A little background. This is my setup. a) Proraso Shave Cream b) Pure Badger Brush - Knot 20mm Loft 60mm c) Bowl - 5.75" Diameter 1.5" High What I am doing is putting an almond size squeeze of Proraso in the center of the bowl and thoroughly wetting my badger hair brush and whip for about 30-40 seconds until I get a nice lather. But I have to do this for each shaving pass. Is this normal? I have read that people are making enough lather for 4 passes in one go around. (Sorry for the crappy picture).
Me, I would have lather all around the rim of the bowl if I tried it in yours. Maybe try a slightly larger bowl so that you can really get some mixing action in there - or maybe I'm just messier than you.
Nope you're doing everything right. When people say there's enough lather for four passes, they are referring to only needing that one dollop of cream. As you swirl the brush in the bowl, or on your face ( for face lathering) you can continue to build more lather for each pass. The only thing you may need to do is add a bit more water. I face lather most of the time...so I find adding the cream to the brush first...not the bowl...makes lathering easier. But ymmv.
I'll try that tomorrow. I'll get a salad serving bowl I have and total eliminate bowl size as a factor for a test. Thanks.
I agree, when I bowl lather, the lather is constantly climbing out of the bowl. I think Glenns bowl is a bit on the shallow side but if it works for you then who cares what I think. Maybe a picture of your brush and bowl when your lather is made and ready to shave with. To give us an idea on the quantity of lather your getting. I guess it could also have to do with water hardness too. Do you have hard water?
Thanks. I saw a video of a guy hand lathering so I didn't think bowl size would matter when I got the bowl. (PS: I haven't tried manual on my camera yet. I have to do that - open up the aperture)
I have like medium hardness in the water. Wouldn't call it soft but it does take a bit of rinsing to get the soap off. I'll take a picture of my lather and post it tomorrow. I think I'm getting quality lather but am thinking I'm going through the cream faster than I should.
I've never agreed with the "almond" thing, amount varies with different brands and how big/small is an almond? I would use more cream. I dab a dot the size of a nickel into a wet bowl or across the brush. The size of the bowl only matters if you like making a mess or not.
Usually the poorer the grade of hair and the less dense the knot the more cream you'll have to use to get the same amount of lather. Proraso is so inexpensive you can make a bunch of practice lathers without breaking the bank. That bowl looks a little shallow. I use a latte mug.
This morning I did two things differently. 1) Used a bigger bowl so I could really go to town, and 2) Used about an "almond" size and a half. I got enough lather for 3 passes! Thanks guys. PS: Proraso may be cheap but it's expensive compared to my Williams . I haven't really tried any expensive creams yet. Don't have the bug (yet).
I usually use hard soap and a #6 horsehair brush. The bowl I use is the green ceramic bowl(3 1/4" dia, & 2 1/4" deep) that comes in the Van der Hagan shave kit you get in drug or grocery stores. This combo works well for me, I get an easy 3-4 passes of lather. I also tend to rewhip my lather between passes just to freshen it up. However I'm wanting to try one of those "buffalo horn palm lather bowls" like on amazon the're around 3'dia. Was it the dia or the depth you didn't like about your bowl?
It was the depth. Lather was spilling out of the bowl so I stopped whipping. With the bigger bowl I can get more lather without it spilling on to the counter. Second day in a row I have had enough lather for 3 passes in one prep. Have to use about an "almond" and a half of cream. Was using 3 almonds worth in 3 preps so with the bigger bowl I cut my supplies usage in 1/2. Bonus
