What soap/cream did you use today?

Amir (Zingari Man) rose oud
Shave 3 ・ 129 g left

My best lather maker is my left palm. Over the years I tried various lather bowls – some plastic, some metal, some ceramic – but I never came away with an ample and satisfying cream. But there’s something special in my boney old palm that conjures up the finest, thickest emulsion. Part of the success comes from  the size of my hands. They’re tiny. This means that most of the soap remains concentrated in a small area. I use only painter’s strokes, short and slow, so as not to introduce much air into the cream. I dip my brush tips into a warm bowl of water and add it drip by drip to the lather, doing my best to create something that looks like hot sour cream melting into a baked potato.

When I have a suitable lather, I smear it on my face with my left hand, working it deep into the skin. That’s followed by a fresh layer of lather from the brush, and maybe a bit more water.

I used to make lather on my face, and I’d still do that nowadays as I generally favor tradition, except my skin wore out. All the scrubbing and slapping that’s part of a good face lather led to irritation. But I suspect there’s enough callus and bone on my left palm to last a lifetime. Any other palm latherers out there?

Bouki, I palm lathered for the first several years, and eventually did face lathering, which I primarily do still. But when I go back to palm lathering intermittently, I'm always impressed with the improvement in lather quality. I agree with you entirely.

Sir Henry's - Kentucky Rain (tallow)

First usage... Very nice scent, shave and post!

Amir (Zingari Man) rose oud
Shave 4 ・ 129 g left

It looks like Zingari Man adds Shea butter twice, once before the fats are mixed with lye, and then once again after the soap has begun to form. Is this what accounts for the extra-smooth finish? Whatever it is, I’m loving it.

Any oud-heads out there? This soap's scent is nice, but it's certainly not anything like real oud. Or is it? I don't know. I've never smelled the real stuff, though I've had many a snout full of fascinating imitations. Can anyone point me to a source of real oud?
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Brush AP Shave Co. Blue Lagoon (103) ・ Razor Lambda Athena (17) ・ Blade Bic Astor (1)

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