I have a bowl of TOBS Sandalwood soap. I've used it a little bit and have generated decent to good lather without much effort. I'm pretty sure I can make great lather (or at least lather that suits my preferences) by reducing the amount of water I use.
That said, before I bought the soap, I read a lot of posts by people complaining that it doesn't lather well. I wonder what they're doing so that they're unable to get a good lather. FWIW, I have (and use) hard water in my taps.
In any case for those who are curious about trying out TOBS soaps, maybe my post will help allay some of of your fears about its latherability.
The thing to remember is to bloom the soap before making lather. Once the bloom water on the soap turns filmy, the soap is ready for loading. Just dump out the bloom water (I dump it into an empty yogurt cup so I can use it to add water to my lather and also to apply to my face before each lather pass) and use a damp brush (I use a presoaked badger brush that I've squeezed of excess water) to load the soap. My preference is to use a shaving bowl to make a lather, but face lathering should also be possible. Just whip up the soap with as much water as you need to get the lather to the consistency you prefer.
Good luck!
That said, before I bought the soap, I read a lot of posts by people complaining that it doesn't lather well. I wonder what they're doing so that they're unable to get a good lather. FWIW, I have (and use) hard water in my taps.
In any case for those who are curious about trying out TOBS soaps, maybe my post will help allay some of of your fears about its latherability.
The thing to remember is to bloom the soap before making lather. Once the bloom water on the soap turns filmy, the soap is ready for loading. Just dump out the bloom water (I dump it into an empty yogurt cup so I can use it to add water to my lather and also to apply to my face before each lather pass) and use a damp brush (I use a presoaked badger brush that I've squeezed of excess water) to load the soap. My preference is to use a shaving bowl to make a lather, but face lathering should also be possible. Just whip up the soap with as much water as you need to get the lather to the consistency you prefer.
Good luck!
