I think i am converting to facelathering

Obelix

Obelix

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274
For 6 full months, i never facelathered. Lately, i have tried facelathering about 4 times. And everytime, i find it much quicker and easier to make lather. Plus, you don't need the bowl, to clean it, etc.

The advantage i see in bowl lathering, is that you don't have to worry about running out of lather and that you can visually inspect the lather as you build it to make it as thick or thin as you like.

However, to my great surprise, even my 20x47 pure badger and my 24x55 boar, using creams, both managed to give lather for 4 passes. Although the 4th pass lather wasn't as stellar as the first. But it was fine.

I am impressed. I think i am switching to facelathering and the only reason i will be bowl lathering, is that i have a couple of brushes that i think aren't so suited to facelathering.

I am now even flirting with the idea of getting a Semogue 1470, since i noticed it's only 50mm high. I mean, Semogues have a wild bloom, but how wild of a bloom can a 50mm loft have...
Just to try the Semogue bristle and see how different it is compared to my Omega 80266/65 brushes.
 
I've found the same - initially, when starting out, it was far easier to inspect the lather as I made it in a bowl. As I've progressed, I feel less the need to inspect in any great depth and can instead have a glance and tell whether it's too thick, too thin, needs more water or to start again. Also, I can go a bit more on feel than when I started. That being said, it does seem easier to get a consistently good lather without issue in a bowl as everything is far easier to measure and it's far simpler to add water as you go.

Either way, I started with a bowl and now I never use one. :)
 
Benz3ne said:
I've found the same - initially, when starting out, it was far easier to inspect the lather as I made it in a bowl. As I've progressed, I feel less the need to inspect in any great depth and can instead have a glance and tell whether it's too thick, too thin, needs more water or to start again. Also, I can go a bit more on feel than when I started. That being said, it does seem easier to get a consistently good lather without issue in a bowl as everything is far easier to measure and it's far simpler to add water as you go.

Either way, I started with a bowl and now I never use one. :)
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That's exactly what i found too! With bowl lather, i can pretty much build the exact lather every time. With facelathering, it's a bit more "going by luck", because you may have put less or more soap/water. And the 1st pass, is initially very thick and i need to water it out. But, at the end, i think being obsessed about the lather doesn't matter so much. With facelathering, i just sense if the brush itself is gliding enough or not. If i feel it's slick enough, i go ahead the shave. And it works! I had a very nice shave and the time to build the lather on face is minimal! I 've seen some guys on youtube that keep facelathering for over a minute, going back and forth etc, but i really don't know why. I seem to build the lather in 20 seconds tops...

It's much more convenient. With bowl lathering, i get obsessed about the "ideal" lather consistency and i go easily above 1 minute to build the lather. To the point, that especially with the fat handle Omegas, my hand hurts.
 
Count of Undolpho said:
I go by feel as much as sight for the lather when face lathering. I find it really easy to spot that moment when it changes from bubbly to slick on my face but struggle using a bowl.
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I go the opposite way. The lather isn't ever bubbly. I start with the brush shaken firmly once, just like i did when bowl lathering. As soon as i start lathering, it's thick and creamy. So the only thing i have to do, is thin it out a bit, dipping the tips of the brush to water and then back to face. So the thick and creamy, almost immediately becomes less thick and creamy. And i am ready to shave as soon as i feel the brush gliding well. It's superfast compared to all the swirling i was doing with bowl lathering, to the point my hand would hurt.
 
Obelix said:
I go the opposite way. The lather isn't ever bubbly. I start with the brush shaken firmly once, just like i did when bowl lathering. As soon as i start lathering, it's thick and creamy. So the only thing i have to do, is thin it out a bit, dipping the tips of the brush to water and then back to face. So the thick and creamy, almost immediately becomes less thick and creamy. And i am ready to shave as soon as i feel the brush gliding well. It's superfast compared to all the swirling i was doing with bowl lathering, to the point my hand would hurt.
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Exchange 'bubbly' for 'thick and creamy'; just different ways of saying the same thing - 'not ready to shave with'.
My use of bubbly is probably more to do with how making a lather was described when I started than face lathering now.
 
I face lather with soaps, but I like to bowl lather creams. I like to see a tiny blob of cream explode in to masses of lather in the bowl.
I don't see the point in making a soap lather in a bowl myself.
I used only creams for over seven years, having only used soaps this last year, and always bowl lathered.
I find submerging the bowl in really hot water for a few minutes before latherIng keeps the lather nice and warm.
 
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