Lather-maintaining quality for a second and third pass.

[Fido]

I have settled in to a routine of beginning my lather in a bowl/mug, working the cream into the tips of my brush and then face lathering (as opposed to building up a fair amount of lather in the bowl) I get a thickish lather and add water until it is the texture I like to shave with. On the second and third passes I get a falling off in the quality of the lather, more noticeable when I am using a heated scuttle - I expect that. But there is also a fall of in thickness of lather even when I don't use the scuttle. More product at the beginning obviously helps. I have not tried adding more cream for later passes.
How do others seek to ensure a consistent quality of lather for second and subsequent passes?

 

[Millay]

I sometimes put a pea size bit more cream on my brush for the third pass, as I notice the brush is getting empiter by then.

 

[antdad]

If you haven't actually built lather in the brush or in the bowl then as you have discovered you just don't create enough good lather to last.
The TGS method of "building" lather is more about brush preservation rather than achieving a fully hydrated lather so if I was to continue using your hybrid method I would avoid thinning back a thick lather and put the cream in the kernel of the brush rather than just the tips.

 

[Arrowhead]

I'd be tempted to try a little experiment: change nothing except the technique. Build the lather in a bowl (not the scuttle) one day, see how that goes, then do a straight face lather the next day. I wouldn't be surprised if both worked well, confirming what Tony says.

 

[henkverhaar]

Second that. I build my lather in a bowl (the infamous IKEA double-walled bowl...) and I find that my second, third, and fourth (touch up) pass are actually better than my first. Whether that is because I wet my face before lathering and the remaining water thins the lather, I don't build it enough before I start my first pass, or the drying out of the lather in the bowl during my first shaving pass actually improves the lather I don't know, but the effect is there.

Try bowl lathering and see whether that improves things. Also make sure you have enough soap to start with.

Henk