Why so few palm lathering fans out there?

[duckdown]

I enjoy palm lathering.. I usually apply whatever pre-shave I'm using to my beard and while it's working its magic, I'll whip up some lather in the palm of my hand, slowly adding water to the tips of the brush until I get the perfect slippery consistency. I don't find it to be overly messy and definitely nothing a quick blast of water doesn't fix.. And I like the ability to tune the lather precisely to your touch. I also find it to be a great way to practice lathering a new soap or cream..

This being said, it seems to be the LEAST common form of lathering on these forums and have even seen it frowned upon on here..

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, just like I despise face lathering, but just curious if there are any other palm lathering fans out there as well? And also curious about the reasons or history behind it getting a bad rap on these forums

Cheers all!

 

[Evbo]

Well. Speaking purely for myself...

...I can't imagine palm-lathering. It seems cumbersome & unnecessary. I like to switch hands while applying lather and sometimes while shaving. I also wouldn't like having only one hand to use.

I suppose you could rinse the lather off your hand or wipe it into a bowl. But that's an extra step, and therefore extra time. More to the point tho, I don't bother using a bowl either; I face-lather. So why would I use my palm instead of face-lathering? Might as well use a bowl. But again, I'm speaking only for myself. If it works for you, then great!

 

[viper16]

Just speaking for myself, the reason I don't palm lather is that I will switch hands depending on the stroke I need to make with my razor, and having one hand full of lather makes that impossible to do. I do find it more natural to hold a bowl in my off hand and lather into it, like one would while palm lathering, I just like to have both hands available if needed while shaving. Also since I am looking at getting into SR shaving, it is very beneficial to have both hands free for either using the razor, or stretching the skin. Face lathering does seem to do a good job of lifting and hydrating the whiskers, it just doesn't feel as natural to me as lathering in a bowl that is held in the palm of my hand.

 

[duckdown]

I rinse whatever lather remains in my palm off if needed, but I don't switch hands when shaving anyways. I only use my right, so it's not a problem for me at all

 

[405oldschoolshaving]

I'm a newbie but I palm lather, I can't get the hang of mug lathering.

 

[Amzimbo]

I generally make a much better lather when practicing in my palm, for example, when breaking in a new brush. But I don't do it when actually shaving because I use my free left hand to stretch my skin, etc., and can't keep the lather there for the later passes.

 

[Beerhunter]

My dad taught me this way. But I would rather have have the lather in a cup/ bowl and have my hands clean.

 

[eth]

I have always assumed that palm lathering involves rubbing lather from your hand to your face for the first pass (helping out with the brush), and rinsing off the rest. The brush will hold lather for the second and forward passes, just like face lathering. The palm isn't your lather bowl throughout the shave. Sounds like I was wrong in my assumption though, but that would have been the way I would do it. I wonder how one would use a shave stick though.

I do like palm lathering for test lathers, but I face lather for shaving.

 

[SteveWY]

I have seen no need to palm lather. I load and face lather 90% of the time. Occasionally, I will bowl lather just to see how a new soap or cream "whips up". Besides, palm-lathering tickles.

 

[bladebuff]

I still palm lather all of my creams from a tube but face lather my soaps and creams from a tub directly on my face. I used to lather in a bowl when I picked up my first brush and cream but quickly went to the palm and face which just seems simpler.

 

[DMT]

I dont like shaving one handed I prefer to have my second hand free to stretch my skin when needed I also like to switch hands with when using my brush

 

[TallyShave]

I often do a hybrid palm lather. I start lathering in my palm while adding water to get the ratio right. I then squeeze the lather out of may hand (think making a tight fist) and get that lather on my brush as well. I then rinse my hand quickly and finish face lathering. I feel like it is much easier to see and feel the proper ratio in your hand. This also helps avoid the occasional proto-lather mess when you first start face lathering.

I usually do this more when I am using a new product to work on the water ratio and once I have a better feel for it, simply face lather. However, this may work for the folks who are concerned about shaving with one hand.

 

[Coler]

From my point of view, I face lather in lieu of palm lathering.

 

[mmack66]

It tickles.

 

[GreekGuy]

I wouldn't say its frowned about. I think as far as most people are concerned, you can lather on your feet if you'd like, it really makes no difference.

The ultimate goal is to get the lather on the face, so its an added step. And if you want to switch hands you have to wash the lathered hand. And when using a straight I want my hands to be as dry as possible.

 

[Vickers]

I enjoy palm lathering.. I usually apply whatever pre-shave I'm using to my beard and while it's working its magic, I'll whip up some lather in the palm of my hand, slowly adding water to the tips of the brush until I get the perfect slippery consistency. I don't find it to be overly messy and definitely nothing a quick blast of water doesn't fix.. And I like the ability to tune the lather precisely to your touch. I also find it to be a great way to practice lathering a new soap or cream..

This being said, it seems to be the LEAST common form of lathering on these forums and have even seen it frowned upon on here..

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, just like I despise face lathering, but just curious if there are any other palm lathering fans out there as well? And also curious about the reasons or history behind it getting a bad rap on these forums

Cheers all!

That's my favorite part of the process.

 

[Latherdude]

I'm mostly a face latherer, but oftentimes I'll palm lather just to make sure I'm making it slick enough and not over- or under-watering my mix. This is especially useful when I'm trying out a new product.

Do some palm lathering gents actually keep their lather hand full of lather throughout the shave, though? When I palm lather I wipe my lather hand on my face, rinse that hand off, and then just use the brush to apply my lather on later passes. I never thought to use my hand like a bowl through the full shave.

 

[skleice]

Ha what a time for this thread?!?! Today I palm lathered for the first time ever and the whole time I was asking myself "Why in the world would anybody EVER do this?". It was just a mess and a pain to catch and gather all of the lather from around my hand and in between my fingers. Not to mention that it limited my to having one hand to work with. The lather it self was fine, but I'll stick to face lathering.

 

[coolbus18]

If ya' like it and it works for you...cool.

 

[Graybeard57]

It's messy. YMMV.