it's not coming together...
2 more minutes of mixing, still not good!
The lather seems a bit better than the wet one, very small bubbles however, this is everything, included the lather squeezed out of the brush! Barely enough for 1 pass... It's a very very thick lather.
MWF - The Good
Good batch of MWF
Here, I half squeezed my brush. I left a tiny bit of water in the bowl before I started (1/4 of a teaspoon). I had around 1 tablespoon of hot water poured on top of the soap. It still need to be mixed a bit!
This lather is much better, more dense, more lather, small bubbles!
If I blow some air between my fingers, that stalactite of lather will remain there, it won't break/fall/be blown away!
Williams - The Bad
Too much water again...
Just like MWF, huge bubbles!
As you can see, lot of lather but again, huge bubbles!
Williams - The Ugly
Dry lather
Same than MWF, I made sure that my bowl was dry and I squeezed all the water out of the brush. I charged the brush on a wet soap (poured some water on it and turned it upside down)
Compared to MWF, much more lather, very tiny bubbles but still, not enough lather!
Williams - The Good
Good Williams, good lather!
Here, I tried to capture how much water I have in my bowl, around 1/4 teaspoon, maybe 1/2 teaspoon top.
I still have some bubbles but I need to work it a bit
That lather is better and now look a bit dry
I added a bit more water (a few drops using my fingers) and here's the result!
Again, close up of the lather, if I blow some air between my fingers, the lather doesn't fly away
Tips and tricks!
This thread should help you diagnose how to make better lather and recognize bad lather. Keep in mind that I'm no expert in the lather department but I usually get decent lather.
I did 3 batches of lather with both soaps.
The first batch is too much water: The Bad
The second batch is too dry: The Ugly
The last batch will be to good lather: The Good.
Let's get started. Tools for today:
- 1x Wilkinson Sword Bristle brush
- 1x Lather bowl (1" deep x 3" diameter)
- 1x MWF Soap (in the German army butter container / Center-bottom)
- 1x Williams soap (in the mug / Middle-right)
Everything was soaked in warm water for 3-5 minutes between each batch. I used the bristle brush as most newbie will use a boar/bristle brush. This is a very cheap brush, less than $5.
MWF - The Bad
Starting with a lot of water
Right away, after a 20 seconds charge on the soap, you can see how big the bubbles are
Even the soap has big bubbles!
The end result after 3 minutes of mixing. The bubbles are still quite big!
The lather won't provide much protection...
MWF - The Ugly
Dry lather is another common problem
The soap and brush are very dry. I squeezed out all the water from the brush before I charged it. The soap was soaked in water and then turned upside down to get rid of the water.
After 1 minute of mixing and it's not coming together...
2 more minutes of mixing, still not good!
The lather seems a bit better than the wet one, very small bubbles however, this is everything, included the lather squeezed out of the brush! Barely enough for 1 pass... It's a very very thick lather.
MWF - The Good
Good batch of MWF
Here, I half squeezed my brush. I left a tiny bit of water in the bowl before I started (1/4 of a teaspoon). I had around 1 tablespoon of hot water poured on top of the soap. It still need to be mixed a bit!
This lather is much better, more dense, more lather, small bubbles!
If I blow some air between my fingers, that stalactite of lather will remain there, it won't break/fall/be blown away!
Williams - The Bad
Too much water again...
Just like MWF, huge bubbles!
As you can see, lot of lather but again, huge bubbles!
Williams - The Ugly
Dry lather
Same than MWF, I made sure that my bowl was dry and I squeezed all the water out of the brush. I charged the brush on a wet soap (poured some water on it and turned it upside down)
Compared to MWF, much more lather, very tiny bubbles but still, not enough lather!
Williams - The Good
Good Williams, good lather!
Here, I tried to capture how much water I have in my bowl, around 1/4 teaspoon, maybe 1/2 teaspoon top.
I still have some bubbles but I need to work it a bit
That lather is better and now look a bit dry
I added a bit more water (a few drops using my fingers) and here's the result!
Again, close up of the lather, if I blow some air between my fingers, the lather doesn't fly away
Tips and tricks!
- Try to make a few bowls of lather when you have time, not when you need it.
- If you can't get the lather right, try to do a batch by using less water and add water little by little. It's easier to fix lather when it's too dry than too wet
- If it's runny or too dry, it might still work, we all have different taste in how we like the lather
- Williams need less water than MWF...
Last edited: