Williams Mug Shaving Soap and Van Der Hagen scented luxury shave soap.

[Alohawyatt]

Hello, B&B
I am having trouble lathering Van Der Hagen scented luxury shave soap. I like to bowl lather. But sometimes I do face lather. I find face lathering messy and awkward. I want a wet, thick, cushioning lather.

Williams goes like this. Put a little water on top of the puck. Wet the badger brush. Shake the water out of the brush. Start loading the brush. This is done by rubbing the puck in a circular motion. When I can hear the sound of soap coming off the puck, I give it a few more turns then stop. That's about 20 seconds or so. I then use the brush to wipe the rest off the puck. When I look at the brush tips, there is some soap paste on the tips. Next, I put the brush into a dry bowl. Add a little water. More than a few drops, but not a lot. Its time for more turns. When the big bubbles turn into a lather, I take the brush out. Then look to see if its a dry lather or a more wet malleable lather. A dry lather has short peaks. A more hydrated lather has longer peaks. I find Williams lather cushioning and slick.

If I do the same thing with Van Der Hagen, I get a flat, none slick mess.
Thank you for reading, and all positive suggestions are welcome.

 

[fast shaver]

You can nuke VDH in the microwave right into the bowl but, please be careful & don't over nuke it.

 

[Alohawyatt]

So if I understand your right, you are suggesting that I use more of the Van Der Hagen than I would for the Williams. And one way would be to heat it up in the microwave and pour it into my lather bowl. I'm not too sure I want to do that every time I shave. But I could try loading the brush longer.

 

[fast shaver]

I put the VDH 3.5 oz puck into a bowl first & then nuke it slowly. Sometimes I will use two 2.5 oz pucks.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

Do a few practice rounds of palm lathering. Good way to get a sense of how the lather is reacting to the water.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I think he meant put all of it in the bowl and lather on top of it.

 

[steveclarkus]

Hello, B&B
I am having trouble lathering Van Der Hagen scented luxury shave soap. I like to bowl lather. But sometimes I do face lather. I find face lathering messy and awkward. I want a wet, thick, cushioning lather.

Williams goes like this. Put a little water on top of the puck. Wet the badger brush. Shake the water out of the brush. Start loading the brush. This is done by rubbing the puck in a circular motion. When I can hear the sound of soap coming off the puck, I give it a few more turns then stop. That's about 20 seconds or so. I then use the brush to wipe the rest off the puck. When I look at the brush tips, there is some soap paste on the tips. Next, I put the brush into a dry bowl. Add a little water. More than a few drops, but not a lot. Its time for more turns. When the big bubbles turn into a lather, I take the brush out. Then look to see if its a dry lather or a more wet malleable lather. A dry lather has short peaks. A more hydrated lather has longer peaks. I find Williams lather cushioning and slick.

If I do the same thing with Van Der Hagen, I get a flat, none slick mess.
Thank you for reading, and all positive suggestions are welcome.

Not bad at all on the Williams. I too start out with a pasty lather then hydrate it. I also put a few drops of glycerin on the puck first and that seems to work into a beautiful non dissipating lather. Nice slick soap and a good value to boot.

 

[Alohawyatt]

I got my VDH scented luxury at a local drug store for $1.89. Think it was on clearance. But there wasn't a clearance tag on it. It was the last one. I'm new to VDH and having a hard time getting it to lather. So there have been a few suggestions and thank you. So what I have taken so far. One is to increase the puck's surface area. Possibly by melting it into a larger container. Load the brush longer. Test the hydration by hand lathering.

Thank you for the Williams glycerin trick. I wonder if it would help the VDH luxury too.

 

[xiletero]

I get 3 passes easily of good lather using a synthetic brush, loading 30'max and doing face lathering. No bloom. Add some water if needed to the brush.....

The little VdH soap, I use as a stick, rub to face.

 

[Alohawyatt]

One of the things that I like about bowl lathering is that I wast less soap. But as a stick, that does sound efficient.

 

[RhoCurly]

I used VDH (formerly Surrey) soap for 30 years. I always just put in a coffee mug and lathered it on the puck in the mug. I figured that was why the soap was round. Always got great lather by wetting the brush, giving it one little shake, and working the brush on the puck till it had a good lather. Then work it a little more on the face before painting.

William’s, on the other hand, is different. Their website says “don’t spare the hot water” and they mean it. I get my best results by filling the mug with hot water and plopping the brush in to soak for a few minutes. Remove brush, dump water, and leave brush sopping wet to work the lather for 1-2 minutes. I know its ready when I can slap the brush on the sides of of the mug and it releases a nice creamy lather.

 

[sugardaddy]

I think he meant put all of it in the bowl and lather on top of it.

Yeah but that's just really wasteful... for a bowl latherer. That's like pouring shampoo on your head the whole time you're washing your hair, instead of just at the beginning.

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[SliceOfLife]

Yeah but that's just really wasteful... for a bowl latherer. That's like pouring shampoo on your head the whole time you're washing your hair, instead of just at the beginning.

Remember when rap video's used to focus on showing the rapper celebrating his excesses and lavish lifestyle. Now I want to see a rap video where the rapper does that.

 

[kingfisher]

Yeah but that's just really wasteful... for a bowl latherer. That's like pouring shampoo on your head the whole time you're washing your hair, instead of just at the beginning.

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Kind of, sure, but it's a two-buck puck of VDH clearance soap. So what if it is wasteful if it helps the OP get a good shave lather.

 

[Alohawyatt]

This mornings shave was with VDH luxury. It was a good lather. I put a light layer of water on the puck last night. That helped soften up the top layer of the puck. Maybe it just needed that first break-in run to get started. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Timeclo]

I find that VDH produces a thin but slick lather. I was not able to create volume with VDH but still a working lather.

Williams does puff up when you whip it up a certain way. I'm surprised you made Williams work because it can be difficult.

 

[Alohawyatt]

I think that one of the key things is not to add too much water. Water can be added a little at a time. It's more challenging to take water away.

 

[sugardaddy]

Remember when rap video's used to focus on showing the rapper celebrating his excesses and lavish lifestyle. Now I want to see a rap video where the rapper does that.

LOL

Awesome

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[Alohawyatt]

Cool, I just found the thread. "Williams Institute for Shaving Excellence (WISE)" HA HA

 

[Tedolph]

It sounds like your brush is too wet for the VDH. It might also be a good excuse to buy a boar brush. I don't think that they hold as much water as a badger. Take this all with a grain of salt as I use the Deluxe, not the Luxury, and with a boar brush..