2014 - Use More Product

This should be a New Year's resolution for many shavers here. In my time here, one piece of advice can be dispensed pretty much without even thinking when someone talks about struggling with a soap or cream...."more". Use more product, use more water, and work the lather more. It works pretty much every time. I know this is nothing revolutionary...people give this advice around here all the time. But I don't think people take the advice often enough.

There is still the persistent contest to see how fast people can load a soap. It is like there is a pretty yellow ribbon for who can load a soap the fastest or with the fewest swirls or use the smallest amount of cream. "I load for 8 seconds and get enough for 10 passes." "Oh year, well I load for 6 seconds and get enough for 12 passes." Odds are both of these folks are either exaggerating or getting lousy lather...or both.

At the end of the day how long you load is largely irrelevant. It just matters how much product you actually load. A feather soft Kent will load slower than a dense, short-lofted boar. If you gently load the Kent for a minute and aggressively load the boar for 15 seconds and both load 1 gram, that is all that matters. The idea that you can load virtually no product and get a decent lather is foolish.

Creams and soaps are cheap. The majority of people here have too many anyway (myself included). In 2014, let's all use more product.

I don't usually make a New Year's resolution, but I'll make an exception in this case.

If I use more product, I'll have to buy more product.

I'm in!

Cheers and Happy New Year, everyone.

Right on the money, Tallyshave, and an excellent theme for 2014, as this is so often a problem for newcomers. Easy lathering is all about more product and as much water as that product will hold. If you get enough product involved, all you need to do is add water until the lather is at the consistency you prefer. Sure, you might "waste" a little product in too much lather, but who cares?

Since I have too much product I'll give this a try and see how it turns out.

Good advice and idea. It worked for me.

I have started making my lather on the pucks, this uses a lot of soap and creates beautiful lather. I completely agree with op.

The one thing I noticed with soaps is that I need a large dish to load from.

For instance, I got a puck of modern Williams a few days ago. The thing was MAYBE 2" across. I put it in an Old Spice mug and I could barely load off the thing. No wonder people hate it. I grated it into a big 4" ramekin, pressed it down, and I got a bunch of slick, thick lather. I didn't have to load up for 30 seconds either because I was using a boar which picked up a ton of soap.

So my early findings:

Smaller puck / softer brush / harder soap = longer load times
Larger puck / stiffer brush / softer soap = shorter load times

I'm a big believer in use more product. Worked for me so I'll keep doing it, forget using a almond size amount of cream I use a walnut sized or more.

Ron Burgundy says let it fly in 2014. You stay classy B&B.

I'm in.

Truer words were never spoken. It takes a little time to make a great lather. One word of caution. I've read on posts where some folks say to get as much water as possible into the brush and don't shake it out, REALLY? That's the fastest way to get a watery, runny and ruined lather. By all means let the brush soak up water then shake some of it out (not too much, thats a learned talent). You can always add water, you can't take it away.

For those having some libation this evening please shave before you party and not after. Emergency rooms may be busy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I'm in, well said TallyShave.

This quote was from a while back when people were questioning how much product I used in a MW lather video, but I think it fits here too:

brucered said:

I load longer then necessary, but can't remember the last time my Lather was the cause of a bad shave. When was the last time you saw me posting a "How do I lather (insert product here)?"

It's shave soap, not gold bullion. What are people saving it for, use it up for goodness sake and then buy some more.

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As well as a quote I made in the 3017 thread, that fits:

brucered said:

I'll say this...I can't remember the last time I could blame my lather on a bad shave

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keithmax said:

I'm a big believer in use more product. Worked for me so I'll keep doing it, forget using a almond size amount of cream I use a walnut sized or more.

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Yeah! I figured I was doing something wrong since up to a month ago I couldn't get a good lather from a cream or it was always too bubbly when using an almond sized amount. Turns out I have a boar brush from the VDH kits that's big, floppy and shedding. Finally got a pure badger from col. Conk and ready to try it out. I also have hard / very hard water.

Jarick said:

So my early findings:

Smaller puck / softer brush / harder soap = longer load times
Larger puck / stiffer brush / softer soap = shorter load times

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Yes, there are many variables. This is why I think loading time is so overemphasized. Brush size, hair, loft and density. Soap hardness and consistency. Water quality. Particular users loading habits. These things all affect loading times. When one user says they load a certain soap for 30 seconds, that may mean a minute or more for a different user...with a different brush and different water and different loading style. I don't think it is wasting product to wash some excess lather down the drain after a great shave. I think it is wasting product to under load product and have a sub-par shave.

brucered said:

I'm in, well said TallyShave.

This quote was from a while back when people were questioning how much product I used in a MW lather video, but I think it fits here too:



As well as a quote I made in the 3017 thread, that fits:

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Bruce...my fellow "use more product" advocate. I think both of those quotes are perfect. Summed up my longwinded post much more succinctly.

This is some of the best shaving advice you can give. I load every brush for a full minute. I am trying to finish my stash, not hoard it. I need to make room for new goods!

Load it like you hate it.

Torky said:

If I use more product, I'll have to buy more product.

I'm in!

Cheers and Happy New Year, everyone.

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+1

More product? You're probably not using shave sticks then.

Agreed - shave sticks really help to ensure enough product. It's all I ever use these days.

johant1968 said:

More product? You're probably not using shave sticks then.

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