Disappearing lather...

**Perfect_shave** · 04-19-2008, 05:41 AM

Hey guys.

I've been wet-shaving for just about a year now and enjoy it immensely. I started off with Taylor's Rose, A Merkur HD and a vulfix 2234 super badger brush. I now use a Feather AC most of the time when i'm not rushed and prefer to lather on my face and use a Moss Scuttle. But i've come across a problem: after the first pass i find my brush losses alot of lather. Now i don't expect it to be as plentiful as the first pass but still. I think it could be these factors:

Moss Scuttle causing the cream to dehydrate from heat?
Rooney too small to hold big lather or big for scuttle?
Lathering on the face means less lather on the brush as compared to bowl?
Maybe i'm taking my time too much and the lather suffers?

Its really annoying me as the 3rd pass has barely any lather to it. Todays shave i has trouble on the 2nd pass so i just squeezed out the lather of the brush and applied it with my finger tips and did an ATG pass(instead of XTG) and called it a shave. Any ideas or tips? Anyone having the same trouble?

**Jockymac** · 04-20-2008, 08:15 AM

I don't know if this is related,but I had an issue with creating lather this morning.

When I tried to whip up a lather using my usual (only) cream and brush it seemed to start off OK, but then the lather just seem to disappear before I could even finish it off for the first pass.

As it happens I had been applying an antibiotic cream (which has a greasy consistency) for an eye infection over the past day or two and I suspected that this may have been the cause. So I scrubbed the sink and my lather bowl to remove any greasy residue. I also washed my brush thoroughly using hair shampoo and then, in case the shampoo might cause an issue, normal soap. I then tried relathering and the problem had gone!

I gather that you don't use shaving oil, but there may be another oily/greasy contamination which is interfering with the lather.

**_JP_** · 04-20-2008, 10:01 AM

[quote=Perfect_shave;557478]Hey guys.
Moss Scuttle causing the cream to dehydrate from heat?
Rooney too small to hold big lather or big for scuttle?
Lathering on the face means less lather on the brush as compared to bowl?
Maybe i'm taking my time too much and the lather suffers?
/quote]

When face lathering there is nothing wrong with going back to the soap to load up the brush again. It may be that it's drying out, but I think that it's more that the brush is not as loaded up with lather as it would be when whipping it up in a bowl.

**vcardona** · 04-20-2008, 08:06 PM

I agree. I usually get two passes with my brush, but have to attack the soap again for my third pass or any touch up I do. That seems to be one of the joys of face lathering.

**Perfect_shave** · 04-21-2008, 07:31 AM

Yeah... thats one of the downsides to face lathering... all the reserve lather that would usually accumulate in the bowl is on your face instead. I don't really enjoy bowl lathering though as it makes the brush real soft and doesn't feel like your working the brush/lather to soften the hair.

**mach88** · 05-17-2008, 04:46 AM

Originally Posted by Perfect_shave

Yeah... thats one of the downsides to face lathering... all the reserve lather that would usually accumulate in the bowl is on your face instead. I don't really enjoy bowl lathering though as it makes the brush real soft and doesn't feel like your working the brush/lather to soften the hair.

Why don't you try bowl lathering to get the most lather - but then just work it on your face with the brush to soften the hair - that way you get the best of both

**SMOKE** · 05-17-2008, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by Perfect_shave

Yeah... thats one of the downsides to face lathering... all the reserve lather that would usually accumulate in the bowl is on your face instead. I don't really enjoy bowl lathering though as it makes the brush real soft and doesn't feel like your working the brush/lather to soften the hair.

Actually, face lathering leaves my brush soooo full of lather I could shave half the morning....In my own defense I have a fairly big brush, but I also found this true with my old smaller brush. IMO...your lather may be a bit dry to start with...As suggested above, just go back to the soap and add a bit more for your final pass(s).

Regards,

**camelman0075** · 05-17-2008, 05:23 AM

It could be your scuttle i have the same problem if my "improvised" scuttle gets to hot the lather get super bubbly and then collapses the second i get it on my face

**Perfect_shave** · 05-17-2008, 05:27 AM

Originally Posted by mach88

Why don't you try bowl lathering to get the most lather - but then just work it on your face with the brush to soften the hair - that way you get the best of both

I prefer the hard scrubbing action that face-lathering gives rather than applying already made lather which means the brush is softer on the face. I find face lathering softens the hairs moreso and aids in a more comfortable shave, although with bowl lathering you get more lather for later.

**hamelfarm1** · 05-17-2008, 06:11 AM

All the replies so far cover and should probably solve your problem, however one other thing I thought of was hard water could be a factor as well if you live in a hard water area. This is particularly the case with soap lather - hard water eats that stuff up in no time. Except for Proraso, I've given up on soaps entirely now due to the hard water where I live, but when I was using them I found myself going back to load up with more soap three or four times during one pass!

**wscott52** · 05-17-2008, 06:50 AM

Originally Posted by mach88

Why don't you try bowl lathering to get the most lather - but then just work it on your face with the brush to soften the hair - that way you get the best of both

That's what's working for me. Plus I like the warm lather on my second and third passes from leaving the bowl in the sink with hot water.