Can't get good lather from soaps

R

random

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14
Hi gents,

Been wanting to switch to soaps from creams so I jumped and bought several (dear me) like D.R.Harris Arlington and Marlborough, Trumpers Rose, Tabac, Cella (soft soap), etc. However I can't get good slick lather from any of them. My procedure: let soap soak with a thin film of hot water on top of it, soak brush for about 3 minutes, squeeze brush, load soap for about 20-30 seconds, then face lather. I get tons of lather, fluffy, it looks right, however it is not sleek, I get no glide from my razor. Maybe my water is too hard for soaps? What could it be?

Any opinions welcome.

Thank you.
 
Hi Random,

Well, whatever the challenge is I'm quite sure that it's not with the makes you've tried. That's a nice bunch of top end samples you've tried with. Which would make me wonder if you've got water so hard that even Henry Cooper in his prime wouldn't have challenged it. Maybe try using bottled water once or twice just to establish if that is where the problem lies ? Failing that I'll leave it to someone who knows more about brushes than I do for their comments on whether a combination of hard water & the brush you're using could be contributing to the difficulty.

Hang in there M8.

JohnnyO. :shave
 
At a guess I'd say your brush isn't picking up the soap.

Have you tried soaking your brush then "painting" hot water on your face for a minute or two to soften your beard and really wet your face.

Then rub the soap over your face - don't go mad (you can use too much!) but a quick single pass all over should do it.

Then quickly (before the soap dries) apply the soaked brush. You'll still need to dip the brush in hot water to add more liquid, but do so little by little as it's easy to over-hyrdate the mix. Also, as you whip up the lather the brush will add water (releasing what it hold just by being soaked) but the soap will also "eat" the water - hence you won't know the true state of the mix until you've whipped it a bit. So don't reach for more water too soon.

Once the desired consistency is obtained start shaving.
 
Random what type of brush are you using? I generally tend now almost overload my brush. When I first started I didn't want to use too much soap. Now I keep loading my brush until lather starts to form on top of the soap. Then I keep going for another 10 seconds or so. I then use a bowl and stir and beat and pump the brush which makes good thick lather.
 
Rev-O said:
At a guess I'd say your brush isn't picking up the soap.
Click to expand...

One way to load your brush well with soap is to turn the soap upside down as you swirl the brush round it. It's on one of Mantic's videos. I know Sir Prize is a fan of this method. I sometimes use it myself. Gravity just gives the soap a helping hand to fill the brush nicely.
 
Thanks for the replies gents.

About the brush: I actually tried all my brushes, and I have a few: Rooney 1/1 and 3/1, Simpsons Tulip 2, EJ medium, Shavemac D01, Kent BK4. As I said, the lather seems good, not dry, not overly wet, not visible air bubbles, however the shave is not so good: dragging, nicks, irritation afterwards. Using creams all is ok. Maybe the stuff that is in soaps doesn't agree with me? What would be the ingredient that differentiates soaps from creams?
 
Water content mainly differentiates soaps and creams. Hard water can make a difference but you should be able to compensate for that.

I would just spend twenty minutes or so practising by hand lathering with one soap like Tabac until you can repeatedly create the lather you desire. Although it can be a bit messy you get to feel the lather transform and you can easily judge slickness by feeling the lather between your fingers tips.
 
Use more water. Load longer. Hardness cannot be a factor since soaps and creams would, in principle, be affected equally, creams basically being soaps with added water... Start with Tabac, it should be the easiest lathering of the bunch.
 
You beat me to it Henk, indeed use more water and I usually soak my brush for anywhere between 5-15 mins I don't keep refilling the mug with hot water or anything I just fill the mug a few times with hot tap water, even if I decide to face lather I still just use the mug to soak the brush but you can use the sink. I leave it soaking while I shower and by the time I faff about and am ready to shave the brush has taken on as much water as it is going to.

Swirling with the soap upside down is also a good tip, unless the soap has not adhered to the bowl yet....

Make a lather when you don't need to shave and just keep loading it till you know it is way too much the then start thinning it down and you will see it go through the sticky thick stage to the perfect shaving mix through to watery crap. I had to do this a few time with DR H and i am in a really soft water area. It is not the water, granted it may affect how you use it but it should not prevent you getting a good lather and shave.
 
Pig Cat said:
Rev-O said:
At a guess I'd say your brush isn't picking up the soap.
Click to expand...

One way to load your brush well with soap is to turn the soap upside down as you swirl the brush round it. It's on one of Mantic's videos. I know Sir Prize is a fan of this method. I sometimes use it myself. Gravity just gives the soap a helping hand to fill the brush nicely.
Click to expand...
Echo that.
Also you have not told us what brush you are using.
My experience has been that soft brushes do not really bring the best out in soap.
 
He did mention his brushes upthread:

random said:
About the brush: I actually tried all my brushes, and I have a few: Rooney 1/1 and 3/1, Simpsons Tulip 2, EJ medium, Shavemac D01, Kent BK4. As I said, the lather seems good, not dry, not overly wet, not visible air bubbles, however the shave is not so good: dragging, nicks, irritation afterwards. Using creams all is ok. Maybe the stuff that is in soaps doesn't agree with me? What would be the ingredient that differentiates soaps from creams?
Click to expand...
 
Proinsias said:
He did mention his brushes upthread:

random said:
About the brush: I actually tried all my brushes, and I have a few: Rooney 1/1 and 3/1, Simpsons Tulip 2, EJ medium, Shavemac D01, Kent BK4. As I said, the lather seems good, not dry, not overly wet, not visible air bubbles, however the shave is not so good: dragging, nicks, irritation afterwards. Using creams all is ok. Maybe the stuff that is in soaps doesn't agree with me? What would be the ingredient that differentiates soaps from creams?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
:oops:
 
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