I wonder how big the donut hole on the op's brush is 15 years later=)
How to make great lather from a soap ~ Tutorial
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
B
bmiller3230
O.M.G!!!! This is life-changing! Just tried this with Stirling Sheep. Did 3 test lathers playing with the amount of water before my mind was BLOWN!! I thought I was getting the best out of this soap. This takes it up notches unknown to man-kind. Seriously, I was adding way too much water, with lather climbing out of the bowl, thinking life was good. This technique gives me that thick, creamy meringue/yogurt like lather that I always wanted.The following is a guide and suggestions for the foundation for a great lather.
This tutorial was developed by a group of B&B members in collaboration. A team of struggling new wetshavers worked with more experienced members to learn how to make great lathers with a variety of soaps. They documented their progress, triumphs and setbacks and developed the method shown below. This method of lather making is not the only way to get to a great shave it is however in our collective experience the simplest and easiest to communicate through our chosen medium. We hope with this we can get our new lathermeisters on the fast track to great shaves. Enjoy!
OK lets get started~
If you are using a soft brush it may take up to a full minute to fully load your brush, or as little as 15 seconds with a premium soap brush.
1. Fill sink with hot water and submerge bowl in water.
2. Place brush into bowl and let soak while you are showering- at least a couple of minutes.
3. Place a thin layer of water on your soap and let soak for at least a couple of minutes. (A teaspoon's worth)
4. Remove brush from bowl and squeeze bristles vigorously. Give it a couple of good shakes as well.
5. Dump the thin layer of water off of soap. (Your lather bowl is a good place for this)
6. Begin swirling your brush in a circular motion with light to medium pressure. Add some plunger motions, use the whole brush including the sides of the brush. Continue swirling until a paste-like consistency begins to form on the top of the soap and on the brush.
Bubbles mean too much water. A large volume of lather means too much water.
Continue to swirl until a noticeable audible and tactile difference is made when the brush moves over the soap. When the paste is forming the brush is noisier and seems to drag over the soap instead of smoothly going over the top. The brush will start to drag and feel heavy.
7. Take a look at your brush, do the bristles clump together? If yes, you're done. If no, continue to swirl and load.
8. Now you can build lather on your face or move to a bowl!
9. Add water as needed- a few drips at a time.
Have FUN!
Thanks to Kyle, ALBaron, Daniel,and Thomas !
Just. Wow....
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I have been using a similar method for 5 years and it just works well IMO, hard soaps, croaps & creams with any type of brush works with this tutorial method. Most of my latherings are well done in 1-2minutes using this similar method.
B
bmiller3230
Yes, I see this is the best method. But on these forums, you're always reading about "well hydrated lather", so a lot of us just listen to that and over hydrate. This method, by far, produces the best quality lather. I've only tried it yet with Stirling Sheep, which is my go-to. But will try it with my others as well. I expect really good results
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Yes you are correct about over watering at start and some fellows like it that way(confusing if to many different methods), what some folks might not grasp is it so easy to saturate at any time to make bubbly lather if that is what they want. (The best way is to add small amounts of water as the lather builds up). Most face lathers usually have a pastier slurry on the brush then apply to face and then add water as needed visually.
Using the bowl just cuts down on irritating the facial skin if you have sensitive skin or just like to keep the main soap puck or cake pristine of water entering it to slowly deteriorate it over time possibly of scent and other unknowns floating in the air or water sources.
I have just peeled or scraped soaps into my bowls for the last 5 years and all my soaps are like the day they where bought mostly.
I soak my stone bowl in hot water and let my brush bloom while i use my preshave cream proraso white to moisturize the face and hairs. while i load my brush out of the soap tub lightly damp i then move to the poured out stone bowl and get to whipping first add 3-4 drops of maggards lime preshave oil then start whipping. I bought a very fine mist pump bottle to spray any needed water into my soap then work it till im getting wonderful peaks of yummy cream, 2-3 pre shave oil drops massaged into the face and hair then ready to lather the face. If its a little dry give a pump more of water spray a few whips and back to perfect lather, then shave it all off 1-2-3 passes lathering between in circular motions to keep the hair standing tall and bam a beautiful shave
Would love to see something similar for the face lathering crowd. I prefer a just-wet and relatively stiff boar-bristle brush to work the soap directly from the puck into my whiskers rather than add the extra step of building a too-thin-for-me lather in a bowl. Also enjoy using a shave stick when traveling and apply the soap directly to my after-shower whiskers. No brush needed. Probably one of the few long time DE/straight edge shavers here that find badger brushes are completely useless for a close shave
The following is a guide and suggestions for the foundation for a great lather.
This tutorial was developed by a group of B&B members in collaboration. A team of struggling new wetshavers worked with more experienced members to learn how to make great lathers with a variety of soaps. They documented their progress, triumphs and setbacks and developed the method shown below. This method of lather making is not the only way to get to a great shave it is however in our collective experience the simplest and easiest to communicate through our chosen medium. We hope with this we can get our new lathermeisters on the fast track to great shaves. Enjoy!
OK lets get started~
If you are using a soft brush it may take up to a full minute to fully load your brush, or as little as 15 seconds with a premium soap brush.
1. Fill sink with hot water and submerge bowl in water.
2. Place brush into bowl and let soak while you are showering- at least a couple of minutes.
3. Place a thin layer of water on your soap and let soak for at least a couple of minutes. (A teaspoon's worth)
4. Remove brush from bowl and squeeze bristles vigorously. Give it a couple of good shakes as well.
5. Dump the thin layer of water off of soap. (Your lather bowl is a good place for this)
6. Begin swirling your brush in a circular motion with light to medium pressure. Add some plunger motions, use the whole brush including the sides of the brush. Continue swirling until a paste-like consistency begins to form on the top of the soap and on the brush.
Bubbles mean too much water. A large volume of lather means too much water.
Continue to swirl until a noticeable audible and tactile difference is made when the brush moves over the soap. When the paste is forming the brush is noisier and seems to drag over the soap instead of smoothly going over the top. The brush will start to drag and feel heavy.
7. Take a look at your brush, do the bristles clump together? If yes, you're done. If no, continue to swirl and load.
8. Now you can build lather on your face or move to a bowl!
9. Add water as needed- a few drips at a time.
Have FUN!
Thanks to Kyle, ALBaron, Daniel,and Thomas !
sorry about being so dense, but . . .
In step 5, I dump the water off the soap and into my lather bowl.
Then I start working up the lather . . . in the lather bowl, right?
But . . . my soap puck is not in the lather bowl . . . So am I just working with the schlerm I poured off of the bar of soap?
I always applied the brush right to the soap, which was already in the lathe bowl (the shaving mug itself was the lather bowl, with the soap puck already in the mug.)
Again, sorry to be so dense. I’m a bit confused by this . . .
the bowl for steps 2-4 is just to soak the brush in hot water, like as you shower. step 5 is referring to whatever container you keep your soap in. (i use an old avocado colored tupperware 4" diameter container with a lid.) steps 6-7 is loading the brush in that same container. steps 8-9 is actually building lather, either on your face or in another bowl (a scuttle for me). so after step 7, you don't use the soap container again until your next shave.
I'm new to wet DE shaving and to b&b. It's taken me quite a while to learn how to get a good lather with just the right consistency. this tutorial has been a great help. The pics are tremendous, dare i say even beautiful. i've copyclipped them to a Mword doc. It's also helped that i bought a couple different soaps and new brushes. So a big THANK YOU to all who developed this tutorial.
I absolutely love just about every aspect of wet shaving, though the shave itself takes considerably longer than using my my gillette 5-blade proglide and a can of barbasol. Much more satisfying. With patience during lather building and application process, i am greatly rewarded by the smell and the feel of slapping/painting my face with the warm lather on the smooth brush.
since i am new, please feel free to correct the explanation i gave in the first paragraph.
I'm new to wet DE shaving and to b&b. It's taken me quite a while to learn how to get a good lather with just the right consistency. this tutorial has been a great help. The pics are tremendous, dare i say even beautiful. i've copyclipped them to a Mword doc. It's also helped that i bought a couple different soaps and new brushes. So a big THANK YOU to all who developed this tutorial.
I absolutely love just about every aspect of wet shaving, though the shave itself takes considerably longer than using my my gillette 5-blade proglide and a can of barbasol. Much more satisfying. With patience during lather building and application process, i am greatly rewarded by the smell and the feel of slapping/painting my face with the warm lather on the smooth brush.
since i am new, please feel free to correct the explanation i gave in the first paragraph.
Still works!
Is this the complimentary face lathering tutorial?
www.badgerandblade.com
If so, pics are not loading. If not, point me in the right direction. I'm ready to level up.
Face lathering tutorial~another way to a great shave!
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...
www.badgerandblade.com
If so, pics are not loading. If not, point me in the right direction. I'm ready to level up.
I've been putting hot water on the soap ans swishing for about 20 seconds. It dissolves the old foam, and starts softening the surface of the soap. Toss the soapy water into the bowl, about 15 sec of swirl, and start building lather in the bowl.
I don't get tons of lather, but I get enough for a good shave.
Back in the 70s you just got the soap off the puck so you could face lather.
It might be I need to slow the softening step a little, and see how it plays out downstream.
I don't get tons of lather, but I get enough for a good shave.
Back in the 70s you just got the soap off the puck so you could face lather.
It might be I need to slow the softening step a little, and see how it plays out downstream.
I don't do things according to directions, but, I do add some water to the puck, and swish it until the hardened foam from the last shave is gone, about 20 seconds. I pour that into the lather bowl, and add just a little extra water.
I have a silvertip fibre, so the squeeze is wasted. I just give a good flick, and go to town.
The water on the puck softens the top layer so it's a lot faster to get soap on the brush.
I generally only do 1 pass, so I don't need as much lather.
But, I will say that my basic grasp made it much better, adding the rest of the steps should improve the experience.
I have a silvertip fibre, so the squeeze is wasted. I just give a good flick, and go to town.
The water on the puck softens the top layer so it's a lot faster to get soap on the brush.
I generally only do 1 pass, so I don't need as much lather.
But, I will say that my basic grasp made it much better, adding the rest of the steps should improve the experience.
The technique works fine for me. I would like an opinion, though. One of my favorite soaps is TOBS and I have worn a hole in the bottom of the puck. (TOBS comes with a dome shape that fits their bowl) Any thought on how I should wet the soap? Fill it up with water to soften it? The soap is too hard to mash it down to a solid puck with a surface that would hold a teaspoon or so of water.
Still works! But I did my discovery method posts, because if you do this as a method with everything, as @Jut said, you’ll start pulling hairs out of the middle of your brush. My most-used brush has a slight donut in it, but after 10 years, with almost daily use for 5 of those, that’s not bad.
But this method is basically my Discovery Process, and once you understand a soap, you can start with more water and very nearly nail it out of the gate, being much easier on your brushes, and quicker.
But this method is basically my Discovery Process, and once you understand a soap, you can start with more water and very nearly nail it out of the gate, being much easier on your brushes, and quicker.
I entered the HOF in 2015 at age 72 having just started shaving again. Years later, I stumbled across "How to make great lather.." quite by accident and started following the instructions. At age 81 I finally learned how to make good lather and learned that shaving can indeed be enjoyable. I cannot express adequately how grateful I am for the work that went into the the original article. I now keep adding water until the lather forms peaks or, as I prefer, will 'hold a wall' as I am working it.
I was concerned about over-hydrating my lather so I tried the experiment of taking the lather to where I thought it was properly hydrated and then continued adding water a few drops at a time to take it to over hydration. I was surprised by how much more water the lather would take before passing it's prime.
I just think it is a shame I was 81 years old before I learned how to shave! BTW, I am still using my original boar brush and 'beginner' razor. It is only the soaps that have multiplied beyond reason.
I was concerned about over-hydrating my lather so I tried the experiment of taking the lather to where I thought it was properly hydrated and then continued adding water a few drops at a time to take it to over hydration. I was surprised by how much more water the lather would take before passing it's prime.
I just think it is a shame I was 81 years old before I learned how to shave! BTW, I am still using my original boar brush and 'beginner' razor. It is only the soaps that have multiplied beyond reason.
Fantastic advice.The following is a guide and suggestions for the foundation for a great lather.
This tutorial was developed by a group of B&B members in collaboration. A team of struggling new wetshavers worked with more experienced members to learn how to make great lathers with a variety of soaps. They documented their progress, triumphs and setbacks and developed the method shown below. This method of lather making is not the only way to get to a great shave it is however in our collective experience the simplest and easiest to communicate through our chosen medium. We hope with this we can get our new lathermeisters on the fast track to great shaves. Enjoy!
OK lets get started~
If you are using a soft brush it may take up to a full minute to fully load your brush, or as little as 15 seconds with a premium soap brush.
1. Fill sink with hot water and submerge bowl in water.
2. Place brush into bowl and let soak while you are showering- at least a couple of minutes.
3. Place a thin layer of water on your soap and let soak for at least a couple of minutes. (A teaspoon's worth)
4. Remove brush from bowl and squeeze bristles vigorously. Give it a couple of good shakes as well.
5. Dump the thin layer of water off of soap. (Your lather bowl is a good place for this)
6. Begin swirling your brush in a circular motion with light to medium pressure. Add some plunger motions, use the whole brush including the sides of the brush. Continue swirling until a paste-like consistency begins to form on the top of the soap and on the brush.
Bubbles mean too much water. A large volume of lather means too much water.
Continue to swirl until a noticeable audible and tactile difference is made when the brush moves over the soap. When the paste is forming the brush is noisier and seems to drag over the soap instead of smoothly going over the top. The brush will start to drag and feel heavy.
7. Take a look at your brush, do the bristles clump together? If yes, you're done. If no, continue to swirl and load.
8. Now you can build lather on your face or move to a bowl!
9. Add water as needed- a few drips at a time.
Have FUN!
Thanks to Kyle, ALBaron, Daniel,and Thomas !
All makes perfect sense.
Thank you so much for this step-by-step tutorial.
Pictures where extremely helpful as well.
Will try this method with my next shave as my current lathering technique is definitely lacking.
