What soap/cream did you use today?

The Shaving Shop Club/A&E - The Novelist - ( Available to the general public )  

No. 88 t. (Czech & Speake) rose, plumeria, vetiver, sandalwood

I thought I knew something about building a lather on my face until I read HoosierShave's step-by-step description of how it's really done. Today I applied his method, and I'm still reeling from the results. By the time I was done, my brush was gushing over with world-class suds that were deeper, richer, wetter, slicker, heavier, and more protective than anything I've pumped out in a long time. And it smelled fantastic. Here's my breakdown:

         00:00–00:45 (45 secs): loaded a 24mm synthetic from a lightly bloomed puck of No. 88
         00:45–01:30 (45 secs): used painter strokes to apply the soap evenly across my face
         01:30–04:30  (3 mins): started adding water from the tap while still using painter strokes [flat, unimpressive lather so far]
         04:30–12:30  (8 mins): switched over to swirling strokes and continued adding small drips from the tap [lather suddenly blossoms]
         13:00–20:00  (7 mins): gave myself two passes with a Feather ASD2 loaded with a Kai blade (6).
         20:00–21:00  (1 min):  splashed down with Barberry Coast Bay Rum Aftershave No. 28.

So what did I learn? 

1. Great lather takes time. I used to think I was done after 5 minutes of brush work. Now I see I need to double that, at least.
   
2. Starting off with painter strokes gets the soap on the skin without adding too much air.
   
3. After the soap is on the skin, adding water for about 3 minutes (still using painter strokes) hydrates the emulsion fully. 
   
4. Swirling strokes need to wait until about 5 minutes into the build. I used to start off with swirls, but now I see that patience yields a finer grained lather that blossoms miraculously.
   
5. After the lather blossoms, 6 more minutes of brush work and hydration are needed to fully build the lather.
   

HoosierShave's posts have been an inspiration, and his careful descriptions have greatly improved my technique. I'm ready to open a new chapter of shaving joy. Many thanks!

You're joking, right?

good lather has no suds

Stirling Boat Drinks

No. 88 t. (Czech & Speake) rose, plumeria, vetiver, sandalwood

I thought I knew something about building a lather on my face until I read HoosierShave's step-by-step description of how it's really done. Today I applied his method, and I'm still reeling from the results. By the time I was done, my brush was gushing over with world-class suds that were deeper, richer, wetter, slicker, heavier, and more protective than anything I've pumped out in a long time. And it smelled fantastic. Here's my breakdown:

         00:00–00:45 (45 secs): loaded a 24mm synthetic from a lightly bloomed puck of No. 88
         00:45–01:30 (45 secs): used painter strokes to apply the soap evenly across my face
         01:30–04:30  (3 mins): started adding water from the tap while still using painter strokes [flat, unimpressive lather so far]
         04:30–12:30  (8 mins): switched over to swirling strokes and continued adding small drips from the tap [lather suddenly blossoms]
         13:00–20:00  (7 mins): gave myself two passes with a Feather ASD2 loaded with a Kai blade (6).
         20:00–21:00  (1 min):  splashed down with Barberry Coast Bay Rum Aftershave No. 28.

So what did I learn? 

1. Great lather takes time. I used to think I was done after 5 minutes of brush work. Now I see I need to double that, at least.
   
2. Starting off with painter strokes gets the soap on the skin without adding too much air.
   
3. After the soap is on the skin, adding water for about 3 minutes (still using painter strokes) hydrates the emulsion fully. 
   
4. Swirling strokes need to wait until about 5 minutes into the build. I used to start off with swirls, but now I see that patience yields a finer grained lather that blossoms miraculously.
   
5. After the lather blossoms, 6 more minutes of brush work and hydration are needed to fully build the lather.
   

HoosierShave's posts have been an inspiration, and his careful descriptions have greatly improved my technique. I'm ready to open a new chapter of shaving joy. Many thanks!

Wow....you, sir, need to be the instructor!  This is a wonderful and detailed account of the process...a far better description than anything I've put out!  And it is spot on...as I read it, I could easily imagine going through the morning shave routine.  

More importantly, I am so glad to hear it was helpful for you.  Your scent-descriptions have helped me tremendously in distinguishing scents and I look forward to reading your posts every morning.  It's nice to know I was able to pay you back, at least little bit

Soap Commander /Honor

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Art of Shaving Sandalwood shaving soap (tallow)

Tried a Murphy & McNeil soap for the first time today and was very impressed with the lather. Are other M&M soaps similar to the bear-tallow?