Is my shaving bowl too small? What would you recommend?

**neostyles** · 01-04-2011, 04:01 PM

For those who didn't recognize it, this is the bowl that comes in the CVS deluxe shave set. The instructions say that you are supposed to put the soap in there, but I was at, the time, mxing my lather in an old plastic salsa dish, so i went ahead and took advantage of the option. I mean, hey in my position wouldn't?

Pictured for scale is the brush that came with the set. It's a van der hagen, but it's not half bad. It doesn't feel nearly as sandpapery as the vdh ones that come by themselves in the tiny boxes. It's much softer on the face and it only sheds one or so hair per week. I would definitely recommend it for beginning wet shavers. The stand alone VDH brushes are cheaper, but imo they are so terrible that they shouldn't even be considered as options.

AAAnnyhowwww.. I have been having some issues with lather over flowing. How big are your bowls out of curiosity?

**DavyRay** · 01-04-2011, 04:03 PM

If you stretch your hand out, my bowl is almost that big. I think that makes it about 8" across. It is easy to scrub the brush back-and-forth across the bowl, instead of trying to make circles with it. It makes lather that way faster for me.

I got this one at a church rummage sale. I think I paid almost $3 for it.

**mandoman** · 01-04-2011, 04:08 PM

I THINK WE ALL HAVE THAT ONE, A LITTLE SMALL BUT WORKS OK TRY A BADGER BRUSH

**Jethro1984** · 01-04-2011, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by DavyRay

If you stretch your hand out, my bowl is almost that big. I think that makes it about 8" across. It is easy to scrub the brush back-and-forth across the bowl, instead of trying to make circles with it. It makes lather that way faster for me.

I got this one at a church rummage sale. I think I paid almost $3 for it.

The top opening of my latte mug is 4.5 inches and it is 2.75 inches deep.

It's a Williams-Sonoma blue latte mug and I purchased it at Goodwill for $1.00.

**Laney1566** · 01-04-2011, 04:12 PM

Judging from brush size it seems to me your bowl is just fine....Try lathering more on your face and less in the bowl.

**hometownhero** · 01-04-2011, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by Laney1566

Try lathering more on your face and less in the bowl.

This +100 No need for a bowl in the bathroom. Bowls are for soup not lather.

**OldSaw** · 01-04-2011, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by Jethro1984

The top opening of my latte mug is 4.5 inches and it is 2.75 inches deep.

It's a Williams-Sonoma blue latte mug and I purchased it at Goodwill for $1.00.

I have several Goodwill lathering mugs of this variety and usually only buy them when they have the half price colored tags on them, so I only pay 50 cents each. I like the shallow soup mugs the best.

RE: the OP
Don't worry about it. Most of the lather that spills over is usually a little sudsy anyway. Just try to catch it with the brush if you can and if you miss it's no big loss. I have lathered in just about every size available and they all work. If you really feel you need something bigger, check out Goodwill and look for a shallow soup mug which you can fit your thumb into the finger handle and hold the bottom in your palm. Works great.

**Coda_** · 01-04-2011, 04:26 PM

I have the same bowl/brush, and I had over flow problems when I started bowl lathering. The solution was simple. When the lather starts to climb out of the bowl, just stop lathering, and use the brush to push it back down. Not only does this solve the overflow problem, but it helps load the brush a bit more. Dont let some of these guys get to you though. If you want to lather in a bowl, by all means do it. Although, it wouldnt hurt to learn how to face lather.

**Go West Young Man** · 01-04-2011, 04:55 PM

I like a wider bowl - you can't get the brush to really move around effectively in such a narrow opening.

**HoosierTrooper** · 01-04-2011, 04:56 PM

I have the same VDH bowl and use it a couple times a week. I really like it, and I'm guessing a whole bunch of guys here have owned one. The brush that came with it didn't last real long but I've found two Surrey brushes that work very well. I don't know if the quality control was a little better before they were bought out by VDH or I if I just got lucky.

I have pretty good luck using a plunger type motion to help build lather.

**Charles Darwin** · 01-04-2011, 05:04 PM

I bought two different mugs from the Dollar Store when I first started wet shaving. They both have straight sides and flat bottoms, and are both about 4-5 inches tall. One of them has a handle, and the opening at the top is about 4" wide. The other one has no handle, and its opening is about 5" wide.

I tried using both of them at the beginning, alternating for each shave. The smaller one did not feel right - my brush kept hitting the sides, and I couldn't get a good rhythm going. I have been using the larger one ever since.

If your bowl feels good, and you can develop a good lather in it, then great. If it's causing you problems, then try to figure out what part of the bowl you don't like (height, width, slope of the sides, overall size, etc.), and then keep your eyes open for something that has different dimensions in the problem area. I looked in Dollar Stores, Wal-Mart, malls, department stores, etc. whenever I was out.

**OldSaw** · 01-04-2011, 05:47 PM

...and one more thing. It's not the size that matters, but how you use it...

Just keep using whatever you have and you will get better at it.

**Lesmore** · 01-04-2011, 05:54 PM

I tried a coffee mug at first...too small, then a camping , stainless steel cereal bowl....which was very good.

Now I have a porcelain (I think) Fendrihan shaving mug...a good sized one....like it the best, keeps the lather warmer, longer and a good size for my Badger Brush.

I like bigger, rather than smaller in shaving bowls.

**njpaddy** · 01-04-2011, 05:55 PM

Go to Target, look in the stoneware plate section and buy this for $4. Perfect size, about 4" across. I have the dark blue one and use it more than my scuttle.

**M80** · 01-04-2011, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by OldSaw

...and one more thing. It's not the size that matters, but how you use it...

Just keep using whatever you have and you will get better at it.

That is what guys with little bowls say to make themselves feel better.

**Montecristo #2** · 01-04-2011, 06:11 PM

Get a scuttle!

**OldSaw** · 01-04-2011, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by M80

That is what guys with little bowls say to make themselves feel better.

Or what guys with custom made bowls that no one else will ever have say to guys with little bowls to keep them from being jealous.

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**boctok** · 01-04-2011, 06:12 PM

It's probably fine. I found that to hasten the lather building, it is good to squeeze the brush into the bowl to release whatever water and soap is hiding in the brush. Mix it up and do it again and you will quickly have a plethora of white creamy goodness for your whiskers. Try it sometime.

**mftoms59** · 01-04-2011, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by Jethro1984

The top opening of my latte mug is 4.5 inches and it is 2.75 inches deep.

It's a Williams-Sonoma blue latte mug and I purchased it at Goodwill for $1.00.

+1 FOR any SECOND HAND STORE, walk in with a few different size shave pucks for soap dishes also, you could easily get ~4-6 bowls under $10.00

**mftoms59** · 01-04-2011, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by HoosierTrooper

I have the same VDH bowl and use it a couple times a week. I really like it, and I'm guessing a whole bunch of guys here have owned one. The brush that came with it didn't last real long but I've found two Surrey brushes that work very well. I don't know if the quality control was a little better before they were bought out by VDH or I if I just got lucky.

I have pretty good luck using a plunger type motion to help build lather.

+1 for plunger motion, I add a small twist like a Washing Machine