so i just tried making lather for the very first time...used Kiehl's lite flight that was a present while I am waiting for Speick and TOBS to come in the mail...I have seen mixed reviews on the lathering. (btw, definitely noticed that badger smell once wet...ew...but it wasnt't nearly as bad as I was fearing lol) so a few questions: 1) do i soak the ENTIRE brush? You'll see I essentially soaked the top "half" 2) did I use enough product to begin with? I just did about 3-4 painting up and down swipes into the tub 3) more water? way too little water? 4) after I took the brush out of the soaking water i just kinda shook it a few times but left a decent amount of water in the brush? 5) I found myself feeling very delicate with it...nervous to not apply too much pressure. it FEELS delicate so i don't want to like damage or ruin the knot etc. Thanks for any help! I figured I will do another test lather tonight or tomorrow morning and probably shave with it with a sample I have from Art Of Shaving...
I'm not familiar with that product so I'll just talk in generalities. Those big bubbles in your lather usually mean a little too much water or too little product. You might get a decent shave with a thin lather like that though since it should be pretty slick if the product is a good one. I like a little more cushion to go along with the slickness though. If you only did 3-4 swipes on the puck, that's better than I could do. I usually scrub on the puck until there's a sticky bunch of soap on the ends of the brush and then start face lathering. If that product is a cream, you might try using a fingertip sized scoop without dipping the brush in the tub.
Not nearly enough product. Load it like you hate it. My personal opinion regarding Kiehl's: Excellent skin care, crappy shave product. (YMMV) You'll have more success with the Speick and the TOBS. Also, it appears like there is too much water too soon. Create a sticky, gooey base and THEN slowly add water. Good Luck.
+1 regarding what others have already said. Additionally, it could be that you just did not spend enough time and effort building the lather.
OK thanks everyone! I will try again tonight and post pics from the art of shaving sample...got it on too much water....thanks everyone!!
Also, if you are seeing bubbles, you need to whip it more or add more product. The bubbles need to be there but they should be so small that they coalesce into a foam. Buhzillions of pinpoint sized bubbles are what you want, anything larger and you need more whipping. And I'm talking so small you really can't see them. Doesn't look bad for your first lather though.
You don't really have to soak the brush. Just wet it really good and squeeze it then start loading. If the puck is a hard puck, I would load the brush for at least 30 seconds. Face lathering is where it is at. Just wet your face and lather like you mean it. Here is a video I made for my son when I gave him a shaving kit.
All good advice here, and I agree that the lather looks a bit thin - likely the result of a higher water-to-cream (or soap) ratio than is usually desired. It's less a question of too much or little product or water, and more about finding the right balance. Personally, I recommend erring on the side of loading too much product to begin with and adding water little-by-little during your lather by dipping the tips of the brush into water to see how the soap or cream responds. A few tell-tale signs that you've gone to far with water is if you start seeing large bubbles and/or the lather gets runny. You'll get a feel for it after a few lathers. Also, no need to be too delicate with the brush. Obviously don't abuse yourself with it, but getting a good splay (applying enough pressure on the brush to push the knot's hair outward) can help generate lather and prep the skin. Out of curiosity, what brush are you using?
thanks again everyone i'll post 2nd lather pics tonight/tomorrow! it's the omega 636 as my first brush
Don't be afraid to practice making lather. I recommend making lather on your hand, as that will give you a good feel for when you get it right. It should feel super slick when you rub your fingers on your palm.
Pic's are limited to a mamximum size of 1 megabyte. You might consider to cropping or scaling the pic a bit. As for the lather questions: take a peek in Mantic59's unsurpassed youtube channel => *click* <= Tons of info there. And just take it slowly. Practice makes perfect. Do some lathering in your hand in stead of in a bowl. That way you have direct feeling of how your lather builds. (edit: @PLANofMAN beat me to it!)