proper brush technique

Hello gents, been wetshaving for a couple years now, and it's taken me about that long to finally decide to ask another question about my technique

I have an Edwin Jagger brush (I forget the exact one, but it's the one that everyone was raving about a while back because it held lather really well). I use Proraso shaving cream.

My problem is this: I can get a nice lather onto the brush itself. But when I try to apply it to my face, that's where things get dicey (yes, before anyone reflexively suggests it, I have indeed watched mantic's terrific videos many times, specifically the ones where he uses the shaving brush).

Basically, the problem is that I can't seem to get that nice thick lather onto my face. If I move the brush around lightly, then the lather doesn't get transferred from the brush onto my face. If I press harder into my face with the brush so that the brush hairs sort of "sploosh" outward in all directions, and then move the brush around my face, then I wind up just pushing a little bit of lather around; none of the lather on and in the brush gets "deposited" onto my face.

So the best I can ever come up with is a relatively thin sheen of lather. I can never achieve "peaks" like one might be able to with a spray can of shaving cream. I even have trouble fully "painting" my face so that no blank spots are showing (I can do it, but barely).

I've had two other brushes and had the same problem, so I'm fairly sure it's my technique. But I just don't know what else to try. I'm frustrated because I always end up with a ton of shaving cream in the brush (the brush holds it so well); if I could get it all off the brush and onto my face, I'd be a happy man. Any suggestions?

I'm guessing that the knot must be >24mm meaning it holds tons of lather but to relase it, you need to either:

A) Squeeze it out
B) Make more lather
C) A and B

If your lather is good (thick and slick) then, it's most likely a big knot. My favourite size is 20mm, 22mm tops...

I suspect the normal oils on your face are just repelling the lather. I know many people want to avoid drying their skin out, but I find that washing the face thoroughly with soap (not a gentle cleanser!) works wonders both for allowing water to soak into the beard and letting lather stick to the face.

Alternatively maybe the brushes need a thorough clean, though this sounds unlikely.

Luc said:

I'm guessing that the knot must be >24mm meaning it holds tons of lather but to relase it, you need to either:

A) Squeeze it out
B) Make more lather
C) A and B

If your lather is good (thick and slick) then, it's most likely a big knot. My favourite size is 20mm, 22mm tops...

Click to expand...

+1. The larger the knot the more it hogs lather. I have a 23 mm knot that will do the same thing after the first pass so I have to do what Luc said above, i.e., make more lather and squeeze it out.

inside that brush its holding some AMAZING lather.. squeeze some out as the others have said and watch how much you like it!

Luc said:

I'm guessing that the knot must be >24mm meaning it holds tons of lather but to relase it, you need to either:

A) Squeeze it out
B) Make more lather
C) A and B

If your lather is good (thick and slick) then, it's most likely a big knot. My favourite size is 20mm, 22mm tops...

Click to expand...

+2 Especially C)

Hello.
The best foam is sitting in the brush itself, so I press him a bit with the fingers when applied = .
With smaller knots the lather spreads directly on my face.

Greetings

Andreas

I'd make the switch to face lathering.
If that's not your speed, then squeeze the good lather out.
I have a Rooney brush and its a 24mm lather hog.
The Ej brushes are good and make a nice lather.

I recently used mine on a trip and it was wonderful for face lathering.

I suspect that you do not have enough soap in your brush. I have a Merkur Vision badger (22 mm?) brush and have tried Bigalow (Proraso) Cream. I put a dollop of cream slightly less than the size of a seedless grape on my left palm and load it into the bristles of my brush. I then face lather with the loaded brush and have gotten lots of thick lather. The bigger the brush, the more cream required to load it.

Skin oils eat (react with) soap. To see this in action, try washing your hair twice in a row. It will probably require much less soap to lather your hair on the second application to your head. I shower immediately before shaving and always soap and rinse my face twice in the shower for this reason. Lather also more effectively softens beards that are free of oil.

HTH