Mic drop, Clint- With a soap that will lather (I have had only one in all my time that will not), my experience mirrors yours- enough product with enough hydration will equal lather.
There are a few soap discussions/debates that I usually avoid like the plague. One is tallow vs non tallow (I'll continue to leave this alone) and the other is blooming vs not blooming.
I guess I must be in 'one of those moods' today, so here goes:
I cannot figure out why there is a blooming 'problem'. We have to hydrate soaps or they are unusable. Personally, I rarely ever put water on a puck and let it sit. However, that to me is just one method of the necessary hydration of a soap. I merely choose other ways. Blooming/Soaking/Whatever other term used is just someone's way of starting that necessary hydration process. If someone says blooming is unnecessary, they are technically right, but have really just stated that they prefer other hydration methods. If anyone says they will not ever bloom a soap, then I sincerely hope they never use a cream or a standard soft artisan soap because the hydrating has already been started for them by the manufacturer. Who starts with a completely dry brush? If someone has a wet brush (at all), they are doing it to hydrate the soap. If we rub a shave stick on a face, are we wetting our face first? Hydration. Super lather method? Hydration.
I get great lathers without blooming, but I spend a fair amount of time adding water slowly. It works for me. Others 'bloom' first and therefore have just added water differently. In the end we all get the lather we want, I suppose.
Edit- just read this as I posted- it sounds snarkier than I intended...hope no one takes away my 'polite Canadian' status.
Click to expand...
