I have a few soaps that I bought when I first started out wet shaving. I have a couple mama bears and the infamous Tabac. After a month of trying to produce a good, slick lather I finally gave up and started using creams. Several people here offered suggestions of using distilled water, working the lather more, use more water, etc, etc. After not being able to produce a good lather, in my opinion, I switched and went to TOBS creams. I don't seem to have any problems lathering the creams which produce a nice slick lather. I don't want to give up on the soaps yet so I was hoping to get some more help on lathering the soaps. When I lather the soaps I don't seem to get a thick creamy consistency. Typically I get somewhere between soapy and flat. Do I need to work the soap more? I have tried playing with the water ratio and I always seem to go from dry to too wet by just adding a few drops at a time. Once the mixture is too wet should I keep working it or just start over? Should I use a dryer brush or a wetter brush initially? I have reviewed Mantics vids and some others on here but I just can't seem to get it down. Any help is appreciated.
Soap Lathering Question
- Thread starter lamontqsanford
- Start date
The first thing is to make sure you have a good method for loading soap on the brush. Without enough soap on the brush, whether you lather in a bowl or on your face, you are just adding water to watery soap froth--which produces watery lather. Watery lather is thin and dries on your face before you can shave--both bad.
Put some warm water on top of the soap and let it sit and soften the surface of the soap a little. Then shake out your brush lightly and start churning. When you get a good amount of soap--not pre-lather--on your brush then start the process of lather-building.
Add water sparingly and work the soap more than you think you need to. Good fluffy lather is only a few turns past so-so lather.
Hope this helps.
Put some warm water on top of the soap and let it sit and soften the surface of the soap a little. Then shake out your brush lightly and start churning. When you get a good amount of soap--not pre-lather--on your brush then start the process of lather-building.
Add water sparingly and work the soap more than you think you need to. Good fluffy lather is only a few turns past so-so lather.
Hope this helps.
Also, if you have very hard water it will drastically affect the way your soap lathers.
I find I have to lather soaps much more. Also, I found that I'd been being too stingy/gentle with my soap pucks. I really load the brush up now, and I'm rewarded with a very thick, slick lather.
What I was told was
1 soak the brush.
2 shake out the brush so it's damp but not dripping.
3 swirl the tips around on the soap.
4 when you think your swirled enough, swirl some more.
5 then mash the brush into the soap and swirl.
6 when you think your swirled enough, swirl some more.
7 start lathering, either on face or a bowl.
8 add drops of water into the knot of the brush, if needed
9 swirl to make lather.
if more water required, add drops.
To be honest, using this method with Tabac and face lathering seems to get me enough lather on my cheapy boar brush for 3 passes.
1 soak the brush.
2 shake out the brush so it's damp but not dripping.
3 swirl the tips around on the soap.
4 when you think your swirled enough, swirl some more.
5 then mash the brush into the soap and swirl.
6 when you think your swirled enough, swirl some more.
7 start lathering, either on face or a bowl.
8 add drops of water into the knot of the brush, if needed
9 swirl to make lather.
if more water required, add drops.
To be honest, using this method with Tabac and face lathering seems to get me enough lather on my cheapy boar brush for 3 passes.
- Thread starter
- #6
I have been told several times to give up on lathering in the bowl and to just go to the face. My question is this: If I can't get the correct consistency in a bowl how is it I get it correct when I just lather on my face? I am not trying to be funny I just need it explained.
I think people who claim face lathering is "better" believe they have better control over the lather because they can feel the results on their face whilst making lathering (i.e., tactile feedback).
I don't buy it. One can make awesome lather in bowl or on face.
- Thread starter
- #9
I have read that particular tutorial. The funny thing is, no matter if it is Glycerin or tallow based my brush doesn't even come close to having that much soap on it when loaded. Maybe I just don't load the brush enough. I will go home and practice tonight. My wife already thinks I am crazy I just as well reassure her.
I haven't been face lathering long, but rather than feel the difference, I can tell when I have enough water in there, where as with the bowl sometimes I add too much.
Also I never seem to have enough time in the morning, so lathering in a bowl and then relathering onto the face seems a waste of time. Though at the weekend it's wonderful to do that and the bowl keeps the lather warm for the next pass.
- Thread starter
- #11
Well I just got done making some of the thickest,slickest lather from Tabac. Apparenlty my problem was not loading the brush up enough. I know it had been suggested a thousand times but I was apparently too worried about water and everything else to pay attention. Thanks for all of the great info and for holding my hand.
Tracy --
Start with a damp brush and add water as you go. Face lather. The desired end result will look like a wet frosting rather than cool whip. Go back and revisit Mantic's videos on lather building --you *did* watch his lather building video's, right?
-- John Gehman
Start with a damp brush and add water as you go. Face lather. The desired end result will look like a wet frosting rather than cool whip. Go back and revisit Mantic's videos on lather building --you *did* watch his lather building video's, right?
-- John Gehman
- Thread starter
- #13
I have watched Mantic's videos several times. My problem was (I got it right about 30 minutes ago) I didn't have anything close to cool whip, let alone wet frosting.
