a vast conspiracy against us wetshavers!

[brucered]

 

[BigJ]

I am with the consensus here: MORE soap!! Then enough water (and that depends on the particular product)!

IME those two issues are key to building a great lather!!

 

[Staggers and Jags]

It sounds like this is making you unhappy so my advice is to stop doing it, at least for a while; maybe talk it over with your psychiatrist the next time you speak with her. There are things which are important in life - shaving soap is not one of those things. Good luck to you.

thankyou for the advice and being kind about it

 

[Staggers and Jags]

When I was having a bad stretch of lathers, folks here reminded me to use more soap, load the brush like heck, then gradually add water. Like many, I had too little soap and was adding too much water. Try the method in this video, it really helped me! Good luck

im gonna try that today but that much scrubbing looks for sure to give me brush burn

 

[Staggers and Jags]

I am with the consensus here: MORE soap!! Then enough water (and that depends on the particular product)!

IME those two issues are key to building a great lather!!

as i have poosted before. ive loader for a minute or more on some soaps and still the same problem. from MY experience regardless of how much soap you use iutseither have to basically be unapplyable with a brush or have the slickness drop dramatically almost to the opint of there not being any reason to use it

 

[psfred]

I think there is a basic misunderstanding here. Soap is only there to make your skin slick so the edge of the blade slides over it while cutting hairs, it is most definitely NOT here to keep the edge off your skin!

Very slick is what you want, and slickness that lasts even after you shave an area.

If you are trying to 'protect' your skin from the blade by making thick, dense lather, you aren't going to have slick skin. Just the nature of soap lather.

Soap isn't necessary, I shaved in the shower without it for 30+ years with no ill effects, ATG too boot. Running water is slick enough with a good blade, although not exactly ideal.

What you want is a fairy thin, persistent lather that is very slick and leaves your skin slick after the razor goes past. Big piles of heavy duty, stiff "whipped cream" lathers do squat for shaving, that's just for looks. I get my best shaves when the lather is so thin it actually drips off the razor while I'm shaving since that is when it's the slickest. Seeing your skin through the lather doesn't mean the lather is defective, it just means there is a thin layer. If you have to rinse the razor more than once a pass due to accumulation of lather you are probably using too much soap.

If you don't like the feel of the edge on your skin, use a milder razor, understanding that the edge MUST touch the skin if you want a close comfortable shave. Having the edge "fly" above your skin will result in lots of pulling, and so will using the wrong razor angle (which is really the angle of the skin side bevel of the blade).

 

[Staggers and Jags]

How exactly does a water-based lather "cushion" against an extremely sharp solid piece of stainless steel?

i dont know but there are alot of peoiple who claim it does. hence why i made this post. ther eis no middle ground eits siether slickness opr cushion nothing in between

 

[psfred]

At a guess "cushion" really means "comfort", which I get by using the correct angle of the razor, proper pressure of the razor against the skin, and very slick soap. I also find I get more comfortable shaves once I wear the "new sharpness" off a blade, which can take ten or fifteen shaves.

 

[Staggers and Jags]

Did you read the page? People of all levels of intelligence are susceptible. The fact that you have been doing something for a long time is no guarantee you will automatically be good at it; especially if you are doing it incorrectly. Which, based on your wall of text, you are. Rather than rant about social experiments, try acknowledging the fact that you still have something to learn, and go about improving your situation, rather than blaming Big Soap™.

yes i read it. you cannot say i have it just ile i cannot say you have it because you cant5 plug you brain into my body and experience how i lather. ive been at this long enough to disclude the dunning kruger effect
i have spent countles hours of my life watching videos for different ways to lather and have ppicked up little things from each. i dont believe there is any one technique thats going to do it right and thats because there is a conspiracy here from the soap makers!

 

[psfred]

Soap is soap, ordinary bath soap works just fine for shaving, I have a friend who uses it pretty much exclusively. Not "great" lather, but again, slick is all that counts.

 

[Staggers and Jags]

I think there is a basic misunderstanding here. Soap is only there to make your skin slick so the edge of the blade slides over it while cutting hairs, it is most definitely NOT here to keep the edge off your skin!

Very slick is what you want, and slickness that lasts even after you shave an area.

If you are trying to 'protect' your skin from the blade by making thick, dense lather, you aren't going to have slick skin. Just the nature of soap lather.

Soap isn't necessary, I shaved in the shower without it for 30+ years with no ill effects, ATG too boot. Running water is slick enough with a good blade, although not exactly ideal.

What you want is a fairy thin, persistent lather that is very slick and leaves your skin slick after the razor goes past. Big piles of heavy duty, stiff "whipped cream" lathers do squat for shaving, that's just for looks. I get my best shaves when the lather is so thin it actually drips off the razor while I'm shaving since that is when it's the slickest. Seeing your skin through the lather doesn't mean the lather is defective, it just means there is a thin layer. If you have to rinse the razor more than once a pass due to accumulation of lather you are probably using too much soap.

If you don't like the feel of the edge on your skin, use a milder razor, understanding that the edge MUST touch the skin if you want a close comfortable shave. Having the edge "fly" above your skin will result in lots of pulling, and so will using the wrong razor angle (which is really the angle of the skin side bevel of the blade).

again anything less than what some could consider over hydrated and there is a dramatic drom in slickness to the point its basically unuseable andwhen i say over hydrated i mean drippijg off the brush when trying to apply.

 

[DesertIguana]

Trail, error, and time should give you disired results.

Some how before internet, and forums devoted to wet shaving.

We in the old day got things to work. Razor, blade, brush, and puck of soap.

We had no how to resources, so somehow we made simple thing work for good shave.

 

[Ron R]

im telling you there is a conspiracy going on to trick consumers into believing shaving soaps and creams are slicker than they really are. there are some brands out there that are worse than other but on a whole there is a conspiracy. even with the artisans ive tried. there is no sweet spot for cushion and slickness. you either sacrifice one for the other, no exceptions. i gust did an experiment.

This is sure a different thread to read , not sure about your conspiracy's but it is what it is. It's just bunch of folks trying to sell quality shave soap and it up to the consumer to buy what works and if it works stick with it.
I used canned foam and gel(prefer gel) for almost 35 years and it was ok and worked great with my cartridge razors, using a brush with a good artisan soap with a nice fragrance is about as good as it gets IMO. You can just use hand soap and I have done that also when camping and forgot my canned gel, Irish spring hand bar soap worked & I found it not be as good as a shave gel or artisan made shave soap.
Interesting thought about the soap conspiracy, oh well use what you like and stick to it is what I suggest.

 

[Raven Koenes]

View attachment 1761987

I was a part of the Illuminate until I figured out it was just another pyramid scheme.

 

[ButterfaceX]

I almost toke the 5th on this one.

Their is no soap manufacturer's conspiracy going on. Yes, they want your money. I mainly use the soap (home made) that my 96 year old dad ( from italy) . For a short time, he worked in the industry. He also makes wine.
In wet shaving we all use hardware and software. Shavers need to find what works best for them. S & J, if you believe soap is culprit of your bad shaves. You need to adapt and try things that will make your shave more enjoyable and result it a great shave. Whatever it takes, be open minded, smart, safe, optimistic & have fun. You are the master of you tools.
Best of luck...
BFX

 

[Staggers and Jags]

I almost toke the 5th on this one.

Their is no soap manufacturer's conspiracy going on. Yes, they want your money. I mainly use the soap (home made) that my 96 year old dad ( from italy) . For a short time, he worked in the industry. He also makes wine.
In wet shaving we all use hardware and software. Shavers need to find what works best for them. S & J, if you believe soap is culprit of your bad shaves. You need to adapt and try things that will make your shave more enjoyable and result it a great shave. Whatever it takes, be open minded, smart, safe, optimistic & have fun. You are the master of you tools.
Best of luck...
BFX

thank you. ive always found it a little pridefull and intellectually dishonest to say that there could be no error in the soaps and its all on me. which to me feels like a personal attack. ive been working on not feeling attacked when people say things like that. ive just been under a lot of stress about my health the main reason being is that they cannot figure out why i have copd at my age im only 32 and while i did smoke it was very lightly on and off for a year at the most. a pack ccould last me up to 3 days. and my doctor doenst believe that likely to be the case. they have done chest x-rays which scare me because with the way she was hinting it could be something worse that mimics the symptoms of copd in the early stages such as several cancers ad other more serious health issues than copd alone. plus i have to see the heart doctor to. having the mental illness i have takes small things like the issue with soaps and blows them up to catostrophic purportions schizoaffective disorder is a plague on mand kind and i wouldent wish it on my worst enemies. i tend to get paranoid and delusional more than i normally am when im stressed

 

[ButterfaceX]

Certainly not meant to be an personal attach. All I am going on is 50 years of wet shaving & a dad who use to be in the industry as a soap marker. He is still very passionate about it and makes us some amazing soaps. He is 96, tiny batches, and knows the industry.
I just hope you get well. Get the help you need. I can relate because my wife years back was diagnosed as bipolar, she is untreatable. Meaning no meds can chemically balance her.
Oh a side note, she is also an ex dermatologist / cosmetologist. So she also knows the industry.
Have fun, take care of you.
I hope you find something that fixes all the issues you have will soaps.
You can find something that works!
Cheers & Smiles
BFX

 

[Wogus]

... I'm really starting to think i should just go back to a disposable and canned cream.

Having read this entire thread, I'm thinking that might be a good idea.

 

[Alum Ladd]

thank you. ive always found it a little pridefull and intellectually dishonest to say that there could be no error in the soaps and its all on me. which to me feels like a personal attack. ive been working on not feeling attacked when people say things like that. ive just been under a lot of stress about my health the main reason being is that they cannot figure out why i have copd at my age im only 32 and while i did smoke it was very lightly on and off for a year at the most. a pack ccould last me up to 3 days. and my doctor doenst believe that likely to be the case. they have done chest x-rays which scare me because with the way she was hinting it could be something worse that mimics the symptoms of copd in the early stages such as several cancers ad other more serious health issues than copd alone. plus i have to see the heart doctor to. having the mental illness i have takes small things like the issue with soaps and blows them up to catostrophic purportions schizoaffective disorder is a plague on mand kind and i wouldent wish it on my worst enemies. i tend to get paranoid and delusional more than i normally am when im stressed

Hello there Brother @Staggers and Jags

We can all become unwell. None of us can claim "that will never happen to me!" It does. Issues of the mind are a curse, sometimes worse than a physical ailment. Having been plagued with often severe anxiety and depression throughout my life, I sympathise and feel for you. Many others will too. The fear of a physical ailment to add to it just increases the pain. I hope things improve for you my friend, and my heart goes out to you.

Have you ever thought of making your own soap? That way you would have complete control over ingredients and methods of preperation. It seems easier than some make it out to be.

Brother @Old Hippie and others would certainly give you guidance if you were interested. There are some fine amateur soap makers on the forum many who would I'm sure be glad to assist.

It may mature into an entertaining and amusing side hobby for you which allows space for your own creativity.

I hope you have good days ahead and that the dark clouds clear for you.

 

[SharpieB]

Paragraphs are a thing, all. This thread is almost impossible to understand on a cell phone or small screen.