A few problems

[bd4sh]

Hi, I'm new here but I must admit I've lurked around without registering for a few months but I felt I must post a topic to find out where I'm going wrong!

First of all, my lather is weird. I've tried lathering in a bowl, on the hand, on my face yet I really can't produce something to the standard which is shown on here. I've read multiple tutorials, watched tons of videos and still all I keep producing is a lather which, when applied to my face, isnt thick.

I can see my face through the lather, the lather looks great in the bowl, very thick and has peaks all over, on the top of the brush looks good too, yet all of the lather seems to just be on the sides of the brush. I can get a thick lather if I just 'paint' over my face with the brush (which is just basically applying the lather on the sides of the brush) The only thing I can think of is that the lather isnt mixing well in the 'breach?'(is that only used in method shaving? I'm sure you get my idea!) of the brush. The lather can look good on my cheeks, but around my chin is the main offender, it just seems like the brush is actually moving lather out of the way, which could be a sign I need more water in my mix? Also theres little holes in the lather too! But I have tried different amounts of water, maybe not pushing it enough though.

I also find it strange that whilst lather up, my face stings a little, I don't know weither this is because my brush is new and quite prickly, but when the lather is on my face it really starts to sting by the end of my shave, this surely can't be right!

I have a few problems that will mostly just come with practice, thus being I find it hard to shave my jawline, it seems I can't get good contact with any whiskers unless i shave across it, which would be XTG.

I also have trouble shaving my neck, and maybe thats because it's really contoured(sp) and I can't keep my razor angle, if anyone has any tips on any of the above they'd I'd be very grateful.

The setup I use is:
Merkur HD 38c
Edwin Jagger Best Badger
Trumpers Rose/EJ Sandalwood
I shave after a shower

Sorry for the very long first post, and to any of those who get through it I salut you!

[kingfisher]

Welcome to B&B.


1. Your brush is a lather hog. There's plenty of lather, but when you try to apply it, it is actually REMOVING it from your face and storing it deep inside the brush, or near the base on the outside. My Tweezerman was like that in a severe way.

2. Your brush might be a trimmed brush, where the badger hairs have been cut in order to make the brush ends the correct length. In this situation, the brush can be prickly and can irritate the skin.

3. You may or may not be sensitive to some of the ingredients in your shaving cream. Try putting it on your face with your hands sometime, even when you're not shaving, and see whether the face still gets irritated. If it does, then you know that it's not just the brush.

4. It takes time to learn how to shave the neck and jawline properly. Work hard on following the grain for the first pass and on maintaining a proper angle. On my neck this means I have to adjust the angle a lot as I go, since my neck is thin and contoured. Use shorter strokes on the neck so you can maintain a proper angle.

Good luck and keep at it.

[DSB]

Try adding some more water to your lather. It might be a little dry. Other than that suggestion, I agree with what kingfisher said.

[Cutter]

Welcome to B&B! I also agree with kingfisher's advice.

[Luc]

Welcome to B&B!

+1 to the above advices!

[djmike523]

Welcome to B&B!

+1 to the above advices!

what he said!

[bd4sh]

Thanks for the replies! I'll definatly had a go at just seeing how much water my cream can hold. Can you give advice on how to spot the 'sweet' spot?

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to B&B !!

[proctologo_morboso]

welcome to B&B!

as a newbie here too, i gotta say i had (and have) the same problem. the lather looked thick on the bowl but very thin when applied to my face. i figured after a few weeks i'll just start getting it right. im looking forward to experiment with different amounts of water and soap and finding the sweet spot!

good luck finding that golden ratio!

[Gruder]

Welcome to B&B -- thanks for delurkifying!I can't decide whether your lather issue is caused by too little or too much water. Time to experiment. Start by just adding a few drops (not a teaspoon, a few drops) and work up a few drops at a time from there, allowing a good 15-20 seconds of mixing between each addition. Start with plenty of cream or soap (I'm not sure which you're using). You'll have mountains of thick, cushiony lather flowing out of the bowl in no time. I don't suspect that your brush is the cause of the irritation. Try the lather on skin trick mentioned above. If you get no burning, then your shave is the culprit (which makes sense, given the bad lather).

Another possible option -- face lathering. It's possible that could work better for you, especially if you're using soap. Tutorial here.

[bd4sh]

Thanks for my welcomes everyone. Just to clarify I'm using Trumpers Rose Cream, I tried by giving my brush a squeeze to get rid of alot of water, I tried lathering then and my lather was very thick and quite stiff, I dont know weither that's good or not but I'll definatly keep adding water once I get a thorough test.

I've been shaving for about 2weeks now, shaving almost every 2-3 days and I'm using a Merkur super I got with free with my razor.

[bd4sh]

Okay I've tried adding various amounts of water to my cream yet i'm still just getting the same problem, the inside of my brush just isnt holding any cream. It just goes to the outsides and when I work it onto my hand or face the inside of the brush is void of any cream so it pushes the other stuff off my face and I get a terrible thin lather.

When making my lather I pump the brush every 10swirls or so but nothing does any good, if I spread the bristles and swirl it just wipes the bowl clean of any lather, no matter how much water I put in. I've tried a different brush and a different cream, so it's obviously something I'm doing wrong! The only thick lather I can get is if I paint it onto my hand, and when I squeeze the brush I get huge amounts of thick cushioning lather, but nothing in the middle.

Anyone got any more ideas?

[mdunn]

welcome aboard.

if there are visible bubbles in the lather then theres too much water. Try using more product

[bd4sh]

Could be a good idea. I've tried using very little water and that just made it very thick and stiff. There always is little holes/bubbles in the lather, but there still is on photographs on this site, from people who I take make a very good lather. Im using about an almond size amount, maybe a little more.

[mdunn]

Could be a good idea. I've tried using very little water and that just made it very thick and stiff. There always is little holes/bubbles in the lather, but there still is on photographs on this site, from people who I take make a very good lather. Im using about an almond size amount, maybe a little more.

the almond is a good guide, but use more. Youre going for thick yougurt consistancy

[bd4sh]

Thanks! If it helps Im using EJ Best Badger, it's small, if that makes a difference, knot size 19mm

[swags]

Could be a good idea. I've tried using very little water and that just made it very thick and stiff. There always is little holes/bubbles in the lather, but there still is on photographs on this site, from people who I take make a very good lather. Im using about an almond size amount, maybe a little more.

The problem may also be the water itself. I've recently had lather of varying qualities with my Tweezerman brush, but only once or twice would I say it was really good lather, as evidenced by the super smooth movement of my razor across my face.

I got a new Shavemac brush this week and was devastated at how poor the lather was. It wouldn't build any volume until I hit the point where it just became light foam and then watery foam. I've suspected hard water for a while, and this prompted me to test it out.

I did a test lather with distilled water Friday evening and saw a world of difference. The lather stayed very thick with almost no visible bubbles and held a ton of water without breaking. I tried it for my shave yesterday and it was wonderful. Good face coverage, very slick, and the brush held gobs of it deep in the knot. The only problem is that I can't get warm lather on the first pass now. Fortunately I can still get it warm for the successive passes by floating my bowl in the sink.

I do think you probably need more product too, but if you're still having trouble, pick up a gallon of distilled water and see if that helps.

[jwhite]

For a long time I used to start by just running my brush under hot water from the tap. Following some advise I found here I started soaking my brush in a mug of hot water while I took a shower. When I got out I'd give the brush a one quick shake, dump the water and make my lather in the warm mug. It made a world of difference. the brush was softer, warmer and since it was saturated it didn't eat lather.