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Shaving lather problems

M

Mstng_Boxer

Hello, new here to the forums so stopped by to say hi. Decided to get into de shaving after having breakout issues with my mach 3 and edge shaving gel.

Decide for my birthday to get some wet shaving gear so I bought a merkur 23c long handle and a merkur slant closed comb that I had a while back.

I also bought the captains choice shaving bowl limited edition the brown/red colored one. Great kit and Captain was very nice and sent it with a little sampler of different scent soaps, after shave and a balm. I also bought a large tub of the sandlewood shaving soap and a bottle of the matching aftershave and balm. Love the smell of it.

I also got a edwin jagger medium silvertip badger brush and t&h ultimate pre shave oil to complete the setup. Now for the problem. I've tried a few times now to use the brush soap and bowl to make a lather. I did the break in guide when I got the brush with the dish soap and then making a lather in the brush and letting it dry over night before I used it. I soak the brush while I'm in the shower to get it hydrated and then dump the water out and get the excess out of the brush before I go to make a lather. I load the brush up for about 20 or 30 seconds and then begin to do the circles in the bowl and I get what looks like a decent lather but when I go to put it on my face it never looks thick. I can see through the lather even though it does feel slick. Don't know what I'm doing wrong. I spend about a minute trying to whip it up in the bowl. Any help or tips would be appreciated thanks.
 
M

Mstng_Boxer

Also should mention that this is without using the pre shave oil so far because I wanted to see if the shaving soap alone was thick enough and slick enough that I didn't need to use it.
 
burg1198

burg1198

Don't worry about getting picture perfect lather. I make mine wetter and it appears thinner sometimes depending on the soap I am using. If it is slick and protective it is good lather. Thick whipped cream consistency is good for pictures not shaving.

The main factors that I have found to affect lather quality are amount of product and water hardness. The water from my tap has such a high mineral content I tend to refer to it as liquid rock. It takes a ton of product to get a decent lather with most soaps/creams and my tap water. I buy gallons of distilled water at the grocery to build my lather now. $1 a gallon which lasts me about 3 weeks and cuts minutes off my lather building. Well worth it.

As with all things practice and time will lead to finding the right combination for you.

Good luck and enjoy your shaves.
 
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BSAGuy

BSAGuy

Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.

On your lather, use less water or more product or a combination of both. Yours just sounds too thin/watery.
 
Njguy1977

Njguy1977

I used to have the same problem with my soaps and badger brush. What I do, and it works well, is add a little hot water to the puck soap and get it to soften a little. Usually for about a minute or two soak time is enough. Then take the water off the soap and use it as a preshave to soften your beard, then load up the brush. You can also use the soapy water to help build a lather by putting a few drops of it in the bowl before whipping. This makes loading the brush up with a lot of product and builds a thick lather fast. Then whip your. lather in the bowl until you get the desired results. You can also lookup Marco's method for loading the brush too, that works well also.
 
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ThePatrician

ThePatrician

Howdy howdy! I had the exact same setup before switching to DE. Once you nail down your technique, you will be furious with yourself for not doing it sooner!

Njguy gave you a great suggestion of putting several drops of hot water on top of your soap, to soften it and make it easier to load your brush. I call it pre-lather, and you can either use it as a pre-shave treatment, as Njguy suggests, or use it help load your brush. Either way, try extending your loading time by at least an extra twenty seconds right over your bowl, because you WILL get mounds of lather dripping off your soap.

I always recommend practice-building your lather. Soak your brush, put a dozen drops of hot water on top of your soap puck (you may want to consider putting the lid back on it, to help keep the heat in), watch a YouTube video, then try building a lather.
 
captp

captp

Pretty Pink Fairy Princess.
Welcome to B&B. Good advice above. I would load a bit more, at least 60 seconds.
 
dangerousdon

dangerousdon

Mstng_Boxer said:
Hello, new here to the forums so stopped by to say hi. Decided to get into de shaving after having breakout issues with my mach 3 and edge shaving gel.

Decide for my birthday to get some wet shaving gear so I bought a merkur 23c long handle and a merkur slant closed comb that I had a while back.

I also bought the captains choice shaving bowl limited edition the brown/red colored one. Great kit and Captain was very nice and sent it with a little sampler of different scent soaps, after shave and a balm. I also bought a large tub of the sandlewood shaving soap and a bottle of the matching aftershave and balm. Love the smell of it.

I also got a edwin jagger medium silvertip badger brush and t&h ultimate pre shave oil to complete the setup. Now for the problem. I've tried a few times now to use the brush soap and bowl to make a lather. I did the break in guide when I got the brush with the dish soap and then making a lather in the brush and letting it dry over night before I used it. I soak the brush while I'm in the shower to get it hydrated and then dump the water out and get the excess out of the brush before I go to make a lather. I load the brush up for about 20 or 30 seconds and then begin to do the circles in the bowl and I get what looks like a decent lather but when I go to put it on my face it never looks thick. I can see through the lather even though it does feel slick. Don't know what I'm doing wrong. I spend about a minute trying to whip it up in the bowl. Any help or tips would be appreciated thanks.
Click to expand...
[MENTION=109696]Mstng_Boxer[/MENTION] Glad to have you on Badger & Blade. Those above me have given you great advice. Ultimately it usually comes down to how much you have loaded on your brush and the amount of water. Keep at it and you will get it. By the way, you have some really good gear there! Welcome to B&B!
 
M

Mstng_Boxer

Thanks for all the info and great advice. I will definitely try putting a few drops of water as suggested on top the captain's choice and spend more time loading up the brush before I move to the bowl for making the lather as well as practicing more.

Definitely has changed my opinion of shaving already from dreaded to enjoyment. No razor burn, smells better and face looks better. Was a tad pricey for all the equipment I never thought I needed but I'm glad I took the plunge. Maybe sometime in the future I'll try getting into the straight razor once I get de shaving down and I figure which blades I like the best.

I've got the Astra sp, merkur and some generics from k mart. Had really good ordering experience with west coast shaving and them giving me the 2 free packs of astra sp with my order for signing up for the news letter. Will definitely buy from there again. I'll probably try one of there blade sample packs next so I can see which blades I like the best.

Also is it just me or is the merkur slant a lot more aggressive razor then the 23c? Seemed to give me alot closer shave on the first pass then the 23c.

Thanks
 
ackvil

ackvil

Welcome to B&B.

A few more suggestions. Work the lather in the bowl longer. Often when you whip it more, it thickens. Some other hints: If you find that your lather is too weak or watery you can add a little cream to the mix. If you face lather just rub a tiny amount on your face. If you bowl lather, just add a dot to the mix and work the lather. Another possible fix works if you have soaked your soap puck in warm or hot water. Rub your fingers around the soap and then apply a thin layer to your face. Then re-lather. Doing this acts like a soap stick and will thicken your lather.

Also, take a look at the wiki on lathers. Also, take a look at this post
 
B

Britt26

Hi, have you tried applying the lather to your face differently? For myself I start with small circles to apply to the face and it is too thin so then I switch to larger oblong circles and back and forth motions, like a paint brush. For me this helps the brush to let go of some lather and makes my lather super slick and creamy on my face. Hope this helps.
 
SirChangalot

SirChangalot

The ToOBS shaving cream is insanely easy to lather and I (a newbie) get a really thick and creamy lather from it. maybe you should try that?
 
J

Jer78

Try this sometime..

1. Your regular soak prep
2. Wet face
3. Squeeze brush dry with hand
4. Load brush for 15 seconds, apply to face all over
5. Load brush for 10 seconds, apply all over
6. Load brush for 5 seconds, apply all over
7. Now start adding water to tips of your brush.. paint both cheeks and both sides of neck with water, then work it in. Add more when worked in.
8. Prepare yourself for imminent lather explosion

This works with Mitchell's Wool Fat, Mike's and other notoriously hard to lather soaps. Stick with it, I find the "hard to lather" soaps often perform very well because of all the lovely oils they use.

Also, if you get water dripping out the base of the brush when face lathering, hold the brush over the sink and pinch the pairs at the base. This will release all the water at the base. That water is doing you no good and just making a mess.

Enjoy!
 
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