I've been trying various creams and soaps and noticed that my brush (A Whipped Dog Silvertip) seems to do much better with creams. I've tried AOS, ToBS and Proraso Red all with good results. However, every soap I've tried (Mikes, Mystic Waters Queen Charlotte) doesn't give me the same results. I've tried loading them with the brush fairly dry and fairly wet and have loaded for 60 seconds or more, adding more water as I go. What seems to happen is that the soap seems to stay on the outer edges of the brush (even though I do pump it up and down part of the time during loading). If I turn the brush over after the first lather, I can see the "breach" is pretty dry and devoid of lather. The creams seem to penetrate the brush better and end up giving me enough lather for all three passes. If I turn the brush over after the first pass with the cream, the breach is wet and full of lather.
Do some brushes do better with creams vs. soaps?
- Thread starter macdude357
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I have become quite proficient at creating lather and I believe different types of brushes do work better with different material. My silvertip works best with creams and I use it for face lathering them. I use my best badger for creams and soaps by bowl or face lathering. I use my boar for soaps while bowl lathering. Obviously YMMV but I have had good results working this way.
I have the same issue with my thater silvertip. It makes an amazing lather from a cream, but behaves the same as yours with soap.
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Interesting. Anyone know why that is? Does it have to do with the density of the brush? I have an SOC Boar on order. I'll have to give that a try with the soaps to see if it works any better.
I have M&F Blonde Badgers and a Shavemac D01. They both tear up soaps and creams.
I have limited experience with soaps, but the general consensus seems to be that it is easier to load soap on a brush with more backbone. Have you tried loading the brush upside down?
My small 3-band Thater is great with creams, but my least favorite soap brush. On the other hand, my Simpson Rover is great with soaps, but my least favorite cream brush. And a Duke 1 is my dedicated mug brush. My 3 Rooney/T&H Silvertips are my best all-around brushes.
Yes
My experience is that if a brush does well with a hard soap, then it has no problems with creams. But some brushes that don't do well with soaps can still be fine for creams. In the latter case, it isn't that such a brush is "better" with creams. It just isn't good with soaps.
I have an Omega 636 silvertip that whips up an amazing lather with VDH Deluxe and Luxury. I tried it with Proraso green but I don't think it was fully broken in yet at the time so I will have to give it another go shortly 
