Face lathering tutorial~another way to a great shave!

[Kyle]

Face Lathering Tutorial~Another way to a great shave!


Welcome to the face lathering tutorial. Why face lather? Because you can! It's a different lathering approach to try; one that many find very satisfying. This tutorial was formulated as a group effort. The following process seems to produce good results for our team and should for you also.

A note on how this tutorial was created: A team was assembled that posted descriptions and photos of their face lathering processes. This allowed us get to a common understanding of what each person was doing. Several members spent time evaluating and comparing different brushes for best face lathering performance. We distilled the most common, fundamental and effective steps from all our experiences. This is what you have below.

Good luck, enjoy and have fun!

The simple steps and pictures below show how to face lather with a triple milled soap. For additional pointers click the "Spoiler" button.

1. Put 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of water on top of soap puck while sink fills and brush soaks.
   
   Spoiler:

   
   Must Dash: I scoop some water from the sink onto my fingers (four closed fingers) and rub that around on the top of the puck. I usually do this 2-3 times. Then leave the puck while I get on with the rest of the routine. There usually isn't any excess water to pour out.
   
   
2. Using your hand, wring water out of brush.
   
   Spoiler:

   
   Scoopster: Make sure the brush is thoroughly shaken and wrung out. You want the brush drier than what you're probably used to unless you have already been using the "How To Make Great Lather From Soaps" tutorial.
   
   
3. Swirl/Twirl/Scrub the brush on the soap for 20 seconds.
   
   Spoiler:

   
   Kyle: I wholeheartedly agree that getting the brush properly loaded is the key step and believe that 15-20 seconds is a reasonable starting point. I would also add that the larger the brush is, the more time will be required on the puck. I noticed this quickly when transitioning between my 22mm Rooney and 24mm Simpson brushes.
   
   Scoopster: This is the most important step in the process. Thoroughly loading the bush at this stage is crucial. The most common challenge people run into when using soaps is not charging the brush with enough soap.
   
   Scoopster: If you have a thin film of soap left over on your soap and sides of your soap container skim it off with your finger and smear it on the brush. Every little bit of "protolather" helps!
   
   
   
   
4. Give face a liberal splash of water & leave it dripping.
   
   Spoiler:

   
   There's not a lot to say here. Just don't make the water too hot.
   
5. Take brush to face and Swirl/Scrub/Paint until the lather reaches a nice, thick consistency (peaks that stand).
   
   Spoiler:

   
   Scoopster: It takes a decent amount of swirling to generate good lather from soaps or creams in a bowl. You still need that same amount of swirling/whipping effort when lathering on your face. If you have a stiff brush your face might feel like its had enough swirling but the lather might need a bit more. You should be working the lather on your face for about two minutes to get the right results.
   
   Must Dash: I use several different soap and brush combinations and find that it's really a matter of making minor adjustments - dip the bristles one more time to add some more water, work the brush on the puck a bit longer or harder, swirl the brush on my face for an extra few seconds. In each case, the end game is the same, how I get there varies slightly.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. If lather is too thick, add water to the brush 1/2 tsp at a time. If lather is too thin, return to the soap for 5-10 second intervals. Remember - If you need more lather at any time during the shave just work the soap with your brush again.
   
   Spoiler:

   
   Scoopster: If you started out with your brush sufficiently wrung out in step 2 and properly loaded it with enough soap in step 3 you will most certainly need to add few rounds of water to the brush during this step. Be careful when you add water to the brush. You don't want it running out of the brush as soon as you add it or when you put it to your face to swirl. You can mush it up against your face to get the bristles to splay out a bit, then trickle water into the center.
   
   Must Dash: The other item is how to add more water to the brush. I like to dip the bristles in water rather than turn the tap on - seems to give me more control. But, I don't like dipping the bristles in the same water that I rinse my razor off in, so I have a jug that stands in the sink, with the top above water level.
   

FINAL NOTES:

• This process can/should provide enough lather for 2 passes and possibly a third. For additional passes, return to the soap for 5 seconds, give face a liberal splash of water, and work the freshly reloaded brush until desired results are achieved.
• These directions are based on the use of a small and dense brush. Larger brushes may require double the water and double the time in the loading phase.
• With practice this is as easy a method to employ as lathering in a bowl. This technique works with other soaps, like glycerin-based and with shave sticks

Many thanks to Jim , Mr. Igg- Bryan , Must Dash- Jeremy & scoopster- Dave!

[shavEddie]

Great collaboration! Can't wait to fire up the HD. Thanks for another great tutorial.

[rm71]

Great work gentlemen. I think this will help newbies and experienced wet shavers alike. Looks like I need to concentrate on steps 2 & 3.

[R-James]

Great article gents

[htownmmm]

Going,going,gone-she's outta here!(another great post for non baseball fans.)


Marty

[boboakalfb]

Well done, Gents!

[jkh]

Excellent post! Thanks so much, a good face lathering tutorial was long overdo.

[JET]

Great article. Exactly what I do, however I do mix in a bowl. But I do find myself going back with brush to bowl on final passes. Last 3-4 passes just soap with brush to face! Excellent!

[Haiku]

Great article! thanks to all its authors for the time and effort you put into this.

[Bobtrumpet]

I used this basic technique the other morning with some VDH Deluxe (with which I haven't fared well in my limited amount of time with a DE). I worked great! Thanks for putting it down for posterity (and newbies like me)!

[SMOKE]

As always, well done!!!

I have been face lathering since my first week of DE shaving. IMO it is the only way to go! As always, YMMV.

Kind Regards

[Rem Freeman]

Very good guide for lather building. I find that, even though I have been wetshaving for over a year now, I can always use more help when it comes to building a consistent lather.

[random]

Excellent work! Congratulations to all the people involved! I was just thinking this morning: "I wonder if there is a face lathering tutorial somewhere on B&B"...Well, there is!

[Dirtstyle]

Originally Posted by Kyle

This process can/should provide enough lather for 2 passes and possibly a third. For additional passes, return to the soap for 5 seconds, give face a liberal splash of water, and work the freshly reloaded brush until desired results are achieved.

Would it be ill advised to rinse the brush before loading up for a third pass? I enjoy the warmth of a brush against my face and after the second pass, my brush is cooler than I'd like it to be. Am I shaving too slowly? I apologize in advance for the newbness

[NeckShaver]

Originally Posted by Dirtstyle

Would it be ill advised to rinse the brush before loading up for a third pass? I enjoy the warmth of a brush against my face and after the second pass, my brush is cooler than I'd like it to be. Am I shaving too slowly? I apologize in advance for the newbness

Not ill advised but you would just have to load your brush again, if using extra product doesn't bother you than I say go for it.

[Not A Nice Person]

Originally Posted by Dirtstyle

Would it be ill advised to rinse the brush before loading up for a third pass? I enjoy the warmth of a brush against my face and after the second pass, my brush is cooler than I'd like it to be. Am I shaving too slowly? I apologize in advance for the newbness

Actually, I just lightly touch the brush to the surface of the hot water in the sink, and it warms it up noticeably. By the third pass, my brush is well-loaded enough that the lather isn't adversely affected. Usually by that point a little more water's a good thing.

NANP™

[stobes21]

Originally Posted by Dirtstyle

Would it be ill advised to rinse the brush before loading up for a third pass? I enjoy the warmth of a brush against my face and after the second pass, my brush is cooler than I'd like it to be. Am I shaving too slowly? I apologize in advance for the newbness

If you want to keep the brush warm, then put it in a bowl that is floating in your sink filled with hot water. It'll stay plenty warm. I personally build my lather in a bowl and then float it, but even if you face lather the effect will be the same.

Another option is to drip in a few drops of very hot water into the brush before each pass. It won't make the lather super hot, but should at least make it warmer than otherwise.

[scoopster]

Originally Posted by Dirtstyle

Would it be ill advised to rinse the brush before loading up for a third pass? I enjoy the warmth of a brush against my face and after the second pass, my brush is cooler than I'd like it to be. Am I shaving too slowly? I apologize in advance for the newbness

Just make sure you thoroughy wring it out before hitting the soap. You might also find that if you simply hit the soap with the brush without rinsing you'll need to drizzle some hot water into the the breach and that will sifficiently warm the brush/lather.

[blade08]

Very helpful, especially for new guys. Thanks for posting this.

[_JP_]

There is one step of this tutorial that I don't do because it is not necessary, which is wringing out the brush. I've learned that the water that drips from the brush is collected and held at the base of the knot, which get released as the brush is worked on the face. So I simply don't soak the brush at all when face lathering. I just dip it about halfway down into hot water, shake out the excess and get to work building lather.

Check it out sometime. Soak your brush and shake it real good. Then press the knot against your hand so that you press the base of the knot. Watch the water dribble out, even after a good shaking.