Slicker or wetter lather

[cristobal41]

Hi,
When I make lighter and wetter lather, it seems to me that I can get better shaves. I also rinse the razor before every single stroke. it cleans and adds water to the job. Sometimes even lather leaks a bit, the wet it is.
On the other hand, I sometimes try to create a creamy and slicker lather that looks great, feels soft but gets dry before and doesn't help a lot.
This conclusions may vary from one day to another. Sometimes the first statement seems to be the truth and sometimes the second one.
Going beyond, do you apply a thick layer of lather or just a thin one?
Thanks.

 

[kingfisher]

to me the two conditions (slicker and wetter) are not mutually exclusive; in fact, my experience would suggest the opposite. In other words, I feel like my slickest lathers are also on the wet side, and that I tend to lose slickness when I opt for thicker lather.

YMMV.

Personally, I like my lather a bit wetter than the meringue-like creamy peaks we see in pictures and videos. When my lather hits that spot I add a bit more water until the lather is shiny and the peaks are sagging just a little. Then it's perfect.

 

[xgunterx]

8<
Going beyond, do you apply a thick layer of lather or just a thin one?
Thanks.

I face lather most of the time and in the past my shaves weren't consistent either.
While I managed to get a 'visual' nice thick (as in volume and in consistency) lather, it wasn't always slick enough for those great close shaves.
Now I changed my lathering routine to this:
After the preparation routine I rinse the face, load the just damp brush with soap (20 sec of swirling approx. for every pass) and start swirling on the face.
Because there is not much water from the beginning the created volume is low. Then I start smearing it out with painting motions. The result is a dry cream (almost a paste) covering my face. Then I start including water by dripping the tip of the brush in water and moving again in painting motions till I feel the brush is gliding over my face.
Since I'm doing it like this I have good close shaves no matter soap I'm using. Even the ones I didn't like before are performing a lot better this way.

The lather is now always slick although it is highly concentrated since it has a low volume because less air is included which otherwise dilutes the lather.

 

[SiBurning]

Depends. With a dripping wet lather I can move the blade a lot faster, almost like some of the method shaving videos. I also keep the face constantly lathered, often keeping the brush in my off hand. If I'm going slow, like with a straight, a thicker lather ends up more comfortable.

Paradoxically, the wetter lather often dries out faster, since it's actually thinner. A thicker, drier lather seems to dry out on the surface but is still good underneath.

 

[cristobal41]

Depends. With a dripping wet lather I can move the blade a lot faster, almost like some of the method shaving videos. I also keep the face constantly lathered, often keeping the brush in my off hand. If I'm going slow, like with a straight, a thicker lather ends up more comfortable.

Paradoxically, the wetter lather often dries out faster, since it's actually thinner. A thicker, drier lather seems to dry out on the surface but is still good underneath.

Interesting concerns.
I must beg your pardon because when I said slick, I meant thick.
Sometimes I see some people shaving themselves with whipping cream. It is attractive, appears efficient and luxurious but I am in pursuit of effectiveness, not manly videos look.
On the other hand, I agree with you that lighter lather dries faster and thicker slower. Nevertheless, I didn't realize that you are to shave yourself slower when using thicker lather.
Gonna try tomorrow.
Regards.

 

[BlackBard]

I face lather most of the time and in the past my shaves weren't consistent either.
While I managed to get a 'visual' nice thick (as in volume and in consistency) lather, it wasn't always slick enough for those great close shaves.
Now I changed my lathering routine to this:
After the preparation routine I rinse the face, load the just damp brush with soap (20 sec of swirling approx. for every pass) and start swirling on the face.
Because there is not much water from the beginning the created volume is low. Then I start smearing it out with painting motions. The result is a dry cream (almost a paste) covering my face. Then I start including water by dripping the tip of the brush in water and moving again in painting motions till I feel the brush is gliding over my face.
Since I'm doing it like this I have good close shaves no matter soap I'm using. Even the ones I didn't like before are performing a lot better this way.

The lather is now always slick although it is highly concentrated since it has a low volume because less air is included which otherwise dilutes the lather.

I like your thinking. Mounds of lather are not needed for "good lather."

For me, if the lather begins to seem a little dry while I am shaving, I just use a wetter razor. The additional moisture on the razor allows it to glide more smoothly over my beard. There are a lot of variables to consider in getting a good shave.

 

[ateace]

I shake out as much water as possible before mixing. This gives a dry lather to start. Adding about 3-4 drops of water gets it just right. Two or three times during the shave, I rinse my face to add some slickness without sacrificing lather consistency.

 

[sodajerk]

There are a lot of variables but I'm like you, mine has to be pretty wet to get good shaves. Along with the soap or cream, water acts as a lubricant (wet razor works best for us) and is not just for making lather. Everybody's situation is different and my advice is for folks to start with too much soap and repeat sprinkle-water-whip cycles until the lather is too wet. Somewhere before that point is what they need (tested by feel, not looks) for a good lather.

 

[SiBurning]

I didn't realize that you are to shave yourself slower when using thicker lather.
Gonna try tomorrow.
Regards.

Not sure I'd say exactly "that you are to shave yourself slower when using thicker lather", but if you watch the method shaving video of Charles going at 70mph... I need a wetter lather to go that fast, but a thicker lather offers more protection. I think it's got to do with the balance between the lubrication of the soap/cream vs. the skin effect of water which only comes into use at higher speeds: viscosity vs. hydroplaning. If you want to look up the engineering, try static vs. kinetic friction, or newtonian and non-newtonian shear and viscosity.

 

[cristobal41]

Wise advices, gentlemen. Guessed that was the way to go.
Stay tuned.
Regards.