Loose Lather

Hey guys, if bits of lather fall onto my chest does that mean there's too much water in it? Lather is a big struggle for me and I'm starting to think that lathering in a mug instead of bowl might be an issue.

On a side note I used a Muhle R41 for the first time instead of the EJ DE89 I've been using for two years and it's a big change. The blade seemed to be pulling on the skin a lot more than usual but I can see how it will force me to improve my technique in the long run.

Fak, indeed, if the lather is goopey and falling off your brush or rolling down your skin usually it means that you can afford to thicken the lather by lathering further, adding some glycerin, adding more product, or lowering water input by adding water more slowly during the lathering process. Some people prefer the thinner lather, but if your looking for a more protective coating you can usually find ways to thicken it up. Make sure you work it into the skin as well to provide maximum slickness. I bowl lather for that reason, when I face lather I find it's too thin for my liking.

Fakman87 said:

Hey guys, if bits of lather fall onto my chest does that mean there's too much water in it? Lather is a big struggle for me and I'm starting to think that lathering in a mug instead of bowl might be an issue.

On a side note I used a Muhle R41 for the first time instead of the EJ DE89 I've been using for two years and it's a big change. The blade seemed to be pulling on the skin a lot more than usual but I can see how it will force me to improve my technique in the long run.

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[MENTION=83426]Fakman87[/MENTION] EMBRACE THE LATHER! Honestly though, I face lather because of this very reason. I can load my brush, paint it on my face, and add water slowly to get the perfect lather. Loose lather doesn't necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong. I personally get lather everywhere. That just means that everything is clean...it is soap after all...right? Pics can help if that is possible if not let us know what kind of soap/cream you are using. Without more details I would say, after you load your brush, just add water by a couple drops at a time. This may seem tedious at first, but after about five or six times, you will just "know" how much water to use.

By the way...Welcome to Badger & Blade!

Fakman87 said:

Hey guys, if bits of lather fall onto my chest does that mean there's too much water in it? Lather is a big struggle for me and I'm starting to think that lathering in a mug instead of bowl might be an issue.

On a side note I used a Muhle R41 for the first time instead of the EJ DE89 I've been using for two years and it's a big change. The blade seemed to be pulling on the skin a lot more than usual but I can see how it will force me to improve my technique in the long run.

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Keep us posted on your progress

With some soaps mine does this. I like a very slick lather and with some that consistency seems to be what it wants.

Fakman87 said:

Hey guys, if bits of lather fall onto my chest does that mean there's too much water in it? Lather is a big struggle for me and I'm starting to think that lathering in a mug instead of bowl might be an issue.

On a side note I used a Muhle R41 for the first time instead of the EJ DE89 I've been using for two years and it's a big change. The blade seemed to be pulling on the skin a lot more than usual but I can see how it will force me to improve my technique in the long run.

Click to expand...

On your side note. What blade are you using in the Muhle R41? I find that with Derby blades there is a fair amount of tugging. With Astra SP blades there's no tugging but I have to make certain I'm using the least pressure I can. With Feather blades, I always end up feeling a little scraped up.

Your lather does sound a little thin. Just experiment. Try a little less water and see how it goes. You aren't going to break anything or anger the shaving gods.

The "almond sized dollop" that many recommend for cream, to me seems to be about half of what most creams really need to get a well lathered 3 pass shave. Soap is the same thing. I load my brush scrape it on the edge of the scuttle and load some more.
Why not just add less water?
The smaller the amount of soap or cream you are using, the tighter your tolerance is for getting the correct ratio.

Of course different brands will lather differently, but try starting with a bit more product and see if you results vary in your favor.

After soaking your brush (if you do that), shake all the water out and lather while the brush is only damp. Then add water in small amounts until you get the consistency you want. You can always add more water to your lather; you can never take it out. Hope this helps.

MpMinNY said:

The "almond sized dollop" that many recommend for cream, to me seems to be about half of what most creams really need to get a well lathered 3 pass shave.

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+1. When I use creams, I use an amount with about the diameter of an almond but much taller than one. I used to worry that I was using too much cream but I do what it takes to get a decent shave.

MpMinNY said:

The "almond sized dollop" that many recommend for cream, to me seems to be about half of what most creams really need to get a well lathered 3 pass shave.

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When in doubt...always err on the side of more product.

dangerousdon said:

When in doubt...always err on the side of more product.

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Except of course when you have to err on the side of more water[emoji41]

MpMinNY said:

Why not just add less water?
The smaller the amount of soap or cream you are using, the tighter your tolerance is for getting the correct ratio.

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This is my mantra: use more product!

It is very rare that using too much product will cause you to have a lousy lather. It is soo much easier to add water than try to take it away.

That does sound a little too loose. Easily correctable though! Shave on and enjoy THE BEAST! aka the kitten.

Less water/more product.

Thanks guys and sorry for the late reply. My lather is still a bit too loose but I've improved my pressure and angle and for the first time ever today I actually forgot to put on after shave balm after my witchhazel, since my face was free of any irritation.

I was using Persona mostly with the R41 but I also tried a feather and timor blade with it. However I went back to my DE89 for the last few days because I had irritated my neck a bit with the R41.