First time face lathering

[Saturn]

Yesterday, I face lathered for the first time, after having been DE shaving for about a couple of months now. As I was doing it, I thought, "Wow! Why did I ever bother bowl lathering to begin with?" I loved the feeling of building the lather directly on to my face. It felt good and seemed like I was working the lather into the whiskers a lot better that way than I would if I built my lather in a bowl and simply used the brush to apply it to my face afterward. I also seemed to get a lather that was slicker and more lubricating than any lather before.

I thought everything was great, until I was done shaving and found the right side of my face to be red and stinging. I chalked it up to inattentive technique and simply said I'd pay more attention the next day. But today when I shaved and made sure to use the correct angle and minimal pressure, I wound up with the same redness and irritation, this time on both sides of my face.

I've never gotten any razor burn or irritation of this sort since I started DE shaving, and the only thing I've changed is the move to face lathering. So could the irritation be caused by the repeated rubbing of the brush on my face? If that's not the source of the irritation, then maybe I just got a bad blade or something.

Whatever the cause, I'm going to have to take at least a day or two off from shaving to let my face repair itself, which kinda bums me out.

[DavyRay]

Your experience has to be your guide.

I do not face lather very often. I have a scritchy badger brush, and really work it vigorously in the bowl to make good lather. I think driving those tips into my face, when I did face-lather, caused a few bumps. I'm guessing about this, of course. This is not science.

[franstjohn]

Welcome!

Face lathering is something I have on my short list to try. I really get such good results with bowl lathering, I just keep putting it off. When I am working the lather in a bowl, I don't apply hardly any pressure to the brush-it's more of a whipping motion-and I get really nice lather. When I apply the lather to my face, I "paint" it on with the brush and then lightly stir it into the beard with the brush. This has worked for me.

As a total newbie to face lathering, is it possible you are overworking the brush or applying too much pressure to your face with the brush? If not, I can tell you more about my $3 bowl....

[Luc]

I face lather everyday and stopped using a bowl since...

I often need to dip the tip of my brush in water half way through the building of the lather as if my brush is too wet, there will be lather flying all over the place. Also, you need to build the lather for a good minute or two. When I started face lathering, I thought 30 seconds would be enough and I was wrong.

I'd say, try it again and if it still doesn't work, go back to the bowl.

[Justinsane]

It's possible that the brush you are using is too much for your face to start with. By adding the shaving to the mix might be pushing it overboard. I recently tried a brush that tore my neck apart even without shaving.