Post-lather Delay?

[tpwpny]

Almost every shaving tip I've heard throughout my entire life (shaving the old way with foams/gels and commercial carts) included waiting a minute or so after lathering to let the whiskers "stand up" before shaving.

I haven't really seen that direction here in the wet shaving world. I have found it useful. Most of the tutorials I've seen seem to advocate shaving right after lather. Does a decent pre-shave prep eliminate that step?

 

[ShavinElectricity]

I believe a good prep is key to a good shave. Removing the natural oils from the whiskers allows them to properly hydrate making them easier to cut meaning less irritation. You could leave the lather on longer, but the difference a good prep makes is night and day.

 

[doofus]

Your brush allows them to stand up no waiting is needed. When you run that brush over your beard it does that for you.

 

[Go West Young Man]

No one ever listens to us, but a lot of us old curmudgeons recommend lathering up then letting it sit for 3-4 minutes while you clean up, put the kettle on, etc., instead of any number of complicated pre shave rituals.

This had two main benefits - first, the alkaline soap will slowly break down and soften the keratin outer coating of your whiskers, and secondly any lather that can't survive sitting untouched for 4 minutes is a bad lather that needs more work.

 

[BSAGuy]

No waiting for me. Lather, shave, rinse. Repeat. Done in 8-10 minutes from start to finish.

 

[dcoulombe]

... any lather that can't survive sitting untouched for 4 minutes is a bad lather that needs more work.

Words of wisdom.

 

[tpwpny]

Your brush allows them to stand up no waiting is needed. When you run that brush over your beard it does that for you.

For some reason I haven't experienced any stand-up with just prep and lather alone. If I give it a minute or two post-lather, I'll see the whiskers start to stand up through the layer of lather and end up with a better shave. (My prep, btw: warm water and Dove Face Scrub, rinse, then Proraso Pre-shave, and lather.)

 

[tromboneliness]

I think the "Brush standing up the whiskers" thing has been debunked. How they know to stand when brushed continues to be a mystery.

No one ever listens to us, but a lot of us old curmudgeons recommend lathering up then letting it sit for 3-4 minutes while you clean up, put the kettle on, etc., instead of any number of complicated pre shave rituals. This had two main benefits - first, the alkaline soap will slowly break down and soften the keratin outer coating of your whiskers, and secondly any lather that can't survive sitting untouched for 4 minutes is a bad lather that needs more work.

+1 That "breaking down and softening" takes a few minutes.

My dad always lathered, then brushed his teeth, then shaved. And he didn't get it from an internet forum, either!

 

[kzoo1]

I was surprised when I ordered Proraso cream instead of C.O. Bigelow (same stuff I know) to see the instructions recommended letting the lather sit for a minute prior to shaving.

My pre-shave (if you can call it that) is to massage a small amount of cream on my beard using my hands, take care of a few other "chores" and then build a lather with my brush. I don't use anything other than that for pre-shave...(works for me; YMMV, etc...)

 

[tpwpny]

Typically I've always lathered up and put on deoderant, etc. while the lather sat and the whiskers stood up. Definitely a better result. A routine I think I'll be reverting back to rather than just pre-, lather, and shave away.

 

[Seneca]

I always try to wait a minute before beginning to shave, and if I have time I give the lather 3 or 4 minutes on my face. Another trick that I do once in a while is to wash off the first lather without shaving. When I re-lather the slickness is increased considerably.

 

[tejolot3]

I have always had poor luck letting it sit, because the lather tends to dry out that way. However, reading this thread now, I shall revisit my routine and try letting the lather sit for a few minutes in lieu of pre-shave prep and then rinse off and relather for the first pass.

A big thanks to all you old farts for reminding me to revisit this aspect of shaving.

 

[ackvil]

I tend to work the lather on my face quite a bit. However, I still let the lather sit there for a minute and then shave.

 

[AbbyW2]

If this makes any sense, then you would let the lather sit for each pass, extending shave time to a (fill in your own snarky adjective) extent!

IMHO

 

[tejolot3]

If this makes any sense, then you would let the lather sit for each pass, extending shave time to a (fill in your own snarky adjective) extent!

IMHO

Only if you already do the rest of your pre-shave prep between passes as it is. I don't, so I wouldn't.

 

[clyde72]

Hmmm now where have I heard this before??

Kyle's Prep

It made a difference for me!

 

[GoneRetroInOH]

I have not heard that. The advice would not hold up to the winters here anyway. Unless you have humidity-controlled HVAC, the heated indoor air is so dry that you can almost see the lather dehydrate before your eyes. Even the post-shower mirror fog is gone in two minutes, and you can hang your laundry indoors to dry within eight hours. Enough time to hold out for a pass on a wet face is about the best you are going to get from a lather. It is not a lack of lathering skill. When the season changes, the lather lasts longer.

 

[tejolot3]

I have always had poor luck letting it sit, because the lather tends to dry out that way. However, reading this thread now, I shall revisit my routine and try letting the lather sit for a few minutes in lieu of pre-shave prep and then rinse off and relather for the first pass.

A big thanks to all you old farts for reminding me to revisit this aspect of shaving.

And... success!

My usual prep is a succession of wet washcloth applications followed by some homemade pre-shave oil (olive and castor). Skipping the prep has always led to a poor shave, so I had given up trying to simplify it.

[I super-stick, meaning I bowl lather a cream, then apply a shave stick, then briefly face-larger the two together.]

For tonight's shave, I did nothing before I started the lathering process. Partway through bowl-lathering, I wetted my face and took a scoop of the protolather and rubbed it in by hand. A little later, I took another scoop and rubbed it in too. Once the cream was lathered, I rinsed my face, applied the shave stick, and proceeded as usual.

The slickness and protection was at least as good as with my usual (or should I say, 'old') prep routine. No weepers, no alum burn, and it shortened my routine by several minutes. I'm sold!

 

[jcs266]

My face prep is very simple, just wash/scrub my face with Dove moisturizing bar soap for about a minute, rinse with hot water... Then I face lather (VDH Deluxe with a Simpson Badger), working the lather on my face for about 45-60 seconds, then go right to it. I prefer a wet thin lather that's really slick.

 

[BigJ]

I believe a good prep is key to a good shave. Removing the natural oils from the whiskers allows them to properly hydrate making them easier to cut meaning less irritation. You could leave the lather on longer, but the difference a good prep makes is night and day.

+1.