Why do some guys work the brush hard face lathering and some not at all?

As I indicated, my skin is too sensitive to work the lather on my face. 

Some people say start with just a little water, make a thick paste, and then add water a few drops at a time until it is properly hydrated. I do not do that.

Here is my procedure for most soaps other than creams, croaps, very soft artisan soaps and hard tallow pucks. I will note the differences later. 

I start with 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) of hot water. I pour it into the soap tub and swirl it around for about 10 seconds until the liquid becomes slightly milky. I then pour the bloom water into my shave bowl. (Note: I do not do this with creams or soft croaps, but I do with firmer soaps). I soak my brush, squeeze out excess water and then shake the brush four time to remove as much water as I can, leaving the brush damp, but not wet. Then I load the brush for about 7-10 seconds. 

My lather bowl is the mortar bowl from a mortar and pestle set. The bottom is designed for grinding, so it is somewhat rough. It is an ideal surface for building a lather quickly. I stir the brush vigorously in the bowl until all the larger bubbles are gone. For some of my better soaps, that can occur in 30 seconds. If the soap takes more than 60 seconds to lather, I won't use that soap again. If I load too little soap, the lather may be too thin and I will need a could of more swirls in the tub. More often than not, I will need to add a few drops of water. 

My procedure makes enough soap for about five passes. I do a four pass shave plus do a fifth bonus lather after the shave to condition my skin. If you do not need that much lather, you can reduce the amount of soap and water used.
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With creams, croaps, and soft soaps, I do not bloom the product. I will scoop out about a rounded 1/4 teaspoon of product (about 1.5 grams) and add that either to the bowl or to the brush. Some people say that is about the size of an almond.

Hard tallow pucks do best if you use them every day. I have a large number of soaps in rotation. The pucks dry out between uses, so I am not a fan of hard pucks. When I do use one, I will allow it to bloom for at least 30 minutes and perhaps even overnight.

BTW: I refuse to use Williams Mug Soap as I have found that it takes a minimum of two minutes of lathering time. Some say that it produces a good lather if you work at it, but I refuse to put that much effort into lathering a soap. When I have numerous soaps that will lather in 30 seconds, why would I use a soap that needs two minutes or more of effort?

Some people have found my test for proper lather hydration to be useful. While shaving, I fill my sink up with water and leave the water trickling. If you live in a water restricted area, you can do this with a small bowl or glass to minimize water use. As I shave, I dip my razor gently into the water, no swirling. If the lather sticks to the razor, the lather is too thick and you need to add more water. If the lather immediately releases from the razor and disperses, the lather is too thin. If the lather releases easily from the razor and floats to the surface as a cloud of lather, the hydration is suitable. Some soaps will have a narrow range of hydration; some will have a wider range. Within that range, you may prefer a slightly thinner lather that provides more slickness and less cushion, or a thicker lather that provides less slickness and more cushion. I try to get a good balance of both slickness and cushion.

Thanks Ray. Wow, you have a really detailed method. Thanks for explaining how you vary your procedure depending on the type of shaving cream, soap, puc, etc you use. I think it pretty much boils down to what you said about what you like. More cushion/less slickness or more slickness/less cushion or somewhere in between. Very helpful post.

The only time I face-lather is if it's a stick. I don't find that I need to work it much longer than with bowl lathering, but I usually have a lengthy prep shower beforehand, so maybe that makes a difference.

To reply to the question "Why do some guys work the brush hard face lathering..." - Maybe for them it's more fun that way.
I'm sure a lot of the steps I take in shaving aren't really necessary every night, but I like to stick to the ritual. I'm retired and I shave in the evenings, so I have all the time in the world.

IMHO You can’t use too much soap!

While I agree with Pete that you can't use too much soap I think 100pctFragranceFree would agree with me that Pete doing a video to show us would be better 

I used to dislike Proraso Green and White, but then I discovered that using much more of it helps a lot.
Now I just dislike Proraso White for the scent.
At least 1/4 teaspoon of any croap or soft soap works perfectly for me.

[snip]
Hard tallow pucks do best if you use them every day. I have a large number of soaps in rotation. The pucks dry out between uses, so I am not a fan of hard pucks. When I do use one, I will allow it to bloom for at least 30 minutes and perhaps even overnight.

BTW: I refuse to use Williams Mug Soap as I have found that it takes a minimum of two minutes of lathering time. Some say that it produces a good lather if you work at it, but I refuse to put that much effort into lathering a soap. When I have numerous soaps that will lather in 30 seconds, why would I use a soap that needs two minutes or more of effort?
[snip]

I find that if I use Williams daily, it lathers much easier, as you said with hard pucks.
Since I don't use it daily, I use a "stickified" version of it and half the time I rub it like a crayon all over the inside of my lather bowl and sprinkle a few drops of water on it to bloom while I take my prep shower. When I go at it with the brush, it lathers up rather quickly.

Here's my stickified Tabac, which I made using an empty jumbo glue stick case:
It doesn't hurt to bloom the tip of the stick.

John Rose Thanks. For me, I've found that prep and the amount of soap really makes a difference. Plus, the faster I shave, the more cuts I get. And I think you're right that all that brush work on the face can be kind of fun. (If I have the time.)

I can't build lather by painting alone. I bowl lather which is where I do a bit of scrubbing, then do a small amount of scrubbing when I go to the dome, and paint on the rest.

Another reason for the paint-on method is if you use a pre-shave (I do).  I don't want whatever I applied mixed into my lather.  The lather gets plenty of consistency and base in the scuttle, and I already washed my face in the shower so I don't need a scrub.  Mixing soap into a lather is probably one of the most variable parts of a shaving routine between individuals, and probably one of the most important factors in a successful (or not) shave.  I find shaving dry with a DE is not nearly as comfortable as with an electric! 

Hi Scaramouche,

You know, I have Proraso pre-shave and whenever I use it I get a great base. I guess I never put that together before. Or maybe I'm not always keen on the menthol/Eucalyptus/or whatever its scent. I'll have to try it a few more times. What pre-shave do you use?

I use Proraso as well sometimes - the white pre-shave for sensitive skin - and it works great. Mostly I use Jack Black's Beard Lube, but sometimes Crown Shaving's gel, and I've used a variety of pre-shave oils. None of them would perform well scrubbed into my lather, hence the brush-on technique!

Don’t think about it.
Just do it.

I also thought about for how long I should facelather back in 2011/2012, when I started facelathering.

Now I just do it.
Depending on my mood, the length of my whiskers (1 days growth versus 3 days growth takes a different lather), the type of shaving soap and the type brush I use (badger versus synthetic), I may facelather more or less that day.

Sometimes I just massage my face for longer, because I enjoy it. Other times I’m in a bit of a hurry and will just do the job.

Thanks Scaramouche. I tried your method this morning. The Proraso pre-shave (I have the sensitive formula too), then LaToja (from the tube) just painted on. Worked just fine.

Thanks CH. Yeah, you're right. Don't over-analyze things.