Tips for synthetic use?

[Spotlit]

Gents, I recently acquired an HIS FM brush (25mm knot, 54mm loft) for travel. It's my first synthetic, so I'm still getting used to the idiosyncrasies. So far, my only real objection is that I seemingly can't generate the same thickness of lather on my face. I can get the soap (B&M) to look right in a bowl, and it's still as slick as ever, but stubbornly thin on application no matter what circular, painting, or pushing motions I try.

Is there some trick to getting the thickness I'm used to versus my badger brush? I presume this issue is somehow related to the rapid water shedding capability that sold me on synthetic in the first place. The HIS brush does also have way more backbone than I'm used to, would that possibly contribute to a thinner face layer?

 

[shave/brush]

When you start, wet your brush real good, then shake almost all of the water out of it. Then load it with soap. If you feel you need more water, add just a few drops at a time.
That should work.

 

[Spotlit]

I actually tried that after I noticed how much water dropped out of the knot while loading. Sadly, while it resulted in perfectly normal-seeming lather, it did not translate into more density in the application phase.

 

[Jarick]

I've noticed the same thing with my synthetic. I think it's due to lack of water retention (for lather) as well as the brush not splaying as easily, which isn't giving up as much lather. I ended up using a little drier lather than normal.

 

[Foyle]

I've not used the HIS, but I've got a Muhle STF that I use almost exclusively. This brush incorporates water into the lather far more efficiently than any natural hair brush. The trick is to squeeze the brush, not to shake it out. If you shake it out, you'll lose all the water. Squeezing will get the excess water out but leave enough in the knot to build a good lather. Try squeezing and see if that works better. Don't give it the King Kong squeeze. Just give it a regular single squeeze and then proceed as normal.

 

[Mandina]

I face lather using soaps and a Muhle HJM black fibre brush. It produces lots of thick, creamy lather if while loading the brush I dip the tips in water, then give the brush a flick to rid the excess--fairly frequently with most soaps but sparingly with MWF and PdP, which I find easy to over-dilute.

 

[ironfist]

I have a generation 1 (i think) Frank Shaving Synthetic, its springy as hell! Don't use it often.

 

[ackvil]

Every synthetic is different. The H.I.S. brush - which I own is huge and I agree that it does not generate the lather you get from a badger or boar brush. However, my Muhle synthetic makes lather as good as my badger and boar brushes. Further, the H.I.S. keeps the lather within the knot and you have to squeeze the brush to get all of the lather out.

Below is a comparison of how the Muhle looks against the Duke 3. The Muhle is on the left.



This is the amount of lather that is kept within the knot of the H.I.S.



This is what the Muhle looks like after it is loaded with soap.

 

[celestino]

I have never had an issue with getting great lather from any synthetic, but it sounds as though you may have too much water initially and haven't loaded enough soap along with not working the lather long enough to get it to the density desired. Do you use paint-brush strokes along with circular movements?

 

[RVshave]

I have a WD and Muhle V2 synthetics and find with either I have to force the splay a bit but get plenty of lather out of both. When I'm done with the circles and massaging my face I use paint strokes and always have plenty for at least 3 passes.