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

For some reason, face lathering requires slightly more soap than bowl lathering. Maybe it's to compensate for the soap which may be trapped deeper in the knot

For some reason, face lathering requires slightly more soap than bowl lathering. Maybe it's to compensate for the soap which may be trapped deeper in the knot

Makes sense. Thanks.

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.
'
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.

Ray Clem. Your hydration test! I have been doing exactly that for 10 years. On my back of the neck pass [daily I might add], I put my hands in the bowl and gather up the clouds of soap from the previous passes. Good soap result in a slick Emulsion for the money pass. Great stuff I also do a scrape test with my finger tip - checking that most of the lather is moveable. If a significant residue is left, she need more agua!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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.  ...

So . . . only the pre-shave has been in contact with your skin by the time you start with the razor?

Then what is the lather for?

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.  ...

So . . . only the pre-shave has been in contact with your skin by the time you start with the razor?

Then what is the lather for?

A pre-shave, in my experience, is not very satisfactory as an exclusive lubricant for blade shaving (although many use it like that). And I've used a lot - Proraso, Jack Black, GFT, Crown Shaving, Myrsol. CFG, and even a variety of shave oils.  It mainly hydrates your skin and leaves a thin surface lubricating layer. It does not provide the "shock absorber" cushioning effect of lathered soap.  Together, they provide, for me, the ideal skin surface protection and lubrication for removing facial hair.  By the time I apply lather, most of the pre-shave is absorbed except for the thin surface layer (which again is used by many as the base for shaving, sans lather).  I even use an extra dab of gel in my soap for an uber-lather for additional thickness and body.  Obviously some lather gets mixed with the surface lubricating layer as you brush on lather, but it doesn't get mixed into the lather as the scrubbing action of face lathering would. To each his/her own, but over a half-century of shaving and experimenting has resulted in this, very successful technique, for me.  Your. Mileage. May. Vary. 

When I first started wet shaving, I used a shaving cream and lathered in a bowl. After switching to soaps I tried face lathering however all of my lathers were terrible: thin, too much water, bubbles, and so on.

My lather began to improve after watching Kevy Shaves on YouTube and attempting to mimic as much of his technique as possible - he truly understands how to lather.

I use a G4 Synthetic knot, which lets me to both paint and scrub the lather to achieve a dense lather.

I started bowl lathering creams. I was skilled and produced great lathers. But I realized, why does the brush and bowl get all the fun. One of the major points of a brush is to work the lather into/on your whiskers and prep your skin with slick moist cushioning lather.

Once the lather is built in your bowl, just pat it on your face? One doesn't need a brush to apply it at that point. Why not squeeze it out of the brush and pat away?



Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I started bowl lathering creams. I was skilled and produced great lathers. But I realized, why does the brush and bowl get all the fun. One of the major points of a brush is to work the lather into/on your whiskers and prep your skin with slick moist cushioning lather.

Once the lather is built in your bowl, just pat it on your face? One doesn't need a brush to apply it at that point.  Why not squeeze it out of the brush and pat away?



Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Exactly my thoughts! What to do with a brush and a bowl of dense lather - after applying directly from the bowl using the brush it only moved the lather about my face in large blobs!

This was the point at which I decided to skip the bowl and start face lathering.

Hmmmm. Never faced that quandary; simply bowl lather to perfection then massage perfectly dialed in lather onto skin for minimum of 5 minutes adding small dips of water to maintain ideal consistency.

But it critical to adopt the correct paradigm: work the soap using the brush as a tool. That effort to work the soap results in lather being distributed deep into the brush without requiring pressure with resulting splay and fully moisturizes the skin whilst exfoliating. Humbly realizing not sharpest knife in drawer by a long ways, this mindset and logically resulting technique have proven quite effective whether serendipitous or intentioned.

OHmmmm. Never faced that quandary; simply bowl lather to perfection then massage perfectly dialed in lather onto skin for minimum of 5 minutes adding small dips of water to maintain ideal consistency.

But it critical to adopt the correct paradigm: work the soap using the brush as a tool. That effort to work the soap results in lather being distributed deep into the brush without requiring pressure with resulting splay and fully moisturizes the skin whilst exfoliating. Humbly realizing not sharpest knife in drawer by a long ways, this mindset and logically resulting technique have proven quite effective whether serendipitous or intentioned.

Roger that Danny. So you are spending time with the brush on the face?

Have a good weekend man

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk