lather building questions

Hello

I am new to wet shaving and I have a few questions

I have a boars hair brush and Williams mug soap. I follow the directions I have learned from this site and YouTube and I can't seem to build a quality lather. It comes out bubbly like if you fill the sink with dish soap. Here's what I do.

1. Run the hot water and fill the lather bowl in the sink with the brush in there too.
2. Get a little hot water in the mug and swirl it around
3. Lightly shake out any excess water
4. Load the brush using circular motions and "plungering" it
5. Move on to the lather bowl, which no longer has any water in it
6. Repeat the circular motions I used to load the brush for at least a minute
7. The frothy bubbles show up and I load more soap to thicken it up
8. The bubble remain and nothing really builds up.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for any help

Mark

I have heard that Williams gives a thin lather.. but maybe you don't have enough water? What happens if you add more?

More soapy light bubbles.

I've tried multiple water to soap ratios.

Boars hair is a bit more difficult to build a lather with because it does not hold water quite as well. However, try loading the brush with more soap and use less water. I leave approximately a tablespoons of water on my soap while showering and have my brush soaking in a container of hot water. I shake out the brush to remove as much water as possible. I then dump the water from the soap into a lathering bowl. Then, I load the brush for about a minute or so making sure I get plenty of soap on it. Next, I use the tablespoon of water in the lathering bowl to begin to build a lather. I only add water a few drops at a time if the lather seems too dry. A bit of practice and you will have it down in no time. There is a good tutorial in a sticky somewhere here that has good pictures also.

Great thanks I'll try that when I get home.

Never thought I would be excited to shave and I kinda wish I could grow hair on command.

By the way, is buying soap from the actual Art of Shaving shop worth it or are there other more economical ways to get it? Where do you get your stuff?

Their stuff is really expensive, I'd look around on the BST forum (Buy/Sell/Trade) and see if anyone is selling a partially used item. Or post a want to buy post and ask for it. I just got an offer on some Geo F. Trumper cologne that I didn't need new and didn't want to pay retail on.

Momma Bear's soaps (one of our very own Sue's) is very good. I must have a dozen of her essential oil soaps.

Hi mark.,

Welcome to B&B!

Here's the technique I use, and it serves me well., but then again, I was using some grade of a badger brush, at the time.

It changed my world.. as far as my lather making abilities were concerned.

Here's the other technique that was referenced put out by one of our Mods. (Jim)

Also, you might want to try loading your brush up with soap all over, not just the tips. Then when you think you have enough, keep going!

Disclaimer: I've never used MWF, (the full size puck,) and when I did, it was a chip off the cake of soap. (Not the best of circumstances,) but that's the technique that I use for all soaps, and creams.

When making lather off a soap the brush should be fairly dry at first, almost completely dry.
Then after swirling the brush around on your soap a bit (charging the brush) move on to your face - which should also be wet.
When making the lather on your face, if it's too dry dab the brush in some warm water and continue.

That's what I do, if it doesn't work for you maybe the soap or brush might be at fault. Or my descriptive skills. But stick with it.