Nice Christmas - first shaving soap bowl - DR Harris Almond

[shaver-j]

What a nice Christmas! I received a few new shaving items, including DR Harris Almon in a wood bowl. It has a very nice scent and I am still working on getting the right lather, and making progress. However the brushes I have are very soft, and it got messy face lathering and using the bowl, so... I had to get a scuttle! (I'll post another thread about the scuttle.) Anyways, to my comment, I am still playing with the right mix of water to get the right lather, but it lathers rather nice. When I finish shaving I rinse and wash with cetaphil and my face feels like it has a kind of sticky soap film? Is this from tallow? I don't have this feeling after using T&H Sensitive. I just may not be used to this, so I am just curious...
Thanks!

[Gamma]

shouldn't have any kind of film left from any soap. Sounds like you have too much product and not enough water in your mix but perhaps there is a latherologist that would disagree?
I use Harris Almond - I usually get the puck wet with warm water for a minute or so before lathering and I'm good to go with any brush. Works well for me - I'm sure there are other techniques out there. I like to keep is simple though.

[Optometrist]

Harris soaps will lather successfully with any brush, working equally for me with silver tip or best. Place a little water on surface to soften the soap, then tip off after a minute or so. Use a soaked then squeezed brush to load the soap until the surface of the soap starts to dry. This should be at least a minute. Then proceed to lather(I prefer face), adding water to the brush gradually. This is what works best for me, especially with triple-milled hard soaps.

David

[shaver-j]

Thanks for the sharing your methods - it's a journey!

[beginish]

I'm with Gamma. My guess is that the film is soap that did not get incorporated in your lather when you face lathered. You could add some more water, load less soap or just work the lather up a little longer. There is no tallow left in the soap, as it would all be converted into soap while it was being made.