My lathering technique with Italian soft soaps

[JohnnShasta]

Thanks for tips Marco, this method works great.

 

[SharpieB]

Hey, it was the 10 year anniversary of this thread last week!

 

[Schnitzel52]

Thank you, Marco!
You have shared much with many and you are an esteemed member of this community. Thanks for you and all you have shared and blessings to you.

 

[DaveHStone]

Hi @Marco!

A 10-year old post that's still going strong is quite a feat. Congrats!

That said, I'd like to ask you if you were still practicing this method today, especially with modern synthetic brushes.

Synthetics have come a LOOONG way and I somehow feel that 120 swirls with my T3 would be an overkill.

Well, if I wanted to shave the King Kong's face BBS in 15 passes , then this would do, but seriously - are you still loading like this?

Much obliged for you feedback!

 

[Marco]

Hi @Marco!

A 10-year old post that's still going strong is quite a feat. Congrats!

That said, I'd like to ask you if you were still practicing this method today, especially with modern synthetic brushes.

Synthetics have come a LOOONG way and I somehow feel that 120 swirls with my T3 would be an overkill.

Well, if I wanted to shave the King Kong's face BBS in 15 passes , then this would do, but seriously - are you still loading like this?

Much obliged for you feedback!

Yes Sir, I am still using this trusted method! And with synthetic knots it's working beautifully, too. Or even better, since larger synthetic knots hold less water.

Always at your disposal, Sir.

 

[Drewgordon27]

In the past I’ve used this method with Cella and Proraso.

Over the past year I’ve added a few more expensive croaps (PannaCrema, Boellis). I haven’t wanted to introduce water to the soap, so I’ve been scooping out a small portion and then (attempting to) lather in a bowl. Unfortunately, much of the product in the bowl never gets to the lather stage - it just sticks to the bottom of the bowl. Total waste of product.

My question - does using the Marco method (introducing water to the puck) in any way degrade, over time, the remaining croap regarding scent - or in any other way degrade the soap over time? If not, I’ll be using this with my PannaCrema tomorrow.

 

[scoots]

I used this method twice this week. It works amazingly well. I have one complaint.... It makes sooooo much lather!!!! What am I supposed to do with it all? It’s a fantastic lather but jeez. I’ve always enjoyed the process of running out and having to reload my brush, and now I’ll have lost the pleasure of doing that forever.

 

[benos]

I used this method twice this week. It works amazingly well. I have one complaint.... It makes sooooo much lather!!!! What am I supposed to do with it all? It’s a fantastic lather but jeez. I’ve always enjoyed the process of running out and having to reload my brush, and now I’ll have lost the pleasure of doing that forever.

I've actually started doing that occasionally as well, rather than trying to load the brush up with all the soap for the shave right at the start. If you're trying to save or stretch out a soap, it's a great way to go.

 

[scoots]

I have a question for those of you who use this method. With a couple of the soaps I have the soap is filled all the way to the top. How do you do this without making a mess? Do you put the soap into a different container? If so, how do you move the softer soaps into said container? Or do I just enjoy the mess?

 

[SydneyShaver]

I have a question for those of you who use this method. With a couple of the soaps I have the soap is filled all the way to the top. How do you do this without making a mess? Do you put the soap into a different container? If so, how do you move the softer soaps into said container? Or do I just enjoy the mess?

if you can wetshave like this without spilling some water and soap somewhere (anywhere) outside of the sink, even just a speck....You might have to check whether you can leap tall buildings in a simple bound! Or you could just do what I do which is mostly do all of the lathering in the sink and rinse everything off (including the soap tub) and just rest it on a separate towel before going to the face

 

[scoots]

if you can wetshave like this without spilling some water and soap somewhere (anywhere) outside of the sink, even just a speck....You might have to check whether you can leap tall buildings in a simple bound! Or you could just do what I do which is mostly do all of the lathering in the sink and rinse everything off (including the soap tub) and just rest it on a separate towel before going to the face

Oh I'm down with soap and water outside the sink. Hahaha honestly its on the tub that it bothers me. Silly, but it does. I'm going to have to use your method of rinsing off and then placing on a towel, unless someone suggests something better.

 

[Blade4vor]

I love when this thread gets bumped back up to the top! A truly traditional way to build lather and a great way for someone new to this way of shaving to create an excellent lather. Granted, you will have an abundance of lather, but it will be great!

Thank you once again @Marco for sharing this for all to enjoy!

 

[Markozo]

Lately I've seen that some B&B members are having issues regarding how to create a good lather with Italian soft soaps. And I have personally received several PMs regarding this subject, with many asking me what kind of lathering technique I actually use. Here is a simple tutorial for new wet shavers or for those who just are unable to get satisfying results with soft soaps.

1. Italian soft soaps like brushes with soft tips and great backbone. You can use a quality boar or badger brush of your choice with the above specs. I prefer boars, as in the old Italian barbershop tradition.

2. Run your brush under hot water (or simply soak it) for at least 30 seconds.

3. Turn your brush upside-down WITHOUT shaking it. Allow only the gravity water to fall down and move your brush carefully, since it has to be kept full of water.

4. Start making swirls on the surface of the soap. You have to proceed slowly, without pressure on the brush. Remember that it's very wet.

5. Heavily load your brush for about 45/60 seconds making around 100/120 swirls. Please keep in mind that the loading time and number of swirls also depend on how big your brush is and how much water it can retain.

6. Move the brush onto your face and face lather. Again, be careful, you'll have a LOT of lather to handle.

7. While face lathering add, slowly and progressively, a few drops of water per time to your brush. Or, alternatively, lightly wet the tips of the brush. I personally prefer to add drops of water to the brush because I have a better control of the soap/water ratio.

8. You bring the lather to the right consistency.

*** The main concept to always keep in mind is simple: a lot of water + a lot of swirls + a lot of soap = a lot of great, thick, slick and effective lather. ***

I learned this technique from an old Italian Master Barber with over 40 years of experience and I've been using it with great results for almost 16 years.

P.S. This lathering technique works very well even with hard, triple milled soaps. Exactly as described above, with the sole exception that I soften the surface of hard soaps with a dozen drops of water before starting to make swirls.

I'm using col conk and i find the lather quite thin what am i doing wrong?

 

[SydneyShaver]

Oh I'm down with soap and water outside the sink. Hahaha honestly its on the tub that it bothers me. Silly, but it does. I'm going to have to use your method of rinsing off and then placing on a towel, unless someone suggests something better.

I know what you mean. Once you get used to rinsing off the tub, its fine but you definitely feel like you're wasting or ruining the soap (unless you rotate a lot, you aren't) in the beginning.

 

[SydneyShaver]

I'm using col conk and i find the lather quite thin what am i doing wrong?

I use the marco method but with a damp brush with all the water flicked or wrung out. Then I typically face lather and gently hydrate till I get the consistency I want. I find Conk to give a dense but low structure lather. I'm not marco, but I hope it helps!

 

[scoots]

I know what you mean. Once you get used to rinsing off the tub, its fine but you definitely feel like you're wasting or ruining the soap (unless you rotate a lot, you aren't) in the beginning.

What do you mean by rotate a lot?

 

[Markozo]

I use the marco method but with a damp brush with all the water flicked or wrung out. Then I typically face lather and gently hydrate till I get the consistency I want. I find Conk to give a dense but low structure lather. I'm not marco, but I hope it helps!

I find i can see my skin is that what you mean by low structure

 

[VerbaVolant]

I'm using col conk and i find the lather quite thin what am i doing wrong?

This:

I'm using col conk...

 

[SydneyShaver]

What do you mean by rotate a lot?

rotate through a various selection of soap or cream etc. If you are only using your soap once before putting it away for a month then maybe rinsing it with water isn't a great idea. If you use the product daily like me, then it doesn't matter.

 

[SydneyShaver]

I find i can see my skin is that what you mean by low structure

No, I can sometimes see my skin if I haven't used enough soap or if I've used too much water but low structure means that it doesn't thicken up into whipped cream like some other soaps do. It stays quite light but is dense on the skin. You probably aren't using enough soap or are adding too much water. Try shaving with it either way though, its good stuff imo, doesn't need to be perfect to give a good shave.