The cream or the technique?

[FriscoSoxFan]

I've been wet shaving about a month. I've been using a proraso boar brush with proraso cream and a gillette travel razor very successfully so far.

Last week for my birthday I got a Merkur HD, a Vulfix 2235, and some Trumpers Limes cream.

I introduced each into my routine separately, and not at once. The brush made my lather explode like it hasn't ever done before.

Yesterday (and today) I got around to trying the Limes.

The smell was wonderful. I also am using about 1/2 as much of the cream to lather with as I do the Proraso. The lather overfills my bowl. However, the lather goes on thin and absorbs rather quickly. My razor sticks and I got an awful shave. Today, I abandoned ship after two passes and went back to the proraso. It doesn't seem like the Trumpers lubricates very well.

Is there a problem with my technique or is the Limes just not for me? I know its not the brush or the HD because they are working great with the proraso.

 

[Jonnybc]

It sounds like you need a touch more water. You have to fine tune the amount of water on the brush as you use different creams, this includes creams from the same manufacturer, while your whipping the lather add a few drops of water until you're satisfied with the consistency of the Lather. It should look like Italian meringue IMO.

 

[BigDawgBarkin]

My experience has been exactly the same with the exact same products you're talking about minus the HD. I completely agree with Jonnybc, add a little more water and that should take care of any problem you are having (at least it did for me).

Wayne

 

[FriscoSoxFan]

This morning I couldn't have used more water without shaving underwater. The lather held a bit better, but same result on the slickness. I had to do the last two passes with a new tube of Palmolive (red tube) that I picked up at CVS last night.

Current score: Proraso 1, Palmolive 1, Trumpers 0

I'll give it another go or two, but maybe my face just likes the cheap stuff

 

[Stauff]

Sounds like my experience with my trusty GFT coconut this morning. My brush was really loaded with water, I didn't shake it enough, resulting in a huge amount of pretty thin lather. Lots of pulling of my razor, really uncomfortable shave.

So instead of using even more water, use a little less next time. I have the impression that the symptoms of too much VS. not enough water can sometimes be the same. It's certainly not typical for trumper creams: they should be very lubricating and give a great shave.

 

[moses]

That's frustrating. I had more or less the same thing happen to me early on, with a couple of creams. I would have given up on them, had I not gotten good shaves with at least one before. I still don't know what was wrong. Probably either too little or too much water, I suppose. But the razor would just more or less stick to my face, and not slide smoothly. With more practice, that stopped happening. So hang in there. I wish I could give more specific help, but I really do not know what exactly I was doing wrong....

I have not tried the Limes, but I do get a good shave from the one GFT I do have.

 

[Jonnybc]

I've used all the trumper creams and have never had a bad lather. It's trial and error really, you need to find the correct cream to water ratio. If I wer you I'd do the folowing:

1. After soaking shake all the water out of your brush.
2. Put an almond sized dollop of cream in the bowl.
3. Start whipping the cream with your brush (you should find the cream quite sticky)
4. Add a few drops of water.
5. Keep whipping.
6. A few more drops of water
.
.
.
X. Keep whipping.
Y. A few more drops of water

Until a nice creamy lather is made. When adding the water make sure you only use a few drops, it's very easy to add too much water.

 

[jduffy]

Trumper is very slick, more than Proraso from my efforts.

I agree, best to not get it too thin. Add drops of water at a time using your fingers. Don't try to get drops to come out of your water tap. Invariably you wind up with too much water.

Keep at it. Eventually you'll find the right combination of cream/soap and water that works for you.

 

[Scotto]

For what it is worth, I don't find Trumper gives a particularly good shave, with the exception of the coconut, and perhaps the Almond. As usual, YMMV. Perhaps try something else (i.e. Taylor) and see how it goes.

 

[guenron]

My failsafe lather routine seems to work very well with Trumpers. The only problem I encounter on occasion is that I have too much lather.
I use the poke and twist method of getting the correct amount of cream for the brush, with a brush fully saturated with hot water. After letting the brush drip to a static state, I poke the brush into the Trumper cream, give it a twist, and then whip the cream - water mix to a slick lather in my Bellagio SUPER coffee cup and shave away.
Either via this method or luck, I have never built a bad lather with Trumper creams.
As a side note, I use this approach as I am continually cycling through different size and quality brushes.

 

[ada8356]

My 0.02 cents on lathering:

Some people just have trouble with some soaps/creams for whatever reason. There are PLENTY of brands and types out there. If one doesn't work for you, don't worry, there are plenty of others that will.

I've had that problem with certain products. I'll post my issues and find out that other folks don't have the same problem, so I'll keep trying. But at some point, I just decide hey, why work so hard on this product if it doesn't work for me?

 

[FriscoSoxFan]

I got a decent enough lather that I didn't have to switch mid-shave this morning. However...

I think I've decided that the Trumpers Lime will, to me, become the shaving cream that is like the f__k-buddy "girlfriend" you had in college...

Great for a weekend bit of fun, nothing you want to spend any time committing to.

I'll stick with the proraso and palmolive for the weekdays and leave the Trumpers for the weekend when I'm in the mood for something more fun.