Soap - Do I need a mug/ bowl?

[sublimeike]

Wanted to give this a try and have been confused on whether or not you need a mug or a bowl to properly use the soap.

Some soaps get sold with mugs/ bowls... is that what you use to make the lather (while the soap is inside) or is it just to hold the soap and then you use a separate bowl for making lather?

Second question, what is the difference between the bowl and mug? Any functional difference?

[red2]

Need is such a slippery term around here.

Short answer, no, you don't need a mug / bowl.

You could hold a puck in your hand. Load it with soap. Add a little water and lather on your face. Some actually prefer to build lather on the face. I used a mug to hold a puck of williams and lathered on my face for years.

Having found this board, I have requisitioned a bowl from the kitchen, dumped williams in favor of a dozen other soaps & creams, and am currently holding my "need" for a scuttle at arms length. (Just in case you didn't know, a scuttle is kind of like a ceramic shaving double boiler mug. The outer bowl is used to hold hot water, which conveniently keeps the lather in the inner bowl. The whole thing is brilliantly crafted in one piece).

This is definitely a matter of personal preference.

[red2]

You may wish to check out this thread if you haven't already. I found it very useful.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21136

Oh, and welcome!

[JBHoren]

Wanted to give this a try and have been confused on whether or not you need a mug or a bowl to properly use the soap.

Some soaps get sold with mugs/ bowls... is that what you use to make the lather (while the soap is inside) or is it just to hold the soap and then you use a separate bowl for making lather?

The latter; the bowl/mug in which the soap is held is for that function, and no others. When you want to lather up, wet your brush and shake-out excess water, then hold it lightly against the face of the soap and swirl it around clockwise for 20 swirls, then reverse direction for another 20 swirls. Then wet a little bit of the brush in hot water, and commence to building a lather on your face.

There's thems what make lather in a second bowl/mug, rather than on their face. Do what works best for you.

Second question, what is the difference between the bowl and mug? Any functional difference?

The difference is that you can fit one-or-two fingers into the handle of the mug, but you can't fit 'em through the handle of a bowl.

In terms of function, bowls are almost always wider than a mug (generally a minimum of twice the width), which allows you to twirl your brush around and generate a good lather.

Don't confuse swirling with twirling: the former is for loading the brush with soap, while the latter is for building lather from the soap on the brush.

Smooth shaving!

[Roman414]

You can buy "refill" pucks of soap that don't come with a bowl for less money and supply your own bowl or mug. The choice of what you use is mostly just a case of personal preference. I use an Old Spice shaving mug that was made for the purpose. It has fins in the bottom to hold the cake in place when it gets small, so you are not just scooting it around with your brush. I think that is a nice touch.

[Lionhearted]

Use whatever you like. I've made lather in mugs, bowls, my hand, and on my face. The lather is about the same no matter where it's made. I prefer a mug but then I use only one soap.



There are thousands of ways of making a good lather. Don't buy into someone's ritual. "Swirl it around clockwise for 20 swirls, then reverse direction for another 20 swirls" is the silliest thing I've read today and I read a lot of silly things posted here. What happens if you miscount and have only 19 swirls? Does the brush disintegrate if you go counterclockwise first? Ignore 99% of what you read in these forums, including what I say.

Richard

[Ookla The Mok]

The 20/20 lathering technique may be a tad "Methodical and Deliberate". I use an old spice mug as well. They are purpose built and have a little nostalgic flavor to boot. I would suggest lathering in your hand, in a mug, in a bowl, and on your face. You should try it all out, you'll find out what you like soon enough. I used to always use a bowl, but I face lather with soap now. I still use a bowl for cream, but I use a much smaller bowl than the serving bowl I started with.

As with almost everything here, It's YMMV but everyone has a slightly different way to suggest.

[rabidpotatochip]

I just store my soap on a piece of parchment paper on the counter and build lather on my face. It completely eliminates the need for a bowl, which is good since my bathroom has enough crap in it already.

[ronw41]

Use whatever you like. I've made lather in mugs, bowls, my hand, and on my face. The lather is about the same no matter where it's made. I prefer a mug but then I use only one soap.



There are thousands of ways of making a good lather. Don't buy into someone's ritual. "Swirl it around clockwise for 20 swirls, then reverse direction for another 20 swirls" is the silliest thing I've read today and I read a lot of silly things posted here. What happens if you miscount and have only 19 swirls? Does the brush disintegrate if you go counterclockwise first? Ignore 99% of what you read in these forums, including what I say.

Richard

Ok, I'll stick my neck out and risk forum humiliation. I've just got to know, what is the blue thing the mug is sitting on?

Thanks.

[Al From Maine]

There are thousands of ways of making a good lather. Don't buy into someone's ritual. "Swirl it around clockwise for 20 swirls, then reverse direction for another 20 swirls" is the silliest thing I've read today and I read a lot of silly things posted here. What happens if you miscount and have only 19 swirls? Does the brush disintegrate if you go counterclockwise first? Ignore 99% of what you read in these forums, including what I say.

Richard

Dunno ... this one was pretty good too:

"Don't confuse swirling with twirling: the former is for loading the brush with soap, while the latter is for building lather from the soap on the brush."



Al

[rabidpotatochip]

Ok, I'll stick my neck out and risk forum humiliation. I've just got to know, what is the blue thing the mug is sitting on?

Thanks.

I think it's for warming the lather.

[JBHoren]

There are thousands of ways of making a good lather. Don't buy into someone's ritual. "Swirl it around clockwise for 20 swirls, then reverse direction for another 20 swirls" is the silliest thing I've read today and I read a lot of silly things posted here. What happens if you miscount and have only 19 swirls? Does the brush disintegrate if you go counterclockwise first? Ignore 99% of what you read in these forums, including what I say.

Ritual is one of the reasons we become successful at, and remain, wetshavers. Don't knock it.

If you "miscount and have only 19 swirls", it means that you're not sufficiently focused on what you're doing. Seriously.

"Does the brush disintegrate?" No, but consistently twirling/swirling in a single direction is a known contributor to "hair wear", leading to premature hair loss. Seriously.

When I was an instructor at the US Army Infantry School, we recognized that "there's more than one way to skin a cat" also applied to most of what we taught; however, it was our job to teach the soldiers one way -- the other ways they could figure out on their own, or learn from someone else... or perhaps never learn, which would be OK, too, because at least they knew one way that always worked.

It's the same way with wetshaving. "Twenty swirls" isn't "Torah from Sinai"; it's a tried-and-true method of loading a shaving brush with enough soap to enable the user to generate a high-quality lather, in sufficient amounts, for a three-pass shave.

Silly? Tell that to the guy who "wipes" his brush across/around the cake of soap a few times, and then wonders why the heck he can't whip-up a good lather. "There's something wrong with this !@#$ soap," he says to himself, or maybe "This !@#$ brush isn't worth !@#$" and then goes back to his Mach3 and can of Foamy.

Finally, "swirls" and "twirls" is a self-referential poke at our own obsessive/compulsive behavior... we're all of us "ritualistic" about how we shave, and if some of you guys can't see the humor in it, well... lighten-up!

[ronw41]

I think it's for warming the lather.

Thanks. That's what I thought it might be but I wasn't sure because I didn't see the electrical cord coming out of it anywhere.

That's something I need to try. I need to find a "mug warmer" someplace. I usually just stick my mug (soap mug that is) in the sink of hot water, but maybe the "mug warmer" would be a better idea.

What do you say gents? Any opinions?

Thanks.

[sublimeike]

Well I think that after hearing some of your answers I need to refine my question a little bit.

I think what I'm gathering here is that you should not use the mug that holds your puck of soap to build the lather, but instead something else such as your hand, face, another bowl, etc? correct?

By need I was meaning that you need something else other than the bowl or mug that holds your soap to create the lather in. Am I on the right track?

[Ookla The Mok]

I build lather right on top of a puck of Williams, but that is the exception not the rule.

[ronw41]

Well I think that after hearing some of your answers I need to refine my question a little bit.

I think what I'm gathering here is that you should not use the mug that holds your puck of soap to build the lather, but instead something else such as your hand, face, another bowl, etc? correct?

By need I was meaning that you need something else other than the bowl or mug that holds your soap to create the lather in. Am I on the right track?

Please forgive my straying somewhat from the original question in my previous post. What I do is use a small bowl (about 4 inches in diameter) to hold my soap puck as I make my own soap and don't have a mug to fit the size of the puck. I load my brush with soap directly on the puck and then when the brush is "loaded with soap" I build a lather on my face. Between passes I use a mug, which I let sit in the sink which is filled with hot water, to hold my brush. I think this helps the brush stay warm between latherings. I do a three pass shave with a final touch up and I re-lather between passes.

Thanks.

[Steerpike]

No.

[Slant-Fan]

IF you haven't watched Mantic's video on lathering you should take a look at it. I found it very instructive. I like to use a bowl for lathering with creams but I usually face lather with soaps. I generally get a fair amount of lather going on the puck when loading the brush before I apply the brush to my face. I have found that trying various methods I sort out what I like and leave the rest. The important thing is to try them.

[sublimeike]

thank you everyone for your help. I appreciate it.

[ratcheer]

Wanted to give this a try and have been confused on whether or not you need a mug or a bowl to properly use the soap.

Some soaps get sold with mugs/ bowls... is that what you use to make the lather (while the soap is inside) or is it just to hold the soap and then you use a separate bowl for making lather?

Second question, what is the difference between the bowl and mug? Any functional difference?

Well, personal preference is the name of the game. Personally, I prefer to use a ceramic bowl with both soaps and creams. Thick ceramic holds heat. I prefer soaps to creams. But I like creams.

IMHO, there is no functional difference between bowls and mugs. Bowls are just (usually) larger. I prefer dark colors because you can see how your lather is doing.

Tim