Face Lathering Vs Bowl/Scuttle

As I see it - the following are the advantages of face lathering:
1) The biggest advantage IMO - is the extended time your whiskers get to spend with the lather and soak. The longer it soaks - the easier it is to cut
2) More exfoliation & getting the hair to 'stand up' (I'm not sure this is a real thing; if it is though - you do it more with face lathering vs bowl)
3) Less hassle - there are no bowls or scuttles to buy/handle/clean

The only reasons I can see for bowl lathering is that:
1) Face lathering requires additional skill
2) Some complain that face-lathering scratches/exfoliates their face too much (although again - I think this can be solved with skill upgrades)

Would love you hear your opinion on this.
------------

Edit: No offense is implied whether you face or bowl lather. Just trying to understand pros/cons of each method.

face lathered my whole life . Tried bowl lathering a few times recently moving into the soap side of shaving and saw no reason to keep doing it . Back to my trusted face lathering I went.

Wow, it surprised me how many people face lather. I would have guessed that bowl lathering would have been more popular.

I also would have thought that bowl lathering would be more popular. Give this poll more time.

i exclusively face-lather. Fantastic way to start a shave!

nowsharing said:

Wow, it surprised me how many people face lather. I would have guessed that bowl lathering would have been more popular.

Click to expand...

No way.

shave/brush said:

I also would have thought that bowl lathering would be more popular. Give this poll more time.

Click to expand...

We have done this poll many times over the past couple of years. Results are fairly consistent, 2/3 face lather. The real advantage of face lathering is the ability to change the consistency of your lather by adding water or soap quickly. if the poll changes, it will migrate toward face lathering, which is the way it should be

Gus

I'd like to add a couple advantages to the bowl lathering:

Easier to use a variety of creams, soaps, etc. And brushes, especially longer ones.

Re-lathering for multiple passes is quicker and easier, especially with brushes that might not hold a ton of lather.

Warm bowl can keep the lather warm.

I've always used a bowl/scuttle but recently adopted face lathering for traveling. I can now appreciate the minimalism of face lathering but still prefer my trusty bowl.

* soaks my brush while I'm in the shower
* provides total control over the lather making process
* keeps the lather warm if i'm in the mood for it
* provides a place to rest my brush between passes

gus1942 said:

We have done this poll many times over the past couple of years. Results are fairly consistent, 2/3 face lather. The real advantage of face lathering is the ability to change the consistency of your lather by adding water or soap quickly. if the poll changes, it will migrate toward face lathering, which is the way it should be

Gus

Click to expand...

Bowl lathering is much better. You can change the consistency of the lather just by adding a few drops of water in the bowl. You don't have to keep adding water to your face until you get it right as with face lathering.

I've been face lathering for several years and also setup all my soaps as sticks. Fast loading, easy to lather, and less to cleanup and store.

I can't really respond to your poll.
I face lather when I use a shave stick or cream, and I bowl lather when I use a soap puck.
I can't honestly say I can see much difference, as I wet my face with warm water before I start either process.
Regards,
Renato

Bowl latherer here. I guess I don't have the knack for face lathering. I'll do it when traveling, but I just don't get the same quality of lather as in a bowl plus it's a lot messier.

I face lathered exclusively for many months already and like it.
Recently reverted to bowl lathering for some brushes that were a little uncomfortable and needed breaking-in.

There is no difference if the quantity of water and the amount of time spent in lathering are the same for either face or bowl lathering. 20~30 sec of bowl lathering (with the same amount of water) equals the lather on my face.

But in practice, I noticed these 'subtle' differences:

First difference:
As I tend to spend more time lathering in bowl, the "texture" of the lather between the two is different. When bowl lathering, I also tend to add more water and use different pressures, adding to the difference (try meshing lather when face lathering ).

Second difference:
There is always more lather through bowl lathering. You add water, whip, mesh, and keep going until you get lather running over.
Do this on your face and your SWMBO will simply hand you a pail and a mop while calling for the nearest psychiatrist.
[This is one reason shavers are able to show off gobs of fantastic lather only in scuttles ]


Third difference [unlikely to happen to the seasoned face latherer]:
If you add too much water while face lathering, there is nothing much you can do except to add more cream/soap [unless you have Charles Bronson's face. ]
For the bowl latherer, he can still persist with the whipping and meshing to thicken it (it's a 'cream', isn't it? ].

My 2-cent worth...

vickywally said:

As I see it - the following are the advantages of face lathering:
1) The biggest advantage IMO - is the extended time your whiskers get to spend with the lather and soak. The longer it soaks - the easier it is to cut
2) More exfoliation & getting the hair to 'stand up' (I'm not sure this is a real thing; if it is though - you do it more with face lathering vs bowl)
3) Less hassle - there are no bowls or scuttles to buy/handle/clean

The only reasons I can see for bowl lathering is that:
1) Face lathering requires additional skill
2) Some complain that face-lathering scratches/exfoliates their face too much (although again - I think this can be solved with skill upgrades)

Would love you hear your opinion on this.

Click to expand...

to say that the only reason someone would bowl lather is because they lack the skills to face lather is pretty insulting.

I think the only difference I noticed with solely face lathering now is time. (and this may be all in my head but I feel I let the product perform better by starting the lather build on my face.
BUT, bowl latherers I think get the best lather explosions and they look cooler.

I am a bowl and scuttle only guy. I love the scuttle during the winter. The ability to keep the lather warm for the whole shave is awesome. For me, I feel that this method serves me best.

Face Latherer

I think that building lather in a bowl is like cooking without tasting the food. Only when you're ready to serve/use it do you find out exactly what it's like.

texaninkc said:

to say that the only reason someone would bowl lather is because they lack the skills to face lather is pretty insulting.

Click to expand...

My apologies. I re-read my post and can see how that could be inferred.

But I meant no offense and respect the right for all to lather as they please.