I'm still pretty new to wet shaving (I started this past winter), so I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong when I build my lather, but after a few minutes of it sitting in my mug it starts to dry up and disappear. I have a Parker Chrome badger hair brush and mostly use TOBS Avacado. The lather that I build is great, but when I go to collect more on my brush for my second and third passes it's much thinner than what I originally made. Am I doing something wrong, or is that a normal occurrence?
Disappearing lather
- Thread starter beastoftheeast
- Start date
Try using more cream, and more water.
+1. Disappearing lather is a dead giveaway that it's too airy. When in doubt, use more product, adding water as needed.
More product indeed!
'More product' and 'more water' and 'work it more' are all the right answers. Since the right answers have already been provided above, I'll throw in a semi-right answer
If you make your bowl really hot before creating lather and the water you use for the lather is really hot, the lather becomes more prone to drying out. So, you may find that working with slightly cooler water can give you better results.
If you make your bowl really hot before creating lather and the water you use for the lather is really hot, the lather becomes more prone to drying out. So, you may find that working with slightly cooler water can give you better results.
This is the right answer.
Also, are you using a fickle product? Wilkinson might be tough to lather, depending on your water. Caswell-Massey is always tough to lather. Ebay "shave soaps" can be tough to lather. etc.
Also, it sounds like you're painting your face with what's in the mug. Ideally, the "goods" should be in the brush, and lathered on the face. IME.
The Parker Chrome with TOBS Avocado is precisely the combo I used this morning and I actually ended up with too much rich, thick (delicious-smelling) lather! I used a good sized scoop of cream (maybe a jumbo almond) and face lather, but one thing I'm learning is to start with a less-wet brush and add water very sparingly and only during the first half minute of building the lather. The result is thicker than I used to get, but with a lot of longevity and really excellent shaves.
Clearly the ratio is not right but I do not think it is possible to know which one to add without knowing how much lather you made or the amounts you used, these are a few guidelines:
1) If you created enough lather to fill a complete soup bowl and the quality of your first lather was close to fine ( fairly shiny, like you see in the pictures). Do not add more product, use less water instead.
2) If your volume is low and/or your lather is definitely visibly airy, dull like if you were skimming foam of your washing machine, you may want to add more product and stay put with t he water (you will still have to add a bit more than before).
The soap/cream should be between 10 to 15% of your lather with the other 85% being air and water in that order. If you are already using close to 1 almond dollop you may want to look elsewhere.
Al raz.
1) If you created enough lather to fill a complete soup bowl and the quality of your first lather was close to fine ( fairly shiny, like you see in the pictures). Do not add more product, use less water instead.
2) If your volume is low and/or your lather is definitely visibly airy, dull like if you were skimming foam of your washing machine, you may want to add more product and stay put with t he water (you will still have to add a bit more than before).
The soap/cream should be between 10 to 15% of your lather with the other 85% being air and water in that order. If you are already using close to 1 almond dollop you may want to look elsewhere.
Al raz.
