First shave exposed my improper lathering technique

So, I recently completed my very first straight-razor shave. I have to say, it was pretty fun. I'm fairly proud of myself, no major cuts & only a few weepers. I'm not saying I'm good already, quite far from it. I used Arko, which had been working great for me with a DE, but for some reason it seemed way to dry with a straight. Rubbed it on my face straight from the stick, then using a slightly damp badger brush, face-lathering it. Looking forward to trying again & learning more. I'm planning to re-read through the entire wiki.

jez foster said:

you need to go much wetter/slicker with the lather when using a straight, think thin yogurt. face prep and lather really make or break a straight shave.

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Thanks!

I try it a little thinner this time.

I'm curious about this, as I prepare for my first go with a straight later this week. I've always assumed that getting lather too much past the "thick, creamy, yogurt" stage, to where it's watery, is asking for dripping and even drying out (because it's thin). Can anyone clarify what's meant by a more-watery lather for straight shaving? And I assume this would be helpful for DE shaves as well.

jez foster said:

you need to go much wetter/slicker with the lather when using a straight, think thin yogurt. face prep and lather really make or break a straight shave.

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onethinline said:

I'm curious about this, as I prepare for my first go with a straight later this week. I've always assumed that getting lather too much past the "thick, creamy, yogurt" stage, to where it's watery, is asking for dripping and even drying out (because it's thin). Can anyone clarify what's meant by a more-watery lather for straight shaving? And I assume this would be helpful for DE shaves as well.

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I'm interested to know more about this too, any more info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the advice!

Round two tonight: MUCH BETTER. Got a good, slick lather with some Arko. Felt so much easier, no tugging. I can only assume my stropping was ok too, as the blade seemed to cut just fine.

Another thing that works to keep the lather as wet as possible, especially if your shaving slowly, is to just lather 1/2 of your face at a time. I like to take my time and always lather this way.

Pete <:-}

petercp4e said:

Another thing that works to keep the lather as wet as possible, especially if your shaving slowly, is to just lather 1/2 of your face at a time. I like to take my time and always lather this way.

Pete <:-}

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Thanks Pete, that's a great idea. I'm probably rushing things a bit right now, one side at a time should help keep me focused.

Keeping in mind a wetter lather for this morning (my second attempt with a straight), I ended up going past where Cella would have been fine for a DE shave, added a few touches more water, and then ended up with dry, cracking lather before I could finish my first pass. This was notable because it didn't take very long to dry. I've heard that adding too much water can cause premature lather drying; think that was the case? The lather was not dripping off my face otherwise, mind you.

Many SR users that do their own honing use Tabac. I don't know how much water they're mixing in but this brand seems to be a good standard by which other soaps and their respective slickness can be judged. I would like to get some on the way my self. This may not be your favorite soap but I believe any soap we use should at least be on par with Tabac in terms of cushion and slickness (based on my research so far).

If it's a good soap, it will work for straights. I think the thinner lather bit is causing some confusion. Whip up a great, slick lather just like you would for DE, then apply. The trick is that you don't need a 1/2 inch of lather cushion. It looks great, but it's not necessary. Apply enough to cover the skin. Paint it on thin. This would be a "thinner" lather, and creates less drag than cutting through a solid wall of cream.

EDIT: The lather should be made in a way that the thin layer does not dissipate. For this, you may need to slightly adjust your water content...

lightfoot said:

Many SR users that do their own honing use Tabac. I don't know how much water they're mixing in but this brand seems to be a good standard by which other soaps and their respective slickness can be judged. I would like to get some on the way my self. This may not be your favorite soap but I believe any soap we use should at least be on par with Tabac in terms of cushion and slickness (based on my research so far).

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I am one who switched to Taboc after learning how to hone. I also switched to face lathering with cold water.
What is sometimes confusing is that wetter lather doesn't mean thinner lather. I find that if I use more soap than I think I need and don't whip it up so thick I get what I'm after.
I really load the brush up and then apply it to my wet face and get a very slick wet coating that isn't too thick. I'm after all the slick I can get and find that I just don't need a quarter inch of lather for cushion.
Using a hard soap like Taboc I soak the puck (warm water on top) while I shower, then with a damp brush I use the water on top of the puck to help with getting the soap into the brush, I wipe the excess proto-lather into my bowl and load the brush again. Then as I do more passes I use the proto-lather saved in my bowl to re-lather my face. Keeps the lather very slick(by using enough soap) while not allowing it to become too thick.
This equals a very slick, wet lather but allows me to use a relatively thin coat that doesn't dry out. This allows me to shave with a very keen edge and still have a very comfortable BBS shave.

Columbus said:

If it's a good soap, it will work for straights. I think the thinner lather bit is causing some confusion. Whip up a great, slick lather just like you would for DE, then apply. The trick is that you don't need a 1/2 inch of lather cushion. It looks great, but it's not necessary. Apply enough to cover the skin. Paint it on thin. This would be a "thinner" lather, and creates less drag than cutting through a solid wall of cream.

EDIT: The lather should be made in a way that the thin layer does not dissipate. For this, you may need to slightly adjust your water content...

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Excellent put, Thanks for a great post.
Regards
Polarbeard

Columbus said:

If it's a good soap, it will work for straights. I think the thinner lather bit is causing some confusion. Whip up a great, slick lather just like you would for DE, then apply. The trick is that you don't need a 1/2 inch of lather cushion. It looks great, but it's not necessary. Apply enough to cover the skin. Paint it on thin. This would be a "thinner" lather, and creates less drag than cutting through a solid wall of cream.

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Agree on the soap. Any good soap works well. I've never tried Tabac though it's on my list eventually as it gets rave reviews.

If your blade isn't sticking to your face: there's nothing wrong with the thickness of your lather. In my mind: the confusion is that the DE razor is tolerance of lather thickness/dryness on its own - while a SR can let you know if you've done an admirable job. I make quite a mess at the sink when lathering up on my face with soap dropping from the brush/face as I lather it up and I get a very good looking lather - and it works well for me.

To the OP's earlier comments with Arko: I find that Arko is a brilliant soap as a stick that I can easily apply, get good lather and great protection with little work. And it takes a tonne of water to get to that comfortable spot - otherwise I start feeling my face drying out or that it's caking.

Thanks everyone for the replies, very useful information.

I've had better shaves each time so far. Unfortunately, I've been using a borrowed Straight. Thus begins the process of searching for my own....

Glad to hear that your shaves are improving. One gauge I use for lather is that when it becomes difficult to rinse off the blade with a splash of water the lather is becoming too dry, (for me). If lather dries on my face I just wet my brush a little and face lather with what I have already applied. Also, I have found that the lather thickness only needs to be the same, or slightly more than the length of hair I am shaving. Best of luck and continued success.