Shave Prep

When preparing to shave I've tried to follow instructions on how to prepare my beard, but cant seem to give lather any time to soften the beard. I use proraso soap and a shavette, so there's no need to strop, but by the time I finish one side of my face the soap has dried and flakes off. I figured that I just needed to add more water, but that just creates a runny wet mess.

Any tips? I've seen the youtube wetchaving videos and tried to emulate them but not working.

You just haven't found the 'sweet spot' of the soap and water. Face lathering will help. In the meantime, you can mix up some 'practice' lathers where you don't actually shave. It'll come to you. Start damp, and gradually introduce a few drops of water at a time. It won't take long and you'll have this mastered.

-- John Gehman

Because I used proraso soap a lot this summer, I found out that my brush must NOT be too dry, but contain enough amount of water before I load it with soap.
I face lather and get a great lather. At the beginning you'll find that it's too watery but after a good work on your face, you'll get a thick, slick lather that doesn't dry out.
BTW when I squeeze my brush to get all of the water off, I can't make a good lather on my face.
Hope that helps!