building lather with soap

[Fencer]

I'm not really sure how to ask this:

I build cream lather by putting a dollop in my bowl. I also don't rinse the brush, I leave it soaped up to reduce the amount of cream I have to use next time.


How do I build soap lather? I've put the soap brick in a bowl. Do I just build the lather on the brick leaving left-over lather is the bowl? Or do I swirl the brush on the soap and then build the lather in another bowl?

[drewby1115]

Either method will work that you listed. However, you need to soak the brush prior and try to shake out some the water, and then load the brush . Also, I would recommend that you start rinsing and shaking your brush dry after each use because eventually the hairs will start breaking or falling out.

[franz]

You may find this soap lathering tutorial helpful. Great pics of the process.

In a nutshell, soap lathering starts by loading a damp brush directly on the puck, then moving to a bowl or your face to generate the lather.

[lt114]

It's probably easier, starting out, to build lather in a bowl in order to get the consistency right, but either will work. I use Marco's method and it works just fine with hard soaps.

[hunter87597]

First, there are 2 main ways people load and lather soaps. A lot of people (including myself), load the brush by swirling a damp/wet brush on the soap, time depends on the stiffness of brush and how thick you prefer your lather, and then take the brush straight to the face and make lather there. I like that because the extra time of the lather on my face ensures a properly hydrated beard and skin. Plus, brushing the face is mildly exfoliating and it just plain feels good.

Also, people will do the same, except instead of making the lather on the face, they will take the brush, and start whipping it in a bowl, making lather the way you said you make lather with creams. I sometimes do that too. Just depends what brush im using. Doing it this way is easier when you start out with really dry, thick soap in your brush. It's always easier to add a little water to your brush as needed. Both of these techniques work well, it's just whatever you prefer.

Second, I strongly advise you to rinse out and dry your brush after use. Leaving it for long, extended periods of time in water and soap will damage your natural badger and boar hair brushes and handles. I can't speak for synthetic brushes, never owned one. If you treat your brush right, you will get many, many faithful years out of it.

[Fencer]

what/where is Marco's method?

[Ski-Patroller]

Lathering on the Puck (which I did for years) wastes a lot of soap. Not a big deal if you use Williams or VDH, but it gets significant if you use expensive soaps.

I prefer to build the lather in the bowl, although I do face lather some times, and sometimes a combination. I like to keep my soaps in containers like the original Cella (Red Plastic) or a similar screw top containers, 2" to 3" diameter. The bowl should be much bigger, closer to 6"

I always rinse out the brush completely. I did that even when I only used one brush.

[Ski-Patroller]

what/where is Marco's method?

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=199887

[ddk13]

For me I learned that "loading" the brush and building a lather were two different things. I would go to town on the soap trying to build a lather, as opposed to slowing down and "loading" the brush with soap. Two completely different things. I have hard water and found that getting the most water out of the brush before "loading" was ideal. I also learned, for me anyway, that face lathering soaps was much easier. I now face lather my creams and soaps. I learned on here to put a little hot/warm water on my soap well before I planned on using it to soften it up a bit. Once you figure out what works best for you good luck. Soaps aren't always easy, but provide one heck of shave!

[BrianK]

Then there are the stick soaps...

I suppose one could build lather from a stick in a bowl by going through all sorts of changes, but the easiest way is to load the beard/whiskers and face lather. They are definitely worth trying IMO.

[JCinPA]

Second for the sticks. I tried the Irisch Moos stick the other day because I will use it for travel, and it was wonderful.

However, I really like building lather in a bowl or scuttle, too. I've found the key is to not have the brush too wet while loading it (for Mama Bear soaps, anyway) and to get some thick lather started on the brush. Then add water slowly while working it.

If your brush starts out way too wet or if you dump a lot of water in all at once, I find it creates problems for me. It stays thin and I can never work it into a proper lather. But if I keep adding water just a little at a time and working it for 20-30 seconds in between each water addition I can get a truly magical lather worked up.

Load up lots of soap, don't be stingy. Use lots of water, but not too fast, take your time.

[nosedog]

If your brush starts out way too wet or if you dump a lot of water in all at once, I find it creates problems for me. It stays thin and I can never work it into a proper lather. But if I keep adding water just a little at a time and working it for 20-30 seconds in between each water addition I can get a truly magical lather worked up.

@JCinPA: Do you find the lather from soap better than the lather from cream?

[JCinPA]

@JCinPA: Do you find the lather from soap better than the lather from cream?

Hmmmmmm. I hesitate to even answer this because the only cream I've used is Kiss My Face, and that only recently. Although new to DE I've been brush & mugging it for decades.

I only knew of soaps until I got here about a month ago. While the KMF cream is nice, and highly rated by more experienced folks here in the Reviews section, I do prefer soaps. I get good lather from both of them, but my sense is the soaps are 'slicker' or slipperyer (is that a word?). I get good results with either tallow or glycerin soaps and throughout the price range. I'm currently using Mama Bear's Sandalwood Vanilla and loving it. I use the Irisch Moos stick and love that, too.

What I've learned from reading here is you have to find out what YOU like, not what others like. I like soaps better and have relegated the KMF to making superlather once in a while. But YOU may just love the creams. Kick all the tires you can and see what you like best.

I'm not sure whether your question was aimed at the ease of making lather or the end result. My sense is it is easier to lather a cream without goofing it up, soaps take a little more practice to get a good lather ... but I like the soap lather much better. On recent polls it seems soap folks outnumber cream folks between two or three to one.

[395migeon]

I soak my brush in warm water in my lathering bowl while I am taking my shower and "wet" of the puck of the soap that I am going to use that morning. I find that different soaps lather better on my face than in a bowl. With that being said, after I am done showering, I shake out the excess water from my brush and start to load soap on the brush. I typically swirl the brush over the soap puck for about 45 - 60 seconds. Eventually you will be able to tell when you have enough soap on your brush. Then I transfer the soaped up brush to the warm lathering bowl and begin to further develop the lather on my brush. I add little amounts of water to the lathering bowl throughout the lathering process until I get the consistency that I am lookiing for in the lather. This step is soap and brush dependant. Then I start lathering my face. Using this process I can get enough lather on the brush for a typical 3 pass shave. After I am done shaving I completely rinse out the brush and gently shake it as dry as possible. When I come home from work at night I comb out the dried brush to reshape the bloom and now it's ready to use for my next shave.

[chuckr9]

+1 for Marco's method

[lt114]

Once I started using Marco's method, lathering became a whole lot easier. Even if you modify the method somewhat, the basic principles always work: lots of lather+ lots of swirling+ lots of water= tons of rich, creamy lather.

Thanks again to Marco for sharing this knowledge with the rest of us.

[fccexpert]

[QUOTE=Fencer;3159308]I'm not really sure how to ask this:

Do I just build the lather on the brick leaving left-over lather is the bowl? QUOTE]

That's what I do, works great for me. Lathering is not rocket science, it's not even chemical engineering the basic process is:

Wet brush
put soap on brush (swirl wet brush around on soap)
lather (continue swirling or move loaded brush to some other place to build lather)
Put lather on face (I use a circular motion so I suppose I am still lathering).

Shave

Done