Not THAT new, but I have two dumb questions

I'm over a year into wet shaving. I found some products that work so well for me and I haven't done much experimenting. Here are two dumb questions. I am hoping that your answers will guide me on the right path as I try more and more ways to make my shaves consistently great.


Shave sticks - Simply, how do these work? Apply to the face and then face lather with a brush? Are they often usable without a brush? I see that Mike's Natural Soaps (my daily go-to tin) makes sticks. I'm thinking of leaving a brush behind for travel. Or not.

Bowl/Mug - I am usually lathering right there in Mike's tin. If I am am using something else (Williams Shave Soap or C.O. Bigelow cream are my other options right now), I will just use a coffee cup. Not with coffee in it.

Stylishness aside, would there be a benefit to getting a real shave bowl or mug?

 

Shave Sticks - I'm a pretty dedicated face latherer and shave sticks are meant for that very thing. Wet face & the stick and apply to your face. Then whip up the lather with a brush. I'm a huge fan of the Palmolive shave stick. Super inexpensive and still manages to be one of the best shave soaps you can buy. A lot of people like Arko shave sticks for the same reason (but beware, Arko has a VERY strong lemon scent. I like it, but SWMBO hates it.). Palmolive by contrast has a mild soapy scent.

Once I started face lathering, I never looked back to bowl lathering. I used to have the fancy G5 scuttle from Georgetown Pottery and it was very pretty, but I found that I prefer to go directly to the face. If you're happy using a plain old coffee mug, then you probably don't need to change it up. A larger, dedicated shave bowl might give you the advantage of having a wider circumference to work up lather in.

 

Though admittedly, lathering in a mug does have a certain tactile appeal to it, the bowl seems to offer a bit more running room...

 

P.160 basically said it all..... If your happy with your shave there is no need to change anything other than for curiousity. Beware though trying new things while "FUN" can be addictive and costly....I was totaly happy with Astra SP blades at $8-$10 a hundred, but just had to try Polsilver Super Iridiums at $35 a hundred, now I "really" like to shave with SI's , but "really" HATE buying them So if your "HAPPY" be cautious about experimenting.....

 

On advantage to building your lather in a separate bowl instead of in the tin/directly on the soap is that your soap will last much longer. It may not be a big deal with a hard triple-milled soap, but Mike's Naturals & other handmade soaps are softer and will be used up pretty quickly if you build your lather in the tin.

Any bowl or mug you have in the house will work as a lather bowl. Many people use a soup or cereal bowl. Plastic sala dishes & food storage containers are also popular and can be found for a couple of dollars at big box stores. I use either a plastic or stainless steel bowl b/c I'm clutzy.

For travel, if you don't want to take a brush, you should use a "brushless shaving cream" (or even travel size canned foam).

 

A stick won't work without the brush.

 

And by the way, Mikes shave sticks are fantastic! Try the Peppermint & Rosemary! Smells so good, with just the right amount of tingle -you can skip that second cup of coffee.

 

Enablement, thy name is jeraldgordon.

(Seriously, it is an uplifting, yummy scent!)

 

Looks like I know what I'm buying online today!

 

Anything Mike's is fantastic! You just cant go wrong with anything he makes. I have liked everything I have smelled. Though I haven't smelled all of them...yet. Oh I used to use a bowl for lathering when I started then switched to face lathering and won't go back.

 

If you want to shave without a brush, Nancy boy signature shave cream I very good, it can be used with a brush, but the layher seems too thick to me if I do, so I keep it brushless, it give a very slick shave and nice scent.
When I travel I take a Palmolive shave stick with me and brush.

 

I sometimes face lather, but I usually use a bowl. It gives you more room to whip up a lather. The other reason is once I had brushes with pretty decals, and Semogue brushes with a painted wooden handles, I couldn't stand the sound of that pretty brush banging around in the coffee cup! But here's the thing; I bought some fancy hand made shaving bowls, and they mostly stay on display on the shelf. First thing in the morning I simply can't be trusted with a pretty handmade ceramic bowl with wet hands, in a room completely lined with tile. So behold! the so-ugly-it-has-to-hide-under-the-sink, perfect size, 4 footed, lipped rim, 89 cent plastic Wal-Mart salsa bowl!



Try something like this first, and not only are you only out a buck, but if you don't like it you can still use it for salsa.......

 

I wouldn't call it ugly - actually I find it pretty friggin' awesome!

I'm also in the "try-a-cheap-bowl-first"-fanclub. I found some at the local thriftshop for few cents a piece and one of them is still my daily driver - a small stainless steel bowl. Fits in my palm, never breaks and perfectly sized for good lather. I too have fancy handmade bowls and those too often stays on the shelf.

 

I've come full circle. I started with a Van der Hagan green lather bowl. Over the couple of years I've been "traditional" shaving I've aquired and used a couple of vintage "Old Spice" mugs and a new ceramic mug, an onyx/marble? bowl that my wife has had for over 20 years. I have Kingsley and various vintage wooden bowls for holding shave soap. AD's are a terrible thing...

Anyway after buying all that, almost dropping and breaking the onyx bowl(although I'm not sure what would break first the bowl or tile floor it lands on). Breaking one of the Kingsley wooden bowls(yes they "WILL" break apart if dropped on a tile floor).
I'm back to happily using my little green Van der Hagan lather bowl and small Ziplock lidded containers for soap storage and couldn't be happier. Both work "VERY" well,are cheap, easily replaceable and I believe will last for quite a while. I'm going to give the Kingsley bowls to friends and use the other bowls for display.

Cheaper ain't always better.....But ALOT of the time it is.....

 

You can try using the shave sticks without a brush, generating some lather without a brush, it will work, you just won't get the same level of lather.

I agree with trying the cheap bowl route, there's all kinds of bowls available for very little money, just start looking around for them.

 

I love sticks. I even will use pucks as sticks and just rub them on my face. It is a quick way to get soap on your face. Then, building the lather on your face instead of in a bowl also saves time and helps get the lather worked into your beard better than just wiping on some lather you built in a bowl. I have a few cups that have pucks in them. I will load the brush and then go straight to the face. All of my bowls are used to hold shaving stuff. I don't use them for building lather anymore. In the end, you will decide what you like to do. There is no one correct way. But mine is pretty close to it.... HA!

 

This thread is 10 years old and the most recent post (#16) is spam.

 

Yup. I was reading a few of the posts, and then I saw it was from 2013!

But -- fancy schmancy lathering bowls are like snake oil. You don't need them. I have gravitated toward face lathering, but when I did bowl lather, I bought a cheap, plastic salsa bowl at the supermarket.

 

I have bowls that I bought from Dollar Tree Store under $2 piece and a porcelain bowl from a Thrift Shop for under $3. They all make great lathers. I am not against buying expensive scuttles, bowls and mugs, but other than being ornate pieces of art. I can't see going that route when I get the same quality of lathers for a lot less money.

 

You should have kept quiet, taken pictures, posted them here on the forum, and said they cost $20 - $30 apiece.