Having trouble making a good lather

Hey guys,

I hope this is the right thread for this. I've been having a lot of trouble making really good lather since I started wet shaving. The lather is always good enough for the first pass, but it usually dries up by the time I want to do a second pass.

Here is my process:

I usually put a few drops of water in the soap and let it sit for a minute. Then, I load the brush with water and swirl it in the soap and try to load the brush with soapy water. Then I stir it in a bowl for thirty seconds to a minute until I get tired and it is overflowing with lather.

Does anyone know why my lather dries up so quickly? If I I try to lather my face a second time, the lather dries up immediately, even if I add a little bit of water.

Sounds like your not using enough water! Are you using a hard soap or a croap?What soap are you using?Have you tried another brand of soap?What type of brush knot are you using?

Yes, give us gory soap and brush details, and we might have some good suggestions. In the meantime, try the Marco Method, for croaps or soaps.

I always splash water on my face after each pass. this usually helps the shave

More Water and Soak your Brush and soap puck.

What soap are you using? It could be that your soap just isn't up to scratch.

Soak your brush, give it 4-5 taps to get the excess water out, start in the soap or cream you have, keep whipping like you're making merengue and count to 15. You'll have thick lather everywhere.

Sir, could you post some pics for a better evaluation?

Only a guess, but it usually helps: more product. I'd say more water as well but it sounds like you've got plenty of water for the amount of soap on the brush. I suspect (hard to tell without pics) that the lather is too thin and over the course of your first pass the air bubbles break down.

musicman1951 said:

Only a guess, but it usually helps: more product. I'd say more water as well but it sounds like you've got plenty of water for the amount of soap on the brush. I suspect (hard to tell without pics) that the lather is too thin and over the course of your first pass the air bubbles break down.

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+1

I don't have the experience that a lot of the guys on here have, but based off of what you've posted, my guess is that you're using too much water, too soon. Also, I'm not sure if you're using hot water, but I've found that using cooler water helps when I'm lathering. A couple of the posts on B&B have explained that hot water will cause the soap to evaporate quicker, resulting in some soaps breaking down after a few minutes. When I tried using tepid, or even cool water, it helped the longevity of my lathers. But like the others have mentioned, it's hard to pinpoint a solution without know the variables (type of brush, type of soap, etc.).

daveinsweethome said:

I always splash water on my face after each pass. this usually helps the shave

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+1 to this. Really helps. As always, more product, and more water. Eventually you will fine tune this, but more product and a touch more water is always a good start.