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Ogallala bay rum awful experience?

Hey guys, new to wetshaving and this forum! But I've read lots of posts of here and love all the great info!

I just started wetshaving last week with a fendrihan razor and some proraso white shave soap that Ive had laying around for years and like it much more than my dollar shave club. So I just got some ogallala bay rum sage and cedar soap and man it is just awful, my face burns and the soap is so unstable it's crazy. I cannot get a shiny lather from it and it will literally disappear from my face after sitting for like a minute. Just wondering if I am doing something wrong because I have only used proraso other than the ogallala and I get an amazing soothing shiny sense lather from it and almost instantly as well.

Anyone else have an awful lather from ogallala soaps?
 
Ogallala soaps are vegetable (glycerin) based, and so don't lather quite as quickly, or as "fluffy," as tallow-based soaps. They take a little more work, particularly if you have hard water, but in the end are well worth it. Sometimes helps to "boost" a hard-to-lather soap with a dollop of canned cream (called "super" or "uber" lather), but mainly a good brush and good technique - and enough soap on the brush - will work with enough practice. It's a hard soap that also benefits from "blooming" a bit (a warm water soak) before hitting it with a brush. Don't give up, because they really have an excellent line of scents and soaps. And almost all "bay rum" type soaps - and aftershaves - can warm you up, Captain's Choice Cat O' Nine Tails being the sentinal example, but Ogallala's offerings being another.
 
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Hey guys, new to wetshaving and this forum! But I've read lots of posts of here and love all the great info!

I just started wetshaving last week with a fendrihan razor and some proraso white shave soap that Ive had laying around for years and like it much more than my dollar shave club. So I just got some ogallala bay rum sage and cedar soap and man it is just awful, my face burns and the soap is so unstable it's crazy. I cannot get a shiny lather from it and it will literally disappear from my face after sitting for like a minute. Just wondering if I am doing something wrong because I have only used proraso other than the ogallala and I get an amazing soothing shiny sense lather from it and almost instantly as well.

Anyone else have an awful lather from ogallala soaps?
I had the same experience. It seems like there are two sides of the Ogallalla soap camp: You either like it or hate it.

I couldn't lather it and it kept dissipating on the face. While it was on the face, the soap burned and irritated my skin. I hear that it has heavy amounts of clove which may contribute to the burning sensation.

That said, it did not work with me but I've also heard plenty of good reviews on it. Give it couple more tries and if it's not for you, move on. Those soaps are on the cheaper side so it's not much of a waste. I used mine to break in brushes and practice bowl/palm lathering. It did smell nice though.
 
I had bloomed it everytime I used it expect the last time because I thought maybe I was giving it too much water and when I didnt bloom it I literally couldnt even load the brush half decently. I swear my wrist would fall off by the time I got a decent lather from it haha.. then I grab the proraso, bloomed or not and have an amazing lather in literally 45 seconds!

I agree that the clove is very strong in it, I thought I was having a reaction to it but I also have the ogallala aftershave sampler pack and it doesnt seem to both me.. just the soap. I will try it again after I get more experience but for now my face needs a break haha.
 
I’m in the “love ogallala” camp. Yes, a lot of clove, but that’s one of the things I love about it. I’ve been using it almost exclusively for nearly a decade so I get great lather from it, but that might just be because I’m used to it. I’d say give it a few more chances.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Hey guys, new to wetshaving and this forum! But I've read lots of posts of here and love all the great info!

I just started wetshaving last week with a fendrihan razor and some proraso white shave soap that Ive had laying around for years and like it much more than my dollar shave club. So I just got some ogallala bay rum sage and cedar soap and man it is just awful, my face burns and the soap is so unstable it's crazy. I cannot get a shiny lather from it and it will literally disappear from my face after sitting for like a minute. Just wondering if I am doing something wrong because I have only used proraso other than the ogallala and I get an amazing soothing shiny sense lather from it and almost instantly as well.

Anyone else have an awful lather from ogallala soaps?
If it is Bay Rum you are after, try Stirling Bay Rum. It lathers extremely well and has a dominant nutmeg scent. My face reacts badly to many soaps but not this one.
 
I’m in the “love ogallala” camp. Yes, a lot of clove, but that’s one of the things I love about it. I’ve been using it almost exclusively for nearly a decade so I get great lather from it, but that might just be because I’m used to it. I’d say give it a few more chances.

+1, this. I have 3 of their soaps along with their aftershave and have no issues with it.
 
#2 is correct when he recommends Captains Choice.
It is a durable lather and the Bay Rum is excellent. It likes water but add it slowly and you will be rewarded with a good lather.

I have the Ogallala Bay Rum too and haven’t had a problem with it.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
You can't correct a face burning soap. You are most probably allergic to one of the ingredients and will need to find a new owner for that one.

But lather that quickly disappears certainly suggests you haven't loaded enough soap on the brush and the water/soap ratio is off.

Obviously if the lather is not where it should be you want to experiment. My first choice would be a longer load. I find that a slightly wetter brush usually loads faster, but it doesn't really matter how long you load - as long as you get enough product on there to do the job.

But not this soap - your skin is never going to like this soap.
 
You can't correct a face burning soap. You are most probably allergic to one of the ingredients and will need to find a new owner for that one.

But lather that quickly disappears certainly suggests you haven't loaded enough soap on the brush and the water/soap ratio is off.

Obviously if the lather is not where it should be you want to experiment. My first choice would be a longer load. I find that a slightly wetter brush usually loads faster, but it doesn't really matter how long you load - as long as you get enough product on there to do the job.

But not this soap - your skin is never going to like this soap.


I think your right, I will try it again once more after my face heals up from all the awful shaves from it just to verify I do get a reaction from it though.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I think your right, I will try it again once more after my face heals up from all the awful shaves from it just to verify I do get a reaction from it though.

I think it's possible to test it on the inside of your elbow (assuming that's a better place for irritation).
 
You can't correct a face burning soap. You are most probably allergic to one of the ingredients and will need to find a new owner for that one.

But lather that quickly disappears certainly suggests you haven't loaded enough soap on the brush and the water/soap ratio is off.

Obviously if the lather is not where it should be you want to experiment. My first choice would be a longer load. I find that a slightly wetter brush usually loads faster, but it doesn't really matter how long you load - as long as you get enough product on there to do the job.

But not this soap - your skin is never going to like this soap.

When I try to load the brush i get this extremely thin and very bubbly lather so i try to work it for a while without adding water to thicken it up and it just seems to stay thin.
 
Water can make all the difference - we have the hardest water in the country, so use a whole-house water softener and have no problem lathering any soap. If you really love a soap you can use distilled water, but an extra step. Might be time to explore other bay rum offerings if that's what you're after, but again expect some heat from most of them - nature of the beast.
 
When I try to load the brush i get this extremely thin and very bubbly lather so i try to work it for a while without adding water to thicken it up and it just seems to stay thin.
I believe lots of bubbles when loading means your brush is too wet. Try squeezing out as much water as you can before loading.
 
I had issues when first trying out the Ogallala, but I found that I didn't have enough water on my brush.

It truly is a soap that takes a bit of practice to get correct (which to me, is common for hard soaps). Fortunately it's cheap and there is plenty there to play around with. :001_tongu

However, if you are allergic to an ingredient, there is not much you can do.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
When I try to load the brush i get this extremely thin and very bubbly lather so i try to work it for a while without adding water to thicken it up and it just seems to stay thin.

Lathering is basically a very simple process: enough product with the correct ratio of water to product.

If it's thin and bubbly there is not enough product. It doesn't matter if you use a stiffer brush or longer load time, but you need to get more soap on the brush.

A brush that's too wet will take a long time to load and make a lot of beautiful lather - enough for 7 passes! A brush that's too dry will take a long time to load and then require added water as you build lather.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter. If you have enough soap and the right amount of water you'll have good lather.

The only way to arrive at this ratio is to experiment. I'd start with a couple of test lathers - palm or bowl lathering seems to work best for these. Start with a drier brush than you have to date and a very long load time. Then add water about 4-6 drops at a time about every 15 seconds, mixing well in between. At some point you'll have great lather. Keep adding water. It will either get even better or turn too runny. In either case, pay attention along the way.

After a couple of these you should have a good handle on what this soap requires for good lather. Every soap is a little different, some a lot different.
 
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