If you haven't heard about überlather until now, check out this Wiki Page. Basically, überlather is what you get when you load your brush with a shaving soap, then add a shaving cream, and also mix in some liquid glycerin. The result is synergistic in that you get all the slickness of the soap with all the luxury protection of the cream. The glycerin helps to have a more hydrated lather that is also somehow more stable. As a bonus, the added glycerin creates an soft aftershave feel on the skin and the mixed scents from the soap and cream can smell great when paired up strategically
So, überlather does all kinds of good.
The truth is though that making überlather is a bit of a process if you end up doing it every morning, and there are some really good products that just don't benefit as much from the überlather treatment. It's not that mixing a really good soap like DR Harris with glycerin and a great cream like Nancy Boy won't gain from the überlather treatment, it's just that using a soap like Wilkinson and mixing it with a cream like Real Shaving Company allows much more room for lather improvement (or better returns on your effort).
I had a number of partially used products that I decided finish off. So, I joined in with the 3017 crowd and started using one cream or soap at a time until each product was completely finished before moving on to the next. This was easy enough with Tabac and JM Frasers etc and I have gladly been at it for over a year now. But, I had a number of creams and soaps that I felt were just not good enough to justify using one by one when I have other really good options waiting in the wings. The products were not good candidates for a PIF, I really did not want to throw them out, but they were not good enough for me to look forward to using them by themselves endlessly.
Since I had gotten great shaves with these products when mixing two of them together in überlathers, I figured why not a Mega Perma Überlather!
This is what I did. I took all of my remaining partially used products and mixed them together.
Everything in this picture went into the mix. All that was left was the remainder of the liquid glycerin (I added about two tablespoons).
From the top left: Liquid Glycerin, Mama Bear Lime, Real Shaving Company Sensitive, Musgo Real, Geo F Trumpers Almond, Derby Lavender, Bald Frog Soaps (mostly chocolate mint I think), small leftover chunk of Benton Clay, Wilkinson Sword Blue tub, Ogalalla Bay Rum.
The creams were easy to add. I decided to keep the soaps in small pieces rather than grating them in. Then I added in some glycerin and really mixed everything together well.
Then I let them all sit together and let the mixture breath on and off for around 5 months. Every so often I would press down on the product to compress it a little and allow it to harden. The end result is a mix that is about the same consistency as a croap, a little harder than an Italian soft soap.
This weighed in at 560 grams of product!
I have shaved with the Mega Perma Überlather a few times now and like what I am getting
The scent came out great considering the options. Overall it smells like a nice mix between Ogalalla Bay Rum and Musgo with some tones from the Derby Lavender coming through afterwards.
The lather performance reminds me a lot of Geo F Trumpers and of creams in general. It lathers easily and creates thick luxurious stable lather quickly that perhaps lacks some slickness.
The kicker is that the after shave feel is probably the best I have ever experienced - I'm not sure if this is the added glycerin or has something to do with creams in the mix, but the aftershave feel is really nice
If I stick with using nothing but this MegaPermaÜberlather mix until it is finished, I should be at it for the rest of this year
So, überlather does all kinds of good.
The truth is though that making überlather is a bit of a process if you end up doing it every morning, and there are some really good products that just don't benefit as much from the überlather treatment. It's not that mixing a really good soap like DR Harris with glycerin and a great cream like Nancy Boy won't gain from the überlather treatment, it's just that using a soap like Wilkinson and mixing it with a cream like Real Shaving Company allows much more room for lather improvement (or better returns on your effort).
I had a number of partially used products that I decided finish off. So, I joined in with the 3017 crowd and started using one cream or soap at a time until each product was completely finished before moving on to the next. This was easy enough with Tabac and JM Frasers etc and I have gladly been at it for over a year now. But, I had a number of creams and soaps that I felt were just not good enough to justify using one by one when I have other really good options waiting in the wings. The products were not good candidates for a PIF, I really did not want to throw them out, but they were not good enough for me to look forward to using them by themselves endlessly.
Since I had gotten great shaves with these products when mixing two of them together in überlathers, I figured why not a Mega Perma Überlather!
This is what I did. I took all of my remaining partially used products and mixed them together.
Everything in this picture went into the mix. All that was left was the remainder of the liquid glycerin (I added about two tablespoons).
From the top left: Liquid Glycerin, Mama Bear Lime, Real Shaving Company Sensitive, Musgo Real, Geo F Trumpers Almond, Derby Lavender, Bald Frog Soaps (mostly chocolate mint I think), small leftover chunk of Benton Clay, Wilkinson Sword Blue tub, Ogalalla Bay Rum.
The creams were easy to add. I decided to keep the soaps in small pieces rather than grating them in. Then I added in some glycerin and really mixed everything together well.
Then I let them all sit together and let the mixture breath on and off for around 5 months. Every so often I would press down on the product to compress it a little and allow it to harden. The end result is a mix that is about the same consistency as a croap, a little harder than an Italian soft soap.
This weighed in at 560 grams of product!
I have shaved with the Mega Perma Überlather a few times now and like what I am getting
The scent came out great considering the options. Overall it smells like a nice mix between Ogalalla Bay Rum and Musgo with some tones from the Derby Lavender coming through afterwards.
The lather performance reminds me a lot of Geo F Trumpers and of creams in general. It lathers easily and creates thick luxurious stable lather quickly that perhaps lacks some slickness.
The kicker is that the after shave feel is probably the best I have ever experienced - I'm not sure if this is the added glycerin or has something to do with creams in the mix, but the aftershave feel is really nice
If I stick with using nothing but this MegaPermaÜberlather mix until it is finished, I should be at it for the rest of this year