Best way to lather on face?

[JCMH]

I'm sure this has been covered but for the purpose of time my question is the best way to lather on face. I use Taylors Creams and a Vulfix brush, small in comparison to what I have been reading...base of 20MM I believe. I prefer to use the lather on face method even though you get better lather in a bowl. Please, in detail from beginning to end the best procedure for lathering on face without a bowl and what is the down side to lathering on face.

As always I appreciate your input.

John

[JCMH]

I'm sorry...I met to put this in the shaving cream forum.

John

[Queen of Blades]

Does anyone want to field this question? :confused:

[JCMH]

Does anyone want to field this question? :confused:

I guess evrybody uses a bowl!!:confused1

[Kyle Stoner]

I will answer even though I am relatively inexperienced.

I love to lather directly on the face too, and havent quite decided which method works best for me.

I went back to using my Williams Mug Classic soap yesterday for the first time since I started using a DE...I got a much better lather on my face than in the bowl, but then again I think I used too much water when I put the lather in the bowl...

This is how I do it for soap: I run my hot water until it is hot hot hot. Yesterday I learned that my williams puck fit in my mug really well so I stuck it to the bottom - it held itself because of the size. Then I fill up my usual lathering bowl to heat it up, as I will be using it for my brush. Then I ran some hot water onto the top of the soap in the mug, to heat the mug and the soap up, and let it sit.

Next I run my brush under the hot water, and get it good and warm and wet. Then I empty out my lathering bowl, shake my brush, and fill the bowl with new hotter water with the brush in it, and twirl the brush around to get the air out of it - this really soaks the brush in hot water. I let it sit like that while I splash some hot water on my face for a good 30 seconds. Then I dry my face with a towel, so it is pretty dry but still hot (had to practice to find the right technique to get it just right), pour the water out of my mug with the soap in it, and flick just a bit of water out of my brush - not too much though because the water left in the brush is all I will have to work with on my face. Then I collect soap on the tip of the brush by twirling and swirling it around, building a very thick lather, much thicker than regular lather as it is mostly going to be soap, not water...making sure not to press too hard so the water stays in the brush pretty well. When there is enough soap in the brush I take it to my face, with a circular massage-type motion, letting the lather build up on my face, and keep at it for a good minute or longer. Then I paint my face to slap the lather that has built up on the side of my brush onto my skin and to even out the lather. I set my brush back in the mug between passes which is normally still warm.

So this is my way. I can post a pictorial walk-through if you would like.

[Kyle Stoner]

Oh yeah, I forgot - this is how I do it with creams:

Basically the same, except I dont have to heat up my brush in the bowl - I use the mug instead. After it is hot and soaked, I pour the water out of the mug and refill it to keep it hot while I lather. Then I flick water out of the brush, usually untill it fans out a bit, and twirl the brush in my cream - or sometimes I dip my fingers in the cream and put it on the brush that way. Actually it is best to let a good amount of water stay in the brush and put the cream on with fingers to produce lather on your face more easily. Then I just go straight to my face from there. Circular, pumping but not too hard, to build lather on the face - then painting to even everything out. Then I empty out my mug and put the brush in there to keep it warm - usually it is good for at least 3 passes, although this is something I am still learning.

So that's it. Sorry if there are any big run-on sentences!

[JCMH]

Oh yeah, I forgot - this is how I do it with creams:

Basically the same, except I dont have to heat up my brush in the bowl - I use the mug instead. After it is hot and soaked, I pour the water out of the mug and refill it to keep it hot while I lather. Then I flick water out of the brush, usually untill it fans out a bit, and twirl the brush in my cream - or sometimes I dip my fingers in the cream and put it on the brush that way. Actually it is best to let a good amount of water stay in the brush and put the cream on with fingers to produce lather on your face more easily. Then I just go straight to my face from there. Circular, pumping but not too hard, to build lather on the face - then painting to even everything out. Then I empty out my mug and put the brush in there to keep it warm - usually it is good for at least 3 passes, although this is something I am still learning.

So that's it. Sorry if there are any big run-on sentences!

First of all I really appreciate your input...secondly how thick is it on your face when your done?

John

[zachster]

With soap, I fill my mug with hot water and let the brush soak in there while I wet my face with hot water. Then I empty out the water from the mug and shake the brush briskly. Then swirl the brush over the soap a few times to build up soap on the bristles -- not looking for lather at this point, just soap buildup on the brush. I then build up lather on my face with small circular motions (sort of like one would dab oil paint on a canvas), and finish it off with smooth painting motions. I used Williams for ages and got decent lather this way. With some of the hand made soaps, I'm finding that I need to add a little bit of water to the cup during the swirling stage.

[BeachBum]

John when lathering on the face I soak the brush in hot water under the tap
hold the brush upsidedown and shake some of the water out, dip and twist
the brush in the cream, with Taylors creams a little bit goes a long way,
then I had a bit more hot water onto the brush and its onto the face in a
circular motion followed by a painting action.

One thing squeezing the base of the bristles forces more lather to the tips
of the brush if you need a bit more.

I use this method if I need a quick shave, two passes.

Doug

[JCMH]

John when lathering on the face I soak the brush in hot water under the tap
hold the brush upsidedown and shake some of the water out, dip and twist
the brush in the cream, with Taylors creams a little bit goes a long way,
then I had a bit more hot water onto the brush and its onto the face in a
circular motion followed by a painting action.

One thing squeezing the base of the bristles forces more lather to the tips
of the brush if you need a bit more.

I use this method if I need a quick shave, two passes.

Doug

With dipping and twisting I'm concerned with the water that would end up in the tub, which I'm told is a bad thing..if you leave as much water on the brush as you should I would think using a finger is best..right or wrong?

Thanks again..

John

P.S. Don't mean to be a dunce here but dipping & twisting or finger...leave water on brush with little or no shaking since it's difficult to add water when lathering on face..maybe I'm making a big deal out of it, but none the less I really want to lather on face without a bowl.

[mantic]

Maybe this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ezJNJfygw) might help?

--Mark

[Kyle Stoner]

With soap it is usually thinner, but slicker. With cream, it is definitely thicker, but more cushioning. But I don't use soaps much and my soaps aren't of the highest quality soaps for shaving so YMMV.