I'm in an odd situation... I can't use the typical shave soaps and have two or three sources from which I can obtain my shaving soaps... but I'm decidedly NOT GOOD at making lather. Question for the shaving masses is this: If I were to purchase a dedicated practice shaving brush (middle of the road $6ish) and a cheap bar of soap (like Williams or VDH - $2ish) with the express and sole purpose of creating a stable lather (since I can't use the lather without mass skin damage); Am I Crazy? or Is it a good idea?
Sometimes it's also good to hand lather just to help get the feel of things. Lately I've been lathering that way to check out some new soaps..oh and your not crazy..just a little eccentric..
I don't think it's a bad idea if you want to tinker around with it. Once you get the hang of it you will be able to make a great lather with practically anything. It's just that some products are a little easier than others. I started out with VDH soap and brush. I've since moved on, but I guess you could say that I learned using them.
VDh is an absolute fantastic starter package for around 10.00! Their pink soap absolutely works and doesn't smell bad at all! The boar brush is perfect for a starter, and dammit, if I didn't evolve into spending more $$ on this stupid hobby, I'd STIlL use that VDH set ( I actually still have her- soap, brush, bowl and all). It's almost kinda' sad. But I got it as a backup!
Big T: I haven't been able to successfully make a stable shave lather with the shave soaps I can actually use yet. I need to find a way to figure out what a stable shave lather looks and err... umm... reacts(?) like so I can work towards it with my "good" shave soaps. (NOTE: Stable as defined as: lasts more than 3-5 minutes after fidgeting with it). Further explanation below. Slippery Joe: I started out hand-lathering, but it still didn't help as much as I had hoped. Also, I was caught sniffing my hand every few minutes at work and was told it was disturbing and to please stop. I kinda find it amusing. I did conclude that I like the smell of Sardinian Honey shave soap. STAR: I can't use typical soaps because I'm horribly allergic to coconut, or the common "splits": SLS/SLES, and anything with either sodium-whatever-sulf-anything or coco-insert-chemical-here in the ingredient list. Coconut oil is one of the cheapest, widely available, naturally occurring foaming agents available to soap makers; and rated hypo-allergenic... to all but the 1 in 10,000 that is allergic to it. Unfortunately, I'm one of those 1 in 10,000. I react to coconut the same way most people do with poison ivy - rash, itch, and eventual blistering with extended (or concentrated) exposure. Would you voluntarily use poison ivy soap; either on your overall body or to shave? If I purchase a cheap puck and brush (and latex gloves), it would be an entire puck of cheap soap (and brush, and gloves) meant purely for practice. I couldn't actually shave with any lather created or I would also remove a layer of skin due to the lather and not the razor. I grew up understanding that the "canned crap" was bad (in more than one way for me), but it also means that I haven't actually "felt" foam lather in over 15 or 20 years so I don't know what the proper consistency is. Most of what I make at the moment lasts a very short amount of time and falls quite quickly. I think it's currently a mix of too much water and not enough product. I'm too cheap (frugal, spend-thrift, etc.) to use the good stuff (that I can actually use) that is costly (in time and sticker value and shipping) to figure it out though. I have a few good sources for non-coconut shave soaps, but the quantities I buy in to justify a specialty order cost $5-$10 per puck and an additional $10 in shipping alone... so too pricey for my "blood" to "waste" a puck of what I can use to just practice. NOTE: Don't try to post an hour after bed-time and after too much beer. I reserve the right to edit this when I wake up in the morning (minus the beer, plus coffee.) Thank the heavens for spell-check.
...And whether you're more of a 'whipped cream' or a 'yogurt'-like latherer is a personal preference. Whipped...still light & fluffy with some soft peaks & tiny bubbles evident. about 90 seconds or so or good whipping Yogurt/Gelato/Meringue? Denser & creamier with firm peaks & few visible air bubbles. about 2.5-3 minutes of whipping
Thanks for explaining. There is another new member that is also allergic to coconut products. I'm not sure which shave soaps are coconut oil free but I'm sure there are others here that do know. As for practicing I would recommend VHD soap over Williams. VHD is much easier to lather. Start off with very little water in your brush. Make sure your really load up your brush before you begin to create your lather. As you start making your lather add a very small amount water, less than a teaspoon. Mix and mix and mix for about a minute. If it's not right add a little more water and mix and mix and mix. Keep doing this until it's right. You may want to try creams also. IMO creams are much easier to lather. You can buy the Real Shaving Cream Co. cream at RiteAid for about 5 bucks. It's concentrated and goes a long way. Good luck.
I agree with BigT VDH is easy to lather and of course cheap..Williams is "good" because its cheaper than VDH and harder to lather. So if you can get Williams to lather you can make lather out of pretty much anything... I'm sorry to hear about you being allergic to coconut oil..I'm VERY allergic to poison ivy and I can relate to how you feel...Have you ever tried "Rays of Colorado" goat milk soap? I'm not sure if it has coconut oil in it or not, however Ray is a decent guy to deal with and if you email him, he may be able to make you a puck without coconut oil in it...He sells alot on ebay, I've bought shave soap from him several times with good results each time...I've found his soaps easy to lather, inexpensive($5 a puck) and for me pleasent to use. [EDIT] I just checked his ingredient list and he "DOES" use coconut oil, however I would still email him and see if he can make you some soap without coconut oil in it...On his ebay site he lists all of his shave soap ingredients....
Those definitely ~are~ some yummy looking lathers! Thanks Holy! Star: LOL, yeah. I'd count that - now imagine using a razor on that and that's what I experience with "normal" shave soaps. Little wonder I only shaved every 3-6 months for years! BigT: I am the other new member that is allergic to coconut, I just didn't post for awhile. Thanks for the how to! I definitely am starting with too much water; the brush I'm using stores a lot close to the handle and I wasn't squeezing the excess out of that part. 178-bplatoon: I found a whole VDH kit at R-Aid so I got that. I figure the bowl is re-usable and if I clean the brush well I should be able to use the brush reasonably (or I can try once or twice and see how much residual oil resides in the brush bristles). Since Williams is harder to lather I might still pick up a puck later, my grocery store has it for $2 so not too much more of an investment for long term dividends. Besides if I get Hubby into DE shaving, he can use them later. [Edit]: I am at week 3 of 6 or 7 on a specialty pour with Ron from Stirling Soaps; he's doing both regular bar soaps and shaving pucks for me without his usual coconut products for me. I've also gotten shaving soaps from Mystic Water which smell heavenly and have been attempting to make lather (unsuccessfully as of yet). Prairie Creations also makes shaving soap without coconut products, but I haven't placed an order yet. I'll definitely keep Ray in mind (and on my list) to contact later though! Thanks for the advice all!
I'll try and remember to read over the ingredients in some of my "sensitive" soaps. I know it might be a long shot, but there might be something in my cabinet you could use. I'll let you know if I find anything.
Hi Leie, That is a tough problem being allergic to coconut since coconut oil is one of the common ingredients that increases the lather properties of the shaving soap. However there are other oils that have this property and one does not need to use SLS either. I have run across cases like yours before but mostly with creams. I make some speciality creams for my co-workers that do not do so well with the creams that are on the market. You have to experiment in a case like this until you find the a mixture that functions and also aggreas with you.
Stirling Soaps can be kind of challenging to get a good lather, but once you dial it in, it's THERE. Great lather and slickness. I believe Ron has some recommendations on his site for getting a good lather from his soap. I tend to use more water than I do for many of my others.
