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Using a water mister to improve your lather!

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I have been making a reasonable lather for years just by dipping the tips in water and stirring brush in a bowl.
I was watching IAMCDB on Youtube videos and Chris can crank out a nice hydrated lather. So I had a small 50 ml sprayer and it pushes out a fine mist and thought why not and I like to bowl lather.
I was curious and tried the mister and I can tell you it will knock your lather up a notch. The mist smaller droplets hits a larger area of the soap and seems to keep a little less air out of the lather (foam). He is the first person I seen using the mister on his face and he is open about using it with his lather making.
He has around 3 different tutorials on this subject for those lather keeners.
Any ways why not pass it along for folks who have a minute or two to create a nicer rich creamy lather.
All I do is press some soap in my bowl, pour some warm water in the bowl and dump. With a damp brush all I do is what I usally do is stir and as the lather gets a little pasty I just mist instead of dip the tips and repeat about 6-8 times and Walla just nice hydrated lather.
It will take a few 1-2 minutes more time but it is worth the effort I believe if time allows.
I picked Cyril R Salter Indian cream with a Yaqi 2 band badger just for demonstration purposes that any brush will work. This morning used a boar brush with Razorock Don Marco croap and lather was excellent using this little mister. Creams are one of the hardest to mix in a bowl and it was just easier to get a nice lather with it.
Anyone else using a mister or other techniques.
Lather using a mister1 .jpg
Lather using a mister2.jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
I have often thought as I flicked my brush under a small stream of water how distributed the water would get. That's it nothing more on that thought. Just went about making lather as usual. I keep a small spray bottle of water on my counter for my hair so I'm up to trying this. Sounds like a pretty reasonable method to me. I'll give it a go in the morning, if I remember. :sleep12:
 
Definitely get a Flairosol bottle, they are available from many different retailers with different prints on them. They are extremely handy and produce a more even mist of water. The other thing to do is count how many sprays your lather usually takes and cheat next time by starting some ways under. I start all my soap with 3 sprays from the flairosol, which is probably a lot. With a bowl it will coat the whole inside and then some.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I thought I would try this on NEW Williams Mug soap and had good results. The secret to Williams soap is less water and more a pastier cream and this mister will work well for this soap IMO. I give the soap a quick dunk of water and then dumped the water out of the lather bowl and with my damp Omega 10005 22 mm boar started mixing and spraying for a few minutes. Like I mentioned Williams does not like airy lather and a pastier cream works very well for less dissipation of lather I have found.
If a person likes to scrub you need a pastier lather to not introduce a lot of air to lather is my opinion.
I did apply lather to my face you see in photo and it did not dissipate is my findings, it could of been pastier possibly but I'm bowl lathering. Williams Mug soap is a good test for this mister method because it works well. Painting lather also allows less air to Williams Mug lather but I like to scrub a little and it still worked well.
Lather using a mister 3.jpg
Lather using a mister 4.jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
I press premeasured soap or cream into the bowl and mist over it with a few squirts as my "blooming" method. Nice distribution of water to hydrate the soap, and it softens nicely while I wash my face and prepare the razor. Swirl with damp brush until pasty, and add two or three spritzes at a time until lather is properly hydrated. The sprayer allows me to limit the amount of water introduced and not accidentally drown the lather as I have a few times before I tried misting instead.
 
The water in my area is so hard, store bought water softener systems don’t do anything. As it affects some soaps, I use a mister with distilled water that I mist on the soap, a few sprays at a time and spray on my face between passes. Scooping out an almond sized amount of soap to press in my bowl and using the mister to control the amount of water I use, I get a consistently slick lather each shave
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
The water in my area is so hard, store bought water softener systems don’t do anything. As it affects some soaps, I use a mister with distilled water that I mist on the soap, a few sprays at a time and spray on my face between passes. Scooping out an almond sized amount of soap to press in my bowl and using the mister to control the amount of water I use, I get a consistently slick lather each shave
Hello @B_R_A_D , I used distilled water for testing also and when that is used up I will try just straight tap water from the town I live in. Just having a little fun with my lather lately and was surprised by the results. It has to do with the water fine mister IMO.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I have bought a spray bottle just like yours yesterday. I have seen it in at least two gentlemen's videos. I am going to use it for face lathering though.
I recommend to do both, just have a little fun with trying to make some great lather. I'm sure some folks use it for both I know I would.
 
I used a mister a few years ago on my channel.

I liked the results, but just didn't like the vibe.

Those finer mister are even better I'm sure.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I used a mister a few years ago on my channel.

I liked the results, but just didn't like the vibe.

Those finer mister are even better I'm sure.
I mainly bowl lather like yourself and I have seen a few of your video's and I'm sure you have used misters because your very accurate with water measurements & you have created some decent lather. Chris on IAMCDB uses his mister on his face & head also and he seems to like it and makes decent lather that is hard to find in that quality. As for the lather generating it is not traditional to mist lather and some people would think it to be a little strange but times have changed a little & lather generating is a joyful part of traditional shaving as you very well know. I going to stick it out some more and have been tinkering about a week with it and just thought it should be shared.
 
impression after first use: I have a small bottle as above, it produces a very fine mist. I tried to wet my face with it before lathering. It gives a very little amount with each push, so for this purpose something bigger is needed. With this one 5 pushes are necessary on each of the 4 sections(cheek, neck, left-right) to get it wet. I'll try a bigger bottle, eventually.
Spraying onto the brush / lather: now this might work. spray 2-3-4 times onto the brush to add more water. Very fine control is possible.
All in all, it is interesting, but might be cumbersome with little added benefit for some.
 
I mainly bowl lather like yourself and I have seen a few of your video's and I'm sure you have used misters because your very accurate with water measurements & you have created some decent lather. Chris on IAMCDB uses his mister on his face & head also and he seems to like it and makes decent lather that is hard to find in that quality. As for the lather generating it is not traditional to mist lather and some people would think it to be a little strange but times have changed a little & lather generating is a joyful part of traditional shaving as you very well know. I going to stick it out some more and have been tinkering about a week with it and just thought it should be shared.
Oh definitely! It really does make a lot of sense.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I, too, use a mister, Mister. Works well. Never thought to mention it 'til I saw this post.

I keep mine loaded with distilled water and use it to dampen my hair for combing.

When I bowl lather, I use it to build lather instead of tap water. Same when I face lather. Helps to re-wet my face if my lather begins to dry, also.

FWIW, I use an adjustable pint garden sprayer from the hardware store.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
I've never felt the need for this ... but it ain't a bad idea at all, I must say. It controls the hydration level very finely, and I'd actually use this method. No offense to those who use them, but I'd feel silly using those little pharmaceutical syringes, frankly :lol1: .

I think this would be an excellent way to help new shavers start making outstanding lathers without overshooting the hydration level, which I think is the biggest lather problem out there. Very clever, thanks for posting this @Ron R !
 
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