Am I the only one who finds Stirling soap slow to lather?
I do lather on my face, but one thing is certain: Stirling is THIRST for water.
I do lather on my face, but one thing is certain: Stirling is THIRST for water.
Time consuming foaming with Stirling
- Thread starter Hu3ir0 Hu3Hu3
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The Turtleship Coconut, which is also the base of the tallow, explodes into foam in 1 minute.
Stirling takes about 5 minutes adding water to get to the point.
Stirling takes about 5 minutes adding water to get to the point.
5 minutes of lather time?
I'm usually done my 1 pass shave in that amount of time.
I never had any trouble lathering Stirling soaps. If its new, it might be a bit dry, it will soften with use. It will absorb water and become easier to lather.
I loved my tub of Black Cherry.
I loved my tub of Black Cherry.
No problems here. As with most soaps I used to load way too much. Since I have cut down on my loading, while keeping the same amounts of water, lather explodes on my face. Including Stirling soaps!
Regardless if I drop a sliver in my bowl or load and lather 
n my face it is quick. Definitely one of the easiest soaps I know
n my face it is quick. Definitely one of the easiest soaps I know
I face lather also and never had an issue with Stirling lathering. It always lathers quick and luxeriously for me no matter what brush type I use.
Maybe try different methods, start with a dryer brush and add water as you go or try a wetter brush to start with. Let us know how it goes.
Maybe try different methods, start with a dryer brush and add water as you go or try a wetter brush to start with. Let us know how it goes.
Haven’t had an issue with Stirling lathers. I’ve used some temperamental soaps and Stirling is not one of them.
I've only used Stirling with a synthetic bursh (PAA Peregrino), and it only takes a minute or so of loading before lathering on the face. Seems like a solid product to me. 
Note: my face is already quite hydrated from the shower, and I don't squeeze the brush out completely before starting to load...
Note: my face is already quite hydrated from the shower, and I don't squeeze the brush out completely before starting to load...
Are you swirling clockwise or counterclockwise?
Stirling is a thirsty soap but quite easy to work with for me. Try loading less and with more water to make the process faster. I take about 5min bowl lathering and I enjoy the process.
That might be influenced by which part of the planet
You know where you are by the way your toilet flushes water... deep thoughts for a Friday!
When I face lather it with a two band, it comes up fast. Really fast. The two band holds enough water that I basically just shake it out, load, and go. Other brushes I have to either shake out less or wet the tips to get the ratio right. But mostly I bowl lather and it takes about a minute and a half to get it where I want it. Without knowing what kind of brush you're using I'd say start drier and add water incrementally until you get the consistency you want.
I find Stirling easy to (face) lather. It's my #3 soap behind RR Plague Doctor and Captain's Choice.
Which brush are you using with the Stirling?
I should add, that if you bowl lather it with a moderate sized boar, the "Marco Method" will produce acre-feet of lather. I found that I actually don't always want it that wet even though I use straights exclusively, but it gives you a good baseline for just how much water the soap will take.
2-band Thaters, Rudy 2-band Shavemac, 3-band Simpson & Rooney, and RazoRock 24mm synth.
I see the time difference in the loading, but not in the lathering.
I never thought Stirling took more time until I noticed how much faster PAA and B&M omni load. It's all relative - it's still only 2-3 minutes versus 60 - 90 seconds (or faster) for PAA and B&M. I've also started letting Stirling bloom with a little bit of water while showering.
I never thought Stirling took more time until I noticed how much faster PAA and B&M omni load. It's all relative - it's still only 2-3 minutes versus 60 - 90 seconds (or faster) for PAA and B&M. I've also started letting Stirling bloom with a little bit of water while showering.
I never actually timed how long it takes me to make a good lather with Stirling. If I remember I'll have to time it.
