I've been trying to get more in to soaps lately and use the ones I already own more. I really enjoy face lathering and usually use MWF, Arko, Tabac and IM. All of witch I have no trouble with. I just recently got some Trumpers Violet that was just sitting in my den for a while and decided to break out yesterday. It was a used puck about 50% gone and I used my Shavemac 177. I was have a hard time getting the brush to load and had to start over 3 times before just taking the puck and rubbing it on my face like a shave stick. It lathered up pretty good after that but only enough for 2 passes. Can anyone provide some advice. Should I try a different brush?
Trumpers lathering advice please?
- Thread starter bladeruner
- Start date
I always had trouble loading Trumper's soaps with the exception of the violet and the rose. I always put a little bit of hot water on the puck first to soften it, tip the water off, then use a fully squeezed brush on the puck for a minimum of a minute. My preference is now for tallow soaps, all of which lather like a dream.
David
David
I do what David does with the exception that I don't dump the water off of the top of the puck. I put about 2 teaspoons of hot water on top of the puck before I shower, then I load with a very dry brush for around a minute.
Get your vegetable/cheese grater and mill it up. Press everything down firmly in whatever container you want. Guaranteed to load onto just about any brush you choose. Easily.
I was having the same problem with Trumper's Coconut. I combined what has been suggested in earlier posts by milling the puck into another container and soaking it before use. Works for me.
Another possibility if nothing else works for you is to look up Mantic's "Upside down lather trick" on YouTube and try that.
Good luck!
Another possibility if nothing else works for you is to look up Mantic's "Upside down lather trick" on YouTube and try that.
Good luck!
Quick question on milling the soap... do you grate it very fine, or are large pieces ok? If it makes no difference as to the size I already have a large grater I can use.
- Thread starter
- #7
This is what I usually do with my soaps only I start with a half squeezed brush especially with MWF
I will try this today and see how it works out
If the above doesn't work I will try this. It worked for my MWF
I prefer to grate it relatively coarsely. Put the gratings in the new container and press them down hard. I sometimes use the bottom of a shaving brush handle as a tamper. Once you are finished grating and mashing, it will look like one piece of soap again, although the surface won't be as smooth as it was to begin with. That's actually a good thing, because it helps you load up your brush more quickly.
- Thread starter
- #9
No luck. I loaded for at least 2 to 3 minutes and it looked like I definitely got more on the brush than before. I lathered up dipping the tips of the brush a little at a time and built up a really nice lather, I was surprised. I was impressed
When I tried to lather up for my second pass it was bad. Very thin and airy. Any suggestions
When I tried to lather up for my second pass it was bad. Very thin and airy. Any suggestionsNo luck. I loaded for at least 2 to 3 minutes and it looked like I definitely got more on the brush than before. I lathered up dipping the tips of the brush a little at a time and built up a really nice lather, I was surprised. I was impressed
Do you know if you have hard water? This is supposed to be one of the big things that can make it hard to lather.
- Thread starter
- #11
Oh I defiantly have hard water and I know that's a problem but I do have good luck with some soaps. I'm going to try a different brush tomorrow
Might be some ingredient in the soap doesn't like the hard water?
My MWF has been giving me hell because of the hard water, which makes me sad.
I love it so much, and all it does is spurn me. *sigh*
I love it so much, and all it does is spurn me. *sigh*
bladeruner,
I had exactly the same problem with the new formulation Trumpers Sandalwood soap.
Try what I may (including my stiffest boar brush, I could not get satisfactory lather from this soap.
I gave it to a friend, and he had the same results, and finally threw it into the trash.
Other swear by this soap, so a case of YMMV !
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
I had exactly the same problem with the new formulation Trumpers Sandalwood soap.
Try what I may (including my stiffest boar brush, I could not get satisfactory lather from this soap.
I gave it to a friend, and he had the same results, and finally threw it into the trash.
Other swear by this soap, so a case of YMMV !
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
I do this as well, but rather than pitching the water I pour it in my mug or bowl and use it to add water to my brush to increase lather.
I just keep the water in the soap bowl. The brush will absorb it.
+1 just depends on what the container is and whether or not I lather in it. I have a few soaps that I load onto the brush but wont lather in their wooden bowls. My point was simply about not wasting the soap laden water generated from this practice.
- Thread starter
- #18
I don't want to give up on this soap. I love the smell and like I said the lather for my first pass was really nice. If I could just get enough for at least 3 passes without having to reload it would be fine. Maybe I should just rub the soap deep into the breech of the brush to make sure it get's in there. I could only imagine how the old tallow formulation was.
I have hard water too but like I said earlier, never had a problem with the violet.
Maybe a different brush is the next step.
David
When I load my brush, with any soap, I give it some light pressure swirls, then some more pressure on the brush... kind of grinding it down on the soap... not enough to damage the brush, but to really load the soap deep in the brush... then I do the same thing with swirls in the opposite direction.
I have hard water where I'm at too, so I really load my brushes up to get a good lather. If I do it this way, I can get enough soap up in there to provide lather for more passes than I even need.
Another thing I like to do is to press the brush up and down, like a plunger motion, in my bowl, when I'm building the lather. My bowl has ridges around it, so this motion seems to really get the lather going.
