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

I’m a face lathering kinda guy.
I always use too much soap since I have too much soap!

I soak the brush while I’m in the shower.
Then squeeze out almost all the water.
Brush the tub of soap for 30 to 40 seconds.
That’s a ton of soap!
The brush is too dry and it’s too much soap!

Then I dip the soaped brush in the water shake it ONCE over the sink…and twist it around in the soap tub again.
At least till it’s making a “proto-lather”…
Then paint my face and dip the brush back in the water little by little.
Shake a bit of the water out each time.
Paint my face, add water till it’s good, no…great and shave away.
IMHO You can’t use too much soap!

Try lots of experiments, find a process that works for you!
Above all, have fun with it.

Wow. That sounds like a plan! I'll try it. Proto-lather sounds good!

I’m a face lathering kinda guy.
I always use too much soap since I have too much soap!

I soak the brush while I’m in the shower.
Then squeeze out almost all the water.
Brush the tub of soap for 30 to 40 seconds.
That’s a ton of soap!
The brush is too dry and it’s too much soap!

Then I dip the soaped brush in the water shake it ONCE over the sink…and twist it around in the soap tub again.
At least till it’s making a “proto-lather”…
Then paint my face and dip the brush back in the water little by little.
Shake a bit of the water out each time.
Paint my face, add water till it’s good, no…great and shave away.
IMHO You can’t use too much soap!

Try lots of experiments, find a process that works for you!
Above all, have fun with it.

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 


Yeah, yeah. Agree 100%

I’m lost now, the OP was looking for some brush lathering thoughts.
Who hijacked [font=Roboto, sans-serif][b]100pctFragranceFree”s[/b] thread…?  ?[/font]
I can’t do a video.
I don’t have electricity in the van down by the river.

https://westinghouseoutdoorpower.com/pro...-generator

Over the last year, I spend less time face lathering but not by much. I use to go as long as 3-4 min but as of last year and making the switch to daily shaving, I found I had to lighten up on face lathering. The main change is that I don't face lather much longer than 3 minutes now. I know, not much of a difference but I also started incorporating the water a bit more rapidly to get to the wet stage a bit sooner. During lathering, I do a bit more painting or slapping the lather on rather than doing a lot of circles. I think in the past I had some brush burn from too much of the circles which I find more exfoliating. Hopefully that helps in some way. Do what works for you and do what you enjoy during the shaves.

Yeah, nice post. That helps a lot. Thanks.

I’m lost now, the OP was looking for some brush lathering thoughts.
Who hijacked [font=Roboto, sans-serif][b]100pctFragranceFree”s[/b] thread…?  ?[/font]
I can’t do a video.
I don’t have electricity in the van down by the river.

https://westinghouseoutdoorpower.com/pro...-generator

I have very sensitive skin. If I tried to "work the brush hard face lathering", my face might start bleeding long before any blade touched it. Even if no blood was spilled, my face would be irritated so much by the brush that I would be unable to shave. Thus, I work the brush hard in a bowl to develop a properly hydrated lather and then paint it on my face with as little pressure and movement of the brush as possible.

Thanks Ray. So you do all the hydrating in the bowl, as opposed to once the lather is on your face? I've always heard you should get the lather nice and thick on your face (from a bowl or face lathering) for a base and then add a few drops of water to the brush a few times and work it in to get the lather slick enough to shave. If you hydrate in the bowl, how do you get a nice base?

If you hydrate in the bowl, how do you get a nice base?

I typically do all the "hard work" in the bowl. For me, a nice base means all the tiny bubbles are gone. I get all the hydration I need while the lather is in the bowl. I do not go for a thick base, but looser and well-hydrated without bubbles is what I aim for. To me, hydration and slickness is more important than a thick consistency.

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.

If you hydrate in the bowl, how do you get a nice base?

I typically do all the "hard work" in the bowl. For me, a nice base means all the tiny bubbles are gone. I get all the hydration I need while the lather is in the bowl. I do not go for a thick base, but looser and well-hydrated without bubbles is what I aim for. To me, hydration and slickness is more important than a thick consistency.

Thanks a lot, ewk. I'd actually discovered something similar. I got La Toja shaving cream. It whipped up in the bowl so nice but it was a little looser, but more hydrated, than  the Cella Aloe I'd been using. I thought "this can't be good, not much base" but it shaved wonderfully (and was much faster than working the brush into my face with the Cella). So what you're saying reinforces that that is a good way to go.