I can not get a good lather to save me. Watched several vids on here read a ton of articles still crummy lather. Using tweezeerman badger, omega boar 49 mike's natural soap and CO bigelow. I have tried each brush dry squizzed water out, each brush with just dripping out excess and a shake. Still no luck. just in trying all methods only thing came just a lillte close was adding some CO into the soap mixture. Can some one tell me what hey think I should do. New soap different brushes I am lost. Help.
Need Lather help
- Thread starter bwhite
- Start date
Tell us what your lather turns out like.
The variables are usually too much/little water, too much/little product and too much/little swirling and whipping with the brush.
It isn't rocket science, you'll figure it out in no time
The variables are usually too much/little water, too much/little product and too much/little swirling and whipping with the brush.
It isn't rocket science, you'll figure it out in no time
First, pick one of the two brushes and stick with it. Then, pick one of the two products and stick with that one. Practice with those and do not switch.
How do you proceed to make your lather? I mean, what are all your steps? Do you soak the brush, use a bowl, facelather, fistlather? How much product are you using?
Those tutorials should help: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Category:Lathering
If those don't help, please post a picture of your lather and indicate where it goes wrong compared to the tutorial.
How do you proceed to make your lather? I mean, what are all your steps? Do you soak the brush, use a bowl, facelather, fistlather? How much product are you using?
Those tutorials should help: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Category:Lathering
If those don't help, please post a picture of your lather and indicate where it goes wrong compared to the tutorial.
What Luc said above.
Plus, if you have hard water buy a gallon of distilled water and used that in place of tap water.
Plus, if you have hard water buy a gallon of distilled water and used that in place of tap water.
How much cream are you using or how long are you loading the brush on soap? 30 second minumum load time. And whip for 30 seconds, add water if necessary, and repeat. 1-2 minutes of whipping should get you where you want to be. Once you start to develop technique, it gets quicker.
- Thread starter
- #6
I soak the brush in hot tap water for about 3 min or so then I tried squeezing the excess water out then shake them. then I tried to just let water drain out then one or two shakes. a little water on soap and a little water if using CO bigelow cream. I then load my brush with enough product at leat I think i am then go to a bowl and try to make a creamy think later, instead I end up all the time with a very thin watery lather that I dont think gives me the protection I need with my progress. I have not nicks or burns though. use a very light touch. Used some lab blades this morning,
I would need more details on how you make your lather. What I need to know is what you do that makes the best lather or what you judge to be the best lather. I see that you tried a few things but which method provides the best lather?
Also, from what you are mentioning here, I do not know how much product you are using but it seems that you are not using enough product.
- Thread starter
- #8
I hate to say both method are making a thin watery later that I dont think is cushioning enough to do anything but wtg shaving. I am afraid to xtg and atg because of the later, not my angle or blade pressure. I seem ok with those to aspects of wet shaving. Of course this is only about my third week. I use about a quarter size cream and try to load the soap for well over a minute. thin I got to the bowl and add a few drops of water from my hands or dip the tips of the brush in the sink of hot water. Then swirl to make later for over a minute but no good still not thick and creamy.
If your lather is watery, start with a drier brush. Water can always be added, and can be added gradually, until you get the consistency you want. If you are taking less than 2.5 minutes to make lather, you're not spending enough time.
Start dry, load the brush heavily, move to a bowl, swirl. Add water about two drops at a time (literally) and swirl until there are no bubbles and the water is fully incorporated. Then add two more drops and do the same thing. Keep doing that until the lather is the way you want it.
It really is that simple.
Start dry, load the brush heavily, move to a bowl, swirl. Add water about two drops at a time (literally) and swirl until there are no bubbles and the water is fully incorporated. Then add two more drops and do the same thing. Keep doing that until the lather is the way you want it.
It really is that simple.
This is my process for making lather out of proraso (which is the same stuff you have)
If you start swirling in the bowl and you don't get large bubbles right away, you need more water.
If you get large bubbles and they persist past about eight swirls you have enough water.
If after about twenty seconds of swirling you can still see larger bubbles in the lather and it's not a true white color, you have too much water and you need more soap.
If the lather won't stay up on the sides of your mug, you also have too much water.
Don't try and be thrifty with your soap or cream. You want to make enough for 4 passes and get a lot of lather on your face each time. Using too little just aids in irritation and it just isn't worth it. This is especially true for tubs of proraso (again, exact same product as bigelow) which last freaking forever.
Also, I use 4 drops of glycerin when making my lather, helps a lot with proraso's tendency to dry out my skin.
If you start swirling in the bowl and you don't get large bubbles right away, you need more water.
If you get large bubbles and they persist past about eight swirls you have enough water.
If after about twenty seconds of swirling you can still see larger bubbles in the lather and it's not a true white color, you have too much water and you need more soap.
If the lather won't stay up on the sides of your mug, you also have too much water.
Don't try and be thrifty with your soap or cream. You want to make enough for 4 passes and get a lot of lather on your face each time. Using too little just aids in irritation and it just isn't worth it. This is especially true for tubs of proraso (again, exact same product as bigelow) which last freaking forever.
Also, I use 4 drops of glycerin when making my lather, helps a lot with proraso's tendency to dry out my skin.
Face lather. That solves all problems
1. If you have hard water. Im sure you do. Get some Distilled water or just reverse osmosis water from a water store. Not the water with minerals added for taste.
2. Stick to one brush and one cream
3. get your brush a little wet with the distilled water shake excess out. you really want it on the dry side.
4. Begin to face lather.
5. add water to brush if needed.
6. stay away from bowl lathering until you master face lathering.
7. Wax on Wax off Daniel son.
2. Stick to one brush and one cream
3. get your brush a little wet with the distilled water shake excess out. you really want it on the dry side.
4. Begin to face lather.
5. add water to brush if needed.
6. stay away from bowl lathering until you master face lathering.
7. Wax on Wax off Daniel son.
- Thread starter
- #14
Cushioning is a myth. Think about it, if the lather cushioned your face, it would also cushion the beard and prevent a close shave. The primary purpose of lather is to hold water against your beard. To do this it must by moist (i.e. not pastey), but have enough body so that it stays where you put it (ie. it cannot be so thin that it runs off like soapy water). Lather (or more correctly the soap in the lather) also provides some lubrication so the razor does not drag on your skin and cause irritation or catch on small irregularities and cause a nick); but it needs no body to do this, in fact a thin film of soapy water or oil for that matter) will provide the same level of protection (this may be what you are thinking of as cushioning, but it is a totally different thing). How the lather looks or feels beyond what is necessary for it to perform its basic functions is really irrelevent to shaving and more a matter of appearance.
I would suggest practicing your lather as much as you can before your next shave. It should help you figuring out how to get proper lather or better lather.
What are the dimensions of your bowl?
Try not to stress either - it will improve. It's all part of the learning process. Enjoy. I'm new at this too. I was cruising right along for 2 weeks and then all of a sudden my lather was awful for a couple days. I was getting frustrated when I thought I had it down. Now I seem to be back on track.
Try the distilled water recommendation. Use it exclusively to wet everything and make lather. You may have to do it a few times to get really good results because contaminants from hard water will be left behind on everything until they are literally washed away. Keep going with it and let us know how you make out.
Hope that helps.
Chris
Hope that helps.
Chris
- Thread starter
- #19
Well had a little better later this morning a little more time in the bowl with Mike's soap and pro 49 boar. I also tried some RO water to soak the brush in and add to bowl. I think I may have needed more water because no bubbles in bowl just read here I should see some bubbles when I start to make later in a bowl. thanks again I will keep practicing.
Get out of the bowl and on your face.
