What is wet shaving......

[FloridaRich]

I have been wet shaving for 6 months......I bought a scuttle, TOBS, shavemac brush etc.....EJ89......feather blades........the whole nine yards.....I was getting great shaves but noticed that the blade was tugging, especially around my chin area.....I made great lathers with peaks.....then last week I thought about it, what is wet shaving.....I looked at my lather and it was a lather.....thick white peaks.....but one thing I noticed.....it wasn't really wet. So I experimented....next shave I did not shake out my brush after refilling my scuttle with hot water.....I scooped out my TOBS avocado cream and spread it on the tip of my brush......then I started mixing......after a few swirls I had a burst of bubbly lather.....mixed more and the cream exploded even more......when I finished mixing I had an almost runny mix.....I brushed it on my face.....dripping cream.....brushing in circles on my face.....the cream exploded even more......then the shave.....a smooth skip free shave that required only 3 passes instead of my usual 4 passes.....moral of this story....the wetter the cream the better the shave.....try it and see if it works for you.....

[Dave101st]

I agree, Rich...I am experimenting with my lather looking to make it as wet as possible short of runny and overdone..

Dave

[ateace]

Water is your friend. :c14:

[chado006]

I was making the same mistake myself. When you first start, you're comparing the lather you whip up to that fluffy Barbasol you squirt into your hand. It's pretty hard to get that out of your head but once you do, it's a crazy difference.

[turtle]

I do not shake out a brush. Pull it from soaking and let it dangle until the water slows down flowing out of it. Then right into the bowl where I have placed a dollop of cream.

You will find that your brush holds the right amount of water if you just let the brush take the water from the soak into the bowl. Does not matter what brush you use, it will know how much water it can hold (brushes are smart things)

I use a plastic ice cream sample spoon to scoop out my cream (can't remember if the spoon came from Ben & Jerry's or Baskin Robbins or another ice cream shop). It is tiny and holds the exact amount of cream for a perfect lather and because I use the same spoon every time and use the same amount of cream on it every time, I get very consistent, perfect, lathers every time.

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/P1010477.jpg

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/P1010527.jpg

[deruitem]

I did the same thing for a long time. Thick and creamy, but a little more wet seems to work the best

[FloridaRich]

I will take pics when I have some time of the stages of my mix.....

[mattymatt]

This took me a while to learn as well. I now use more water.

[BlackBard]

YMMV is the watch word. I have always thought that creams were prone to being too thick, when lathered, compared to soaps. Bottom line - you must find your own best way to create the lather that works for you.

Edit: Upon thinking over my remark, I realized that it is not the cream's fault, but mine. I tend to make lather that is too thick when I use cream. Maybe it's because I have used soap for so many years.

[turtle]

A B&B member just PMed me and asked how much it holds. I stuck it into the sugar then transferred the contents to measuring spoons.

That plastic sampler holds a rounded 1/4 tsp so if you have a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon just get a little mound over level and that is what the sample spoon holds. You can adjust up or down from that but you will get a consistent amount of cream every time once you have your "scoop size" figured out

Should make it easier for everyone if they don't want to go to all of the ice cream joints in town looking for a sample spoon


That ice cream sampler spoon is great! I use a little plastic knife but I like the spoon better.

I used a plastic knife too until I came across the spoon. I found it hard to be consistent as there was no reference on the knife as to how much I took out each time. Spoon is more consistent as I just fill it up like I did the last time

[dpmtherrien]

I like that small spoon idea. Thanks.

[Songwind]

I did the same thing! I was getting decent shaves, sure, but the lather when I add enough water makes it even better.

[turtle]

This was today's lather. Just a spoon full of cream and the scuttle was filled to the top.

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/tooMuchLather.jpg

[Jacob Robertson]

Let us assume that one is on a budget, and wants to use as little as possible. As in, have just enough to do 2-3 passes. Let us also assume that one is using Proraso. How much would one need to use? (Let us also assume that one's name starts with a J and that he is a cheap-@**.)

[mftoms59]

Let us assume that one is on a budget, and wants to use as little as possible. As in, have just enough to do 2-3 passes. Let us also assume that one is using Proraso. How much would one need to use? (Let us also assume that one's name starts with a J and that he is a cheap-@**.)

spread the cream directly on your face, in a thin white film, then face lather.

[cluelessdude]

Okay guess I gotta get a Baskin Robbins spoon lol.

[ajs2294]

Shaving with H20!

[BlackBard]

Okay guess I gotta get a Baskin Robbins spoon lol.

There's always room for ice cream.

[gwlee7]

There's always room for ice cream.

I have a theory: A person can be depressed before eating ice cream, and after eating ice cream; but never while eating ice cream.

[gwlee7]

So, After taking this thread seriously as well as not so seriously, I got my lather considerably "wetter" for tonight's shave and what do you know, I had a nice slick lather that let the razor (tech with a new derby extra) slide effortlessly across my face for what has to be my first true DFS and no real irritation except for a couple of greedy ATG weepers. Thanks a million!!!

[GDCarrington]

Three words: NO CANNED LATHER!

[mmack66]

OP, your period key seems to be sticking.

[PDB]

I have a theory: A person can be depressed before eating ice cream, and after eating ice cream; but never while eating ice cream.

I have a saying from the time I spent working at a tropical sno stand "No one in a bad mood stops to get a sno cone." The ice cream thing made me remember that. I saw a video in YouTube that stated most people tend to not use enough water when starting to wet shave. I am still trying to find the limits of how much water to add. Uberlather will hold a lot of water.

[gwlee7]

I made an uberlather tonight (VDH soap, KMF Cool Mint cream, glycerin) and really put the water to it in comparison to what I had been doing. It made all the difference in the world.

[mftoms59]

... I am still trying to find the limits of how much water to add...

Test lather new Creams and Soaps and after reaching the consistency you normally use, keep adding water slowly until it becomes unusable/breaks down. This will help you determine what the useable window of that soap or cream is, and how much extra water it can absorb and remain useable. Plus you get to play with your Brush & software

[BlackBard]

I have a theory: A person can be depressed before eating ice cream, and after eating ice cream; but never while eating ice cream.

That's not a theory. That's a fact.

[aceinyerface]

months......I
etc.....EJ89......feather blades........the whole nine yards.....I

Without any standard punctuation, trying to read this makes my eyes cross.

[Songwind]

Plus you get to play with your Brush & software

We claim to be going for the best shave we can get, but in reality, here's the reason for all this "research." :)

[Songwind]

So, After taking this thread seriously as well as not so seriously, I got my lather considerably "wetter" for tonight's shave and what do you know, I had a nice slick lather that let the razor (tech with a new derby extra) slide effortlessly across my face for what has to be my first true DFS and no real irritation except for a couple of greedy ATG weepers. Thanks a million!!!

I found that once it starts looking right, I have taken to pinching some between my fingers to test the slickness, and if it feels a bit tacky when I pull my fingers apart. Once the tackiness is gone but the slickness is still there, that's when it has been the best for me.

[cluelessdude]

I do not shake out a brush. Pull it from soaking and let it dangle until the water slows down flowing out of it. Then right into the bowl where I have placed a dollop of cream.

You will find that your brush holds the right amount of water if you just let the brush take the water from the soak into the bowl. Does not matter what brush you use, it will know how much water it can hold (brushes are smart things)

I use a plastic ice cream sample spoon to scoop out my cream (can't remember if the spoon came from Ben & Jerry's or Baskin Robbins or another ice cream shop). It is tiny and holds the exact amount of cream for a perfect lather and because I use the same spoon every time and use the same amount of cream on it every time, I get very consistent, perfect, lathers every time.

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/P1010477.jpg

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/P1010527.jpg

Just want to say thank you sir! Shaved today keeping in mind not to shake out the brush + used extra product and the result was A LOT OF GREAT LATHER!

I'm just curious though how much water should I fill in my bowl when I soak the brush while I shower?

[strop]

I discovered this when I made the switch to straight shaving. I had consistently good shaves with the old lather with the DE, but had to relearn to make it wetter with the straight. Now when I occasionally use the DE (read-in a hurry!) I get an even better DE shave than I did before!

[bluesbishop]

This was today's lather. Just a spoon full of cream and the scuttle was filled to the top.

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/tooMuchLather.jpg

WOW....thats a sh*t load of lather!! I use about the same amount of cream ( either Bigelow or AoS cream) and MAYBE get a third of that....how much water are you using?????

[mftoms59]

...I'm just curious though how much water should I fill in my bowl when I soak the brush while I shower?

I soak only half of the knot no matter which Hair Type it may be; Horse, Badger, Boar, Horse/Badger Mix.

[FloridaRich]

That is the perfect lather.....and looks very similar to my lather.....nice and foamy

[luvmysuper]

Do what works for you.
Not everyone has the same type skin and hair, so it may differ wildly from one person to the next.