The lather in my brush wont transfer to my face, new to traditional shaving

[artajuan]

So i'm new to traditional shaving and i need help with my brush.

I'm using a shaving a cream and when i make a lather with it and use the brush on my face, despite the lather looking thick in the bowl, the lather on my face is very thin and i can see my skin behind it.

When i squeeze my brush and move my finger upwards, the lather comes out of my brush and i can see that there's lots of lather in in the brush but for some reason the lather just wont transfer to my face good enough. The lather just dips down the handle of the brush.

What's worse is that in the box of the brush it says that i should press the brush gently to my face and do circular motions but if i try to do that, there's even less, if AT ALL lather on my face this time.(In the above example i would press the brush to my face and let the hair of the brush spread like i saw the guys in the Youtube do it.)

What am i doing wrong? Why won't the lather transfer to my face?

Can you also explain the lathering process with a synthetic brush and explain how i should use my brush with detail if it's not much of a problem?


This is the brush i'm using with a Proraso shaving cream:

Shaving Brush - BLACK KNIGHT - YAQI

New from YAQI the Black Knight shaving brush with the very popular 24mm Plisson Knot. A great looking traditional styled handle with one one of YAQI's most popular shaving knots. Synthetic Plisson Knot Handle Material: ResinBrush Knot Diameter: 24mm (+/-1mm)Loft size: 52mm (+/-1mm) Handle...

www.yaqishaving.com.au

 

[Aaron Hall]

I use Proraso cream often. The only time this happens to me is if I add too much water (or too little soap). If I start with a damp badger and about 3/4" (19 mm) of cream I only have to add, at most, 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) of water. If you added lots of water, just rinse the bowl and start over. Note that I don't use a synthetic brush, so that might change the soap-water ratio slightly.

The swirling method is intended to work the soap under your stubble so it's actually on your skin. That's how the soap provides the protection (slickness, glide, and cushion). Your face should be damp (visible water, but not running down your chest). After you do the swirls, "paint" on the lather.

Alternatively, forget the bowl. Apply cream directly to your face with your fingers (just smear it around) then swirl it with a damp brush (i.e., do a face lather).

No matter what brush or soap combination you use, practice will make better, lots of practice to make perfect (I'm still not there). My first lather was...….can't use adequate language in a forum to describe that lather.

Good luck! Welcome to wet shaving - it's frustrating until it clicks, then you'll never use a cart again!

 

[slybrewguy]

So i'm new to traditional shaving and i need help with my brush.

I'm using a shaving a cream and when i make a lather with it and use the brush on my face, despite the lather looking thick in the bowl, the lather on my face is very thin and i can see my skin behind it.

When i squeeze my brush and move my finger upwards, the lather comes out of my brush and i can see that there's lots of lather in in the brush but for some reason the lather just wont transfer to my face good enough. The lather just dips down the handle of the brush.

What's worse is that in the box of the brush it says that i should press the brush gently to my face and do circular motions but if i try to do that, there's even less, if AT ALL lather on my face this time.(In the above example i would press the brush to my face and let the hair of the brush spread like i saw the guys in the Youtube do it.)

What am i doing wrong? Why won't the lather transfer to my face?

Can you also explain the lathering process with a synthetic brush and explain how i should use my brush with detail if it's not much of a problem?


This is the brush i'm using with a Proraso shaving cream:

Shaving Brush - BLACK KNIGHT - YAQI

New from YAQI the Black Knight shaving brush with the very popular 24mm Plisson Knot. A great looking traditional styled handle with one one of YAQI's most popular shaving knots. Synthetic Plisson Knot Handle Material: ResinBrush Knot Diameter: 24mm (+/-1mm)Loft size: 52mm (+/-1mm) Handle...

www.yaqishaving.com.au

I used proraso early on and ran into the same troubles but was able to dial it in to an 'acceptable' lather and nothing more. Only recently did I learn how to PROPERLY lather proraso and it's a game changer.

Watch this video below, it's only a minute long and the 'meat' of the video is only about 20 seconds long. Do what this guy does (pay special attention to when he taps the brush on his chin/cheek, this is to demonstrate proper consistency) and you'll be set. It will feel weird at first, it's a pretty dense lather and really sticks to your face but works wonders. They skip over it a little but you simply just keep working it in your face until it's thick. Skip the bowl, it's extra crap to clutter your bathroom and an extra variable you don't need to worry about.

 

[Rehabilitated Shaver]

Having used only soaps and "croaps" until last night when I tried a cream for the 1st time, also a Proraso, I have to say I was underwhelmed by the lather as well. I was using a new brush, but I suspect that the problem was I was a bit light on the cream. I'd heard rumors of "just a pea sized anount is good for 3 passes"......this was not my experience at all. I think the amount used in the video linked above is a good starting point and probably what I'll try next.

Just keep experimenting until you find what works for you. For me, I think the too thin lather contributed to the irritation I experienced from that particular shave, I'll be changing that next time for sure.

Good luck, keep trying!

 

[carluchi]

There is nothing wrong with your brush, it just sounds like you did not have enough cream / soap in your bowl.

Next time, add more than you think is necessary (ie. double what you did previously) and see if that helps.

It will take a bit of trial and error to get your process down, but it will be smooth sailing after that.

 

[@ngel]

And keep on swirling, some creams tend to “lather up” quick, buy if you keep on wiping it up and adding a bit of water till it look glossy it will eventually explode out of your brush, synthetics tend to hug the lather for a bit, just give it extra love and it will release the prize!

 

[Timeclo]

Hmm. The brush shouldn't be a problem because Yaqi synthetics are one of the easiest brushes to make lather with. Try using more cream and mess around with the hydration level. You might be using too little water or too much.

Here's a video of Michael using Palmolive cream. He does face lather though so maybe you should give that a try. I find it easier to face lather than bowl lather for that exact issue that you have. It's hard for me to bowl lather to a right consistency while I can control the lather on my face a lot better.

 

[Tedolph]

Forget the face lathering and stick with the bowl for now. It lets you see what you are doing and swirl as long as you want without tearing up your face.

If cream is dripping down the handle of your brush your product to water ratio is way off. Start with about an inch strip of cream in the bowl. Wet your brush and give it one gentle flick in the sink. Now start swirling. Work in the center of the bowl, stopping to push the created lather back into the center as you go. Do this for a slow count to about 45. At this point you should begin to see a decent lather form. It should have no large bubbles in it and almost has a skin on it. The consistency should be somewhere between whipped cream and stirred yogurt. If it's not there yet keep mixing.

Now you can scrub your face with the brush, and then paint on the lather. Finish up with dabbing the lather on your face to make it thick.

Now you are ready to shave.

 

[Aaron Hall]

Forget the face lathering and stick with the bowl for now. It lets you see what you are doing and swirl as long as you want without tearing up your face.

@artajuan If you're new here, this is what we mean by Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). @Tedolph isn't wrong and @slybrewguy isn't right (and vice versa); they offer honest opinions about what works for them. Any time you ask for advice you'll get at least 2 viewpoints. I'd recommend considering all ideas, trying each a few times, and then determining which is best. That's what I do and my shaves get consistently better.

I think the only rules are these: 1. Do what works for you; and, 2. Enjoy the ride.

 

[Tedolph]

@artajuan If you're new here, this is what we mean by Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). @Tedolph isn't wrong and @slybrewguy isn't right (and vice versa); they offer honest opinions about what works for them. Any time you ask for advice you'll get at least 2 viewpoints. I'd recommend considering all ideas, trying each a few times, and then determining which is best. That's what I do and my shaves get consistently better.

I think the only rules are these: 1. Do what works for you; and, 2. Enjoy the ride.

I agree whole heartedly and apologize to @slybrewguy and to all of you for my less than gentlemanly dismissal of his advice. By way of clarification I meant to say that in my opinion starting out with bowl lathering in the beginning is easier than face lathering. Once you know how to build a lather with your soap and your brush-by all means switch to face lathering if that is your preference. I face lather when I travel but for me it would not work on a regular basis. My skin is sensitive and I am meticulous about building what for me is a perfect lather. That would be way too much swirling on my face with a boar bristle brush, and is one of the reasons that I travel with a synthetic plisson knot brush. I wouldn't have any face left to shave if I face slathered with a boar bristle brush! Others with tougher skin seem to love face lathering and is part of what makes wet shaving enjoyable to them.

So, as @aaronhall wisely states, YMMV.

 

[ShaverAZ]

Your [hard] water can be a contributing factor in producing an inferior lather. Go wrestle some bottled water away from a family member, or better yet go buy a gallon of distilled water (80¢ at Walmart).
I can load up any of my lightly damp synthetic brushes with any soap, croap or cream and whip up a dense lather. For any soap in a jar, I just add several drops of water to the puck, then load my brush, using around 100 swirls. I then swirl the brush around a dry bowl to distribute a layer of soap, then add water several drops at a time, swirling the brush to build a lather. You can get the feel for about how much water to use by counting your drops, then using a similar amount in the future. I have some brush/soap combinations that need only about 30-40 drops of water to build a great lather, while some of the larger brushes require significantly more.
Once you begin to get a thick lather whipped up, look at the surface - it will be dull. Add a tiny bit more water & whip it up more. What you're looking for is a slight sheen on the lather's surface. This tells you the water amount is right & you're ready to shave.

 

[sugardaddy]

There is nothing wrong with your brush, it just sounds like you did not have enough cream / soap in your bowl.

Next time, add more than you think is necessary (ie. double what you did previously) and see if that helps.

It will take a bit of trial and error to get your process down, but it will be smooth sailing after that.

It's as simple as this right here.

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

 

[Invicta]

Can you also explain the lathering process with a synthetic brush and explain how i should use my brush with detail if it's not much of a problem?

It seems you are not loading enough cream. I use a large almong sized snurdle in the bowl which, even using hard water, is enough for 4 passes. This tutorial may help; Tutorial: How to make lather from a shaving cream with a bowl - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/tutorial-how-to-make-lather-from-a-shaving-cream-with-a-bowl.150737/

 

[BigJ]

I used proraso early on and ran into the same troubles but was able to dial it in to an 'acceptable' lather and nothing more. Only recently did I learn how to PROPERLY lather proraso and it's a game changer.

Watch this video below, it's only a minute long and the 'meat' of the video is only about 20 seconds long. Do what this guy does (pay special attention to when he taps the brush on his chin/cheek, this is to demonstrate proper consistency) and you'll be set. It will feel weird at first, it's a pretty dense lather and really sticks to your face but works wonders. They skip over it a little but you simply just keep working it in your face until it's thick. Skip the bowl, it's extra crap to clutter your bathroom and an extra variable you don't need to worry about.

+2! Great video!! Well worth studying, especially if you love Proraso.

 

[musicman1951]

Not having seen your lather, my guess would be more product needed. The brush is not going to release all the lather - some sticks to the brush. Just make more.

On your last pass you can gently squeeze the brush between thumb and index finger while you pull the handle down. You'll end up with a nice pile of lather that was hiding in the brush.

Proraso is cheap - use more.

 

[Levue]

What am i doing wrong? Why won't the lather transfer to my face?

Don't use a bowl and learn the art of face lathering

 

[slybrewguy]

Don't use a bowl and learn the art of face lathering

Thank you

 

[drummer_boy]

Build a nice lather in a bowl, then apply it with paintbrush strokes. This works much better than swirling the brush on your face. In the bowl, the lather needs to have a wet sheen to it, so add small amounts of water as needed. Just a few drops at a time. If you overdo it, the lather turns runny and you’ll have to start over.
Building lather in a bowl can be almost zen-like .