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Lather issues (Video and pictures)

Alright so... I've been back and forth with this website trying to get things going. I recently tried some product called Air Shave Gel by Tend Skin. It was supposed to help with my razor bumps, but really it just did nothing but make me cut up my face more so... that's really not an option. For months now I've just let myself have scruff and and then when the hairs get to be long enough to annoy me I would just use a buzzer to trim them back to what my face would look like after 2-3 days of not shaving. I don't mind being clean shaven but my neck area always ends up getting bumps when the hair grows back in, so I surrendered.

Now, I know you guys care a lot about all of the variables, but to be honest, after the countless threads I've thrown up, I really think at the moment it's my lather. I really need some help here.

So here is the link to my youtube video I just made of me making my lather. It's about six and a half minutes and not the best quality since I did it with my phone, holding it the whole time, but hopefully it's insightful.

Here are some screenshots as well that might be helpful.

This is applying the lather that I made in the video:
Image one Image Two Image Three

This is what the lather looked like on my face after literally about 4-5 strokes as I had just done my cheeks and was making it to my lips. You can see pretty clearly that it was already drying off, and if you had been there, you would think it were snowing as flakes of cream floated off of my face and drifted off into the air.
Image One Image Two

Now, I remade the lather after washing my face of the "dusty" lather and literally put about a teaspoon of water (maybe a bit more even) into the bottom of my skuttle with the same amount of cream and created what I expect is a far too foamy lather. I then applied it to my face and to be honest, it at least was better than the dry lather, though I believe this is not what it's supposed to look like (this is the "too far" stage in adding water)
Image One
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Hi Boris!

I would say you need more water at the beginning stage...to that end I would give the brush only 1 or two shakes before building your lather. The amount of cream looks perfect.
Also, I keep a cup of hot water at the ready, and when I need more water I stick 3 or four fingers in there and quickly dribble whatever water sticks to my skin into the scuttle. Your method of flicking water doesn't introduce enough. Also when you flick the brush dry it has a propensity to suck the water out of your lather.
Finally, you should be able to build your lather in a minute or so....here's my vid from a few months ago with a brand new boar. It's a huge knot that holds a lot of water, and because I'm loading off a puck I start with a drier brush than if I would a cream. I also had to dip the brush in water instead of my fingersince I was holding the phone :)...oh and my wife was
giving the kids a bath at the same time:lol:
That lather wasn't the greatest, but I think you kinda get the idea of how much whipping you need to do.

 
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Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
BTW lathering up a face that is wet affects your lather too. Ill
do a better vid later with proraso for ya if you think it would help.
 
Kent is right...you need a little more water. What you've got in the video is mostly cream and air. Once you get the mix down right your shaves will be much more enjoyable. It's really not that hard. Keep at it.
 
Kent's comment, "when I need more water I stick 3 or four fingers in there and quickly dribble whatever water sticks to my skin into the scuttle," is very important. That's how you get the correct balance of water in your lather. A few drops at a time is what it takes.
 
Alright, pulling this one out of the shadows. Taking you guys up on that offer. Can someone make a fresh video of making the proraso lather with a brush in a bowl for me please? Also, I have a badger and a boar brush. Which should I use?
 
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