Ogallala issues

[isaacc7]

I got one of the Ogallala lime and peppercorn shave sticks the other day and I've been having trouble getting decent lather out of it. I shave in the shower, so here's what I've been doing:

I finish my usual routine and then rub the shave stick across my stubble, trying to get all the different areas of the face and neck. i then use my brush and work up a lather on my face. The first time I used it, the lather was a bit thin. The second time I had a lot less water in the brush and got a thicker lather, but it still wasn't overly slick. Today, I did the first pass with the Ogallala and just to make sure I wasn't imagining things, I lathered up using my usual Col. Conk's. Nope, I wasn't imagining it, the Conk's was much thicker and slicker.

Am I doing something wrong with the Ogallala's or is it just not as good a soap? Thanks.

 

[Leche]

Sounds like a fine balance for your water ratio. Try getting a majority of water out of the brush and start building. Add a little bit of water at a time and take the time to work the lather. If it isn't slick it is probably to dry.

 

[langod]

Sounds like too much water. Ogallala is a very slick lather when properly built. It is my daily use shaving soap.

I don't shave in the shower, but this is what I do. Maybe you'll see something you can adapt to your shower-shave routine that may help:

Soak brush in hot water (in lather bowl)for several minutes. While the brush is soaking, I let about 2 tsp of hot water sit on top on my soap puck. (not sure how you'll replicate that with a stick, but it makes a big difference)
Empty lather bowl, squeeze water out of brush and give one single flick to remove more water. Dump soap puck water into lather bowl. Apply brush to soap puck, twisting and turning the brush to load it up with a good paste-like covering of soap. Swirl loaded brush in the bowl for about 30 seconds ti build lather. It shouldn't take much more than that. You may need to add slightly more water if the brush loaded up really well.
One note -- Ogallala lather should be fairly thick, but probably won't build to a really "rich" creamy lather like you'd get from a high-end cream like Trufitt & Hill, for instance, but it is very slick and cushioning nonetheless.

 

[isaacc7]

LOL, one person says too much water, the next says not enough...

I use that basic technique with my regular soap with no problems. I'm thinking I didn't get enough soap on my face. I'm trying it again today, wish me luck!

 

[mankini]

Use more product & less water. It is a fine line between not enough and too much. This soap is very slick and gives up great lather when properly used.

Good luck.

 

[isaacc7]

Ok, did another shave with the Ogallala shave stick. I got a better lather than I had before. It was thicker and it gave me some decent slickness. I still had a bit of a problem with it drying out, and even though it was slicker, it wasn't as slick as my usual Col. Conk's. As a matter of fact, today was the first day that I drew blood in my DE experience. I dunno, I'm not real impressed so far. Maybe I'm still not getting the best out of this stuff, but I'm wondering why it should be so much work. I do feel like I got a decent lather out of it, but I'm also thinking that the lather just isn't as good as I'm used to. I'll have plenty of chances to perfect my technique with shave sticks, I've got a Speick stick coming my way. I figure that between that, my Conk's, and the puck of VDH I just picked up, I should get a pretty good handle on the Ogallala soap.

 

[scoopster]

I have trouble free lather with Ogallala shave sticks.

Have you used other shave sticks or is this your first?

As others have mentioned I suspect it's a matter of getting enough soap on your face then getting the water ration right. I start out with a fairly dry brush when face lathering and slowly dribble a few drops of hot water at a time (then swirl on the face) until I get the lather I am looking for.

Have you encountered this problem with any other soap or cream - and - do you know if you have hard water? Some products are more affected than others by hard water. If you continue to struggle try eliminating the hard water variable by using some distilled water purchased from a drug store.

 

[isaacc7]

Well, this is my first shave stick and I'm willing to chalk it up to that. I did have a fairly wet brush this time since I had a fairly dry one last time. Like I said, I got decent lather out of it but it wasn't of the same quality as I had been getting from my Conk's soap. Of course, the Conk soap is my only point of comparison right now. I do also have a puck of VDH and I have a Speick stick coming, so I'll have more to compare it to soon. Honestly, the Ogallala is only a 5 dollar stick of soap, I do not think it is worth the hassle of using different water with it if I have something else that works just fine.

Here's a question, is there a way to change the lather once it's on your face? With face lathering (the usual way of using a shave stick), can you do much once you find out the lather isn't quite what you'd like or do you have to start all over again? I'll try it again in a couple of days, but with a dryer brush to start and see what that gets me. Wish me luck!

 

[scoopster]

Well, this is my first shave stick and I'm willing to chalk it up to that. I did have a fairly wet brush this time since I had a fairly dry one last time. Like I said, I got decent lather out of it but it wasn't of the same quality as I had been getting from my Conk's soap. Of course, the Conk soap is my only point of comparison right now. I do also have a puck of VDH and I have a Speick stick coming, so I'll have more to compare it to soon. Honestly, the Ogallala is only a 5 dollar stick of soap, I do not think it is worth the hassle of using different water with it if I have something else that works just fine.

Here's a question, is there a way to change the lather once it's on your face? With face lathering (the usual way of using a shave stick), can you do much once you find out the lather isn't quite what you'd like or do you have to start all over again? I'll try it again in a couple of days, but with a dryer brush to start and see what that gets me. Wish me luck!

It is pretty easy to adjust in either direction:

If it is too dry add a few drops to the brush and swirl the brush all over your face to hydrate the lather on your face and in the brush.

If the lather is too wet rub some more soap on your face and again swirl the brush around to balance out the lather on your face and in the brush.

Both approaches give your face a nice badger massage. Love it with those scritchy Simpson's two-band brushes