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Why so much lather?

Help me understand, why would one want a super thick coating of lather on your face when using a double-edged safety razor with a closed comb? Doesn't the guard sweep off any extra lather before the blade gets to it?

Of course I do want a very slick coating of soap/cream to let the blade glide and to protect my skin, but why would one need 1/4 inch or more? I'm pretty new to this hobby and have been curious, thanks for helping me understand.
 
Help me understand, why would one want a super thick coating of lather on your face when using a double-edged safety razor with a closed comb? Doesn't the guard sweep off any extra lather before the blade gets to it?

Of course I do want a very slick coating of soap/cream to let the blade glide and to protect my skin, but why would one need 1/4 inch or more? I'm pretty new to this hobby and have been curious, thanks for helping me understand.
You don't want really to shave with that! I think it's for the camera (SOTD syndrome). You want a thin layer that will let you shave without irritation.

SOTD pics tend to exaggerate.
 
Unless you shave slowly or in a really dry climate, a thinner lather will not dry out before the pass is done. A thinner lather helps in detailing around the edges. My goatee and mustache like nice clean detailing.

If in prepping your stubble, you let the lather soak in for a few minutes, a thicker lather will stay nice and wet. Myself, I just lather up thinly and wash it right off a few times before applying my also thin shaving lather.
 
For me, the volume follows the hydration. As I put in more water into the lather, it becomes more flexible and slick, building up the volume. Also, it's satisfying to see a well-hydrated, slick lather on the face, allowing the blade to glide easily.
 
That is a good question. Several weeks back I was watching a youtube video were a guy was reviewing something. He was using Proraso cream. He used about 4 times what I do. I thought it was crazy. All the excess is just going down the drain.
 
This is what my lather looks like after a pass. Nothing glorious or front page photo worthy, bit I'd take it over 99% of the lather pics I see here.

All the lather you see in most pics and videos is not lather I would want to shave with.

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Strictly speaking you don't need a lather at all. Soap simply rubbed onto a wet face will lubricate the skin.

However, wet soap will dry out before well before you get to the end of the shave. Lather will not. The dense foam resists drying so your skin stays lubricated. It just needs to be thick enough to stay nice and wet through a shave.

If you do two or three passes, obviously you'll need more lather.

Only tiny amounts of soap are used so it's not a big deal if you make too much.
 
It depends on the length of your facial hair. More lather suspends the hairs higher off your skin. If you shave daily, a thin layer should be adequate.
 
Why so much lather is a legitimate question.

An equally worthy question would be why is so much after shave lotion used during most shaving videos? Could there be a correlation?
This is an extract from Floid’s product page:
“It is in Barcelona that since 1932 , in a classic barbershop , Juan Bautista Rovira Cendrós practiced aftershave massage to his clients using a mix of his own invention , which he called Floid.”

Customers in Spain back in the 1930s liked to go to the barber and be pampered with large amounts of aftershave followed by a face massage.
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For me the lather "head" is just a byproduct until I get the consistency that I want. Last year when I started, I wasn't getting enough lather because I wasn't loading my brush enough. Now I overload my brush just to make sure that I have enough to last and I can dial in my lather better than having to reload. Yes something goes down the drain every night however soap is cheap. Your face is not.
 
Is that not what happens? Also to suspend the hairs once cut and carry them away?
I don't believe the lather is suspending any hair or making it stick up or even softening it during it's 2 minutes on the beard before we start to shave it off. It's lubricating your skin with a layer or soapy goodness to allow the blade to glide over it.

That's my take on it.
 
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