I'm building the arsenal, and sourced a nice brush, proraso cream, and razor. But... having difficulty with lathering. The guy at AoS instructed me to apply a dollop of shaving cream to the inner area of the wet brush and begin rubbing face in circular motions. It takes a good 30 seconds or so before I hear the sound that immediately precedes the lather and the nice blume of the brush. By then, though, most of the moisture from the brush has dripped down my face and the cream is more of a paste. Then, the part of my face that has been sitting the longest with the layer of cream starts to dry and the shaving cream begins to dissipate and doesn't offer any protection. I like the idea of starting the lather on my face, because it seems to soften my hair. But... I get the above (probably user error?), poor results. Another method I've seen on YouTube is creating the lather in a bowl. One thing I notice is when the lather starts to develop, the brush looses it's backbone or stiffness... and just plumes really big and feels like a giant cotton ball. Which is the more effective method? Generally speaking? Am I doing something wrong? The brush is a WSP Silvertip High Mountain something or another. It was $100 on Amazon and seemed to be very well liked. Thanks, all!!
IMO face and bowl lathering are equally effective. One thing you can try if your lather is drying out is just dip the tips in water and start working it on your face again; you also may not be using enough water; I leave mine somewhat wet and start with slow circles so the water goes into the lather and doesn't shoot all off my brush around the bathroom, once it starts to build then I get more vigorous. Practice makes perfect
Both and yes. Start varying your technique to find what works for you. Start with a wetter brush, then try starting with a very dry brush and adding water to the brush tips a little at a time. Also try varying the amount of pressure of the brush against your face, very little pressure, using just the tips can be very effective. Using too much pressure can cause the brush to splay. You can also try spreading some cream on you face rather than putting it on the brush. Try using a bowl, also varying and experimenting with your technique. You'll learn from it and find which method you prefer.
Drew4392, Proraso is a thirsty soap (it likes more water) its a very easy soap to lather once you keep adding water. I load the brush heavy with a damp brush and then keep dipping the tips of the brush in the mug I soaked the brush in and keep swirling the brush on my face until the lather is right. If you keep adding water it WILL begin to come around, I promise.
Drew4392 I have to agree with Neolithium, I switched back to wet shaving and I try to do the same as Neolithium does. You didn't say what kind of Shaving Soap or Cream that you are using. Also are you using any kind of preshave product ?
Yes he did at least one he is using. "I'm building the arsenal, and sourced a nice brush, proraso cream"
I like to put a couple dabs of Proraso on my face and then build the lather with a wet (but not dripping wet) brush. Then I keep dipping the brush tips in water and working the lather until it's nice and slippery. You can sort of feel when you get the right amount of water because the brush will feel like it's gliding along rather than dragging. I also think it's better to start with less cream than you might think you need. It's easy to add some more cream if you don't have enough lather but if you start with too much it can be tough to get enough water in it.
I'm a soap guy but I do have a tube of C.O. Bigelow (Proraso) cream in the den. When I use it a 3/4 inch strip of cream right on the brush will give tons of lather! You could get maybe 5 passes with that. Proraso will always have a place in the den. Heck its been around for a very long time! They must be doing something right. And everyone who starts wet shaving usually begins with something prom Proraso.
Maybe he's starting to add too much water in the beginning. I found Proraso red tube gives a very airy unstable lather if my brush is too wet. If I slowly add water it will give a very nice thick lather.
That's exactly why with all my soaps I start with a soaked brush that I shake most of the water out. Just enough to get it well loaded but dry and then dip the tips until it's right. You are correct if its too wet it gets real bubbly and not good for much. He has a great cream and works well for everyone new, you just have to get the water figured out and bang your in business. Drew it does sound like too much water in the beginning, sorry I missed that lather/water running down you neck (thanks fram773 for pointing that out.) Usually newbie's using Proraso are making lather with too little water. My above post about loading then adding water will help that not happen. You can always add water but too much right at the start and your going to have to start all over. I think if you try the way I usually work soaps and face lather your have better luck. Proraso was the first soap I used when I began as well. I'm sure once you get the hang of it you'll love Proraso. BTW the new formula is way slicker than the old version which really helps the razor slide across your face. Let us know how it's going! Remember were all here to help, and we were all new to wet shaving at one time. Hang in there.
Experiment. The hardness of your water matters a lot. How heavy a hand you have matters a lot. Try bowl and face, see what you like more. I like to use an absolutely soaking brush, I don't shake any water out. Try different things and if something works, do more of that. Eventually, you'll get the lather you want, and then you'll have found your method.
If you have hard water, in your area, how do you soften it? (besides spending a lot of money on a water softening system) Also can the water temp. be taken into affect of your lather?
You're getting lots of great advice from everyone that's posted previously. I'm going to say that a more scientific approach might be better for you to begin with. A bowl might just make that a bit easier for you to start off. It never hurts to try something new or different. I think we always discover new techniques and products that we like. That WSP Silvertip Brush is a nice one. I have a brush with a WSP Silvertip knot and I love it. And, yes it does puff up a bit when it gets full with lather. It will also "bloom" a bit as it breaks in...
If you are just beginning, I would seriously consider using a bowl and doing some test lathers so you can get familiar with your brush. It takes a bit of trial and error to learn how much water to leave in the brush to start with. You'll know it right away when you've got the "mix" right. Mantic has a very good guide to making lather in the bowl. (or large cup actually) Let us know how you are doing, and !!
I don't. I used to throw a tablespoon of baking soda in the sink, which worked, but was cumbersome. I also shaved with distilled water in a coffee mug for a while. That worked too, but again, cumbersome. Water here is very hard in the winter and just kind of ordinary hard in the summer. So in the winter, I've found that if I use more soap, and use a sopping wet brush, I get pretty good results.
Lots of good info. I lean more towards face lathering. You can take a day and try several different techniques back to back. No need to wait for another day.
Wow, thanks everyone for the great advice! Helpful pointers. I may not be using enough water. Stroke pressure. Etc. I'll start with a really wet brush and see how it goes. I think everyone is touching on the same theme... try different methods and see which is best. Now I know what these other methods are, and can't wait to try them out. I'll nail it... eventually!
I dunno how I do it. I just dip my brush in the hot water, and mush it around in the shaving cup a few times, then scrub it all over my face, and it just makes lather. I don't know the specifics. Probably some soaps are better than others for shaving. I make my own glycerine shaving soap. It foams really nice, and the Bentonite clay I add gives it a nice slick feeling, and the razor just glides everywhere. As for store-bought soap, the best I ever used was Col. Conk, but it is pricey. If I have to buy it, I usually get Burma Shave cakes.
For me, building lather has never been an issue with any soap. However, I like the consistancy of the face lather. I soak my badger while I shower, shake it out and swirl until it is thick and allmost hard in the mug. Once scrubbed into my wet face I get a crazy thick , rich lather. When I bowl or scuttle lather its allmost like it sits on top of my face instead of penetrating the hair. I do both but my favorite way is to soak brush, face lather. Soak brush between passes in hot water, shake off water and some of the watered down lather(not all, the brush will be sloppy) re swirl and lather again. this way each lather is nice and hot. You get the hot lather without a scuttle and the nice thick heavy cream of a face lather.
