Mama Bear and the Mystery of the Disappearing Lather

MandoBear

MandoBear

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I'm starting to lose my patience with this soap a little bit - I have the Basil Lime variety. It whips up a good lather without too much trouble, but no matther what I do, the lather just seems to collapse part way through the shave (and it's even worse on the second pass than on the first). Even when the lather's collapsed, I get reasonably good glide fom it (must be the glycerin), but it kind of bugs me that I can't get a durable lather from this stuff. I've tried going drier and going wetter, but it still doesn't want to play. I'm wondering whether it's to do with this specific flavour of Mama Bears, or whether they're all like it?

Give me some Valobra and I could walk around with a "Santa Beard" of lather all day...
 
Sorry, can't help as MB is my Gold Standard (It certainly isn't everyones). I live in West Dumbartonshire, where our water is as soft as it comes through the taps). All I can suggest is an almost dry brush (which is what works for me). Otherwise, I do have to accept that MB just doesn't always hit the spot for everyone. As a purely personal comment, whilst glycerine soaps & soaps with a high glycerine content are kind to my sometimes problematic skin, they have always been a kinda "lighter" and fluffier lather than more conventional soaps.

I'm really tempted to suggest a PM to Prof B as his Formula 31 with a glycerine base shares the "glide" of glycerine with a robust lather, but quite honestly soaps and creams are such a subjective judgement I'd be loathe to suggest what may suit.

JohnnyO. \ :shave
 
Thanks for the replies, chaps. I don't think the water's the problem - it's certainly not particularly hard, being drawn mainly from the River Wye. It's not the liquid chalk you get in much of the south-east. I will try with a dryer brush, though, I have tried that before. I might also try it with some different brushes (knew there was I good reason for them!) as some hold more water (and release it more or less easily) than others.

I'll maybe have to try some of the Prof's Formula 31 - but not for a little while yet - I currently have a few soaps already on the go... :shave
 
quattrojames said:
How did you get on trying the drier brush?
Click to expand...

Not very well... the lather didn't seem to give as good a glide, and it was only a little more persistent. It was almost sticky. Adding a little water improved the glide, but not the lather. I almost wonder whether the particular essential oils in the Basil Lime soap may have an effect.

It's all a question of how much effort I feel I want to put in - given the easy lather I can get from other soaps out there. Life's short - soaps are plentiful. :hungrig

I've taken a break from it for a while - and got out the Valobra "butter pat" - it just lathers without any fussiness or messing. I think one would have to be pathalogically inept not to get a good lather from that stuff. I used my Feather All Stainless for the first time in a while today (with a Nacet Platinum) - I love that razor. If I had to have only one, that would probably be it! I had a really nice, marzipan-scented shave. :shave
 
Load brush for a good 30-40 seconds and facelather for another 2-3 mins at least, adding a tiny bit of water if needed...if that dont work pif it to me :D will be looked after ;)
 
slash said:
Load brush for a good 30-40 seconds and facelather for another 2-3 mins at least, adding a tiny bit of water if needed...if that dont work pif it to me :D will be looked after ;)
Click to expand...

:D I was wondering when you'd chip in!!
 
I've been using a Simpson's Colonel Best - which is a bit of a lather machine - though it can also tend to hog the lather a little because of the density of the hair. I may try it with my 404 mix in a while. I've also a big, floppy silvertip brush which lathers up very well and also releases the lather easily which I may also try.
 
I think I've made a breakthrough... :D

I tried it agian this morning - with my Safetyrazors.co.uk silvertip brush (a great, lofty thing with less density than the Simpson's), and it just lathered this wonderful slick, whippy lather that persisted on my chops for as long as was needed. Used a combination of lathering on the soap, and then face lathering.

Just goes to show why you need to have a few different brushes...*



* Because you need to have a few different soaps...*




* To work best with the different blades you have...*




* Which work best in different razors...*




* Because... Umm... Because... They're nice. :mrgreen:
 
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