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Lathering issues

I am wondering what is put in the soaps to make them lather. I have some that
lather with no problem, others are just a pain. I realize water is an issue however
the water is the constant in this case. I am going to try distilled water just to see
the difference. All of my brushes are budget, wd, semogue, etc, could this be an issue?
I hesitate to mention names of soaps, is this necessary? Thanks
 
Each soap is going to require a different loading time/technique to get the proper amount of soap into the brush.

The easiest way to master a soap is to use it exclusively for a month.
 
Soaps vary greatly and some which are sold as shaving soaps are not fit for the task. If you let us know which soaps you are struggling with, we may be able to put your mind at ease.
 
And, always, challenge your assumptions. Its continually amazing how my view point about what I expect changes each day I play the game of wet shaving!
 
You might try this trick.
first, presoak your shave soap.
Meanwhile, prelather your brush, with just hand soap, rinse well in warm water.
then make your shaving lather.
 
Some soaps are just harder to lather. The #1 problem is usually not enough water. That said, there are some soaps out there that are poorly made and are more fit to be a bath soap than a shave soap. It would really help to know the brand name, as some of our members may have used that soap and can give you more specific advice.
 
Soaps vary greatly and some which are sold as shaving soaps are not fit for the task. If you let us know which soaps you are struggling with, we may be able to put your mind at ease.

+1. I find that most traditional soaps work fine. The only time I have some problems is with some of the small artisan soaps that contain "unique" ingredients.
 
I finally found something that works reliably with the Arko puck. It is exactly like I remember my father lathering from his Old Spice mug when I was a toddler. The method is simple.
Keep the puck in an old-time mug. Wet down the soap in the mug, drain, soak brush, shake out brush lightly. Stir brush into mug. Add a few drops of water, keep stirring while the soap sits below and goes nowhere. Continue to add drops of water as needed. If you add too much, drain some off and keep stirring. When lather finally starts to build, stir more along the sides of the mug and less on the soap. Eventually you just about have to get lather just through sheer persistence. You may get too much soap into the brush and wash it away when you are done, but getting the perfect amount is not the objective at this point. Since Arko is cheap, product is expendable for getting lather.
Other "tricks", like loading and then bowl-lathering, or face-lathering from a stick, worked well enough but gave me uneven results from one shave to the next.
 
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Each soap is going to require a different loading time/technique to get the proper amount of soap into the brush. The easiest way to master a soap is to use it exclusively for a month.

+1 I used a hard soap puck for over three weeks. It will take time to get the amount of water and loading just right.

It is in an Old Spice mug. I add some warm tap water to the puck while my brush soaks (and shower time).

If using a boar brush I shake it out, pour off any water that may remain on the puck.

Load the brush for about 30 seconds or so.

Start to build the lather in a bowl

i finish face lathering.
 
If you have hard water, soaps that contain EDTA--a chelating agent--will do better than soaps that do not. Other than that, the previous gentlemen are right, give it some time. And remember: when in doubt, use more product.
 
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