What am I doing wrong with my Rooney 1/1?

[cratkins]

So I got a Rooney style 1 size 1 a couple weeks ago. It definitely had to be broken in a little, and I can get decent lather with it but....

It seems like the lather is always runny or the brush hogs the lather. I've tried it with TOBS avocado (super easy to lather with my old shavemac) and Mama Bear's Awakenings soap.

I've tried all kinds of things like soaking it longer, soaking it LESS, etc.

Any specific advice for this brush with either TOBS or Mama Bear's?

 

[cvac]

You have to shake it out more than a less dense brush. Also, because there is more hair, you need to use more product. Finally, using a pumping motion while lathering seems to help do the trick. It took me a little over a week to get used to mine.

I actually shaved with my 1/1 and TOBS Avo this morning and it worked fine. How much cream are you using? Try a lump of cream equal to the size of TWO shelled (not unshelled) almonds.

 

[Greybeard]

Rooneys are lather hogs. They also hold a lot of water. I have to use more product with my Rooneys than I do with any of my other brushes. You're going to have to experiment.

If your lather is runny, try squeezing the water out of the brush after you shake it. You can always dip the brush tips in water if it's too dry.
My 1/1 releases the lather better when I face lather as opposed to bowl lathering. It still likes to hang on to the lather though, unless I use more product. Then it flows quite easily.



- Peter

 

[wwp512]

Rooneys are lather hogs. .... It likes to hang on to the lather though, unless I use more product. Then it flows quite easily.

- Peter

I think this helped me identify my dilemma, use more product to solve the lather hog problem. But.. doesn't that leave you with a boatload of un-used lather hidden deep within the brush when you clean your brush after the shave?

I hate to see all that rich lather goes to waste!! I have tried it, and fail, to squeeze the lather with my thumb and index finger from the knot to force the lather up from the top of the brush, but as soon as I face lather with the brush, it just sucks it all back in! My solution? squeeze it out into my shaving bowl and use my fingers to lather my face, mainly during the touch-ups.

Do most of you just rinse off the lather in the brush?

 

[cratkins]

Yeah I should mention I normally face lather too. Ironically, I tried lathering with the 1/1 in my moss scuttle yesterday and got the best lather I've ever made in a bowl, but it was too much work for me.

Sounds like I should try to shake more water out.

 

[Greybeard]

I squeeze the lather out of the brush on my 3rd pass (ATG) and paint it on thick. Some of it still goes back in the brush and I squeeze that out for my touch-ups. There's still enough left for another pass after I'm finished.

I rinse the left-over lather out of the brush. The waste is the trade off for the great lathering and exfoliating ability of a Rooney.



- Peter

 

[cvac]

I actually squeeze lather out of my brush during each pass. First I bowl lather, then I apply the lather with circular motions. Then I squeeze a little lather out onto my hand, pick it up with the tips of the brush, then even out the lather on my face using paintbrush motions.

There is still some lather left in the brush and the bowl, but it gets a little dry between passes, so I usually add a little water and mix it up again before applying lather for the next pass. This way, I find that I'm not wasting TOO much lather.

I do this with all my brushes, not just the Rooney. And I find the Rooney blooms more the more you use it and makes it a little easier to work with after a couple weeks of use.