In your experience, do certain brushes and/or brush materials work better than others for face lathering? I've only started face lathering in the last few days (trying to keep the relationship spicy!). I have two brushes: a Whipped Dog Synthetic, and a Plisson Synthetic. The Plisson seems to work better, at least for me. I can feel the difference in softness between the two. Thoughts?
I like my WD Silver Tip, it face lathers very well. I do not have any synthetic brushes. I have couple of brushes that I would not wish on my worst enemy......(can we go as far to say ex-wife). I do not know but I would venture to say that may fall in the category YMMV?
I find that they all will face lather. some feel softer. but to make lather to my liking, I have to figure out the water ratio. the different brushes do better with different amounts of water. I did notice that I swirl the bigger softer ones, while I paint more with the stiffer ones.
I'm just the opposite, with my limited experience... My boar face lathers much better than my badger, which does better as a paint brush. I have only face lathered and find the stiffer brush to work better for face lathering...... YMMV?
You have discovered truth - there is no such thing as a "soap" brush or a "cream" brush or a "bowl lathering" brush or a "face lathering" brush, only "personal preference" brushes.
As Steve pointed out it will, in the end be personal preference. I think you can and I have face lathered with all types of brushes. The thing is do you want a soft, easy splaying brush that will tend to get or move lather sloppingly all over the place or a tighter less splaying brush that allows more control of the lather. Many will fit in either category. I have and think the Plisson works fine for face lathering and feels good so there is a happy medium. Also some brushes tend to keep the lather at the tips which I like personally and others allow the lather to flow down to the handle of the brush. I have not tried the WD. Hope that helps.
I prefer horse and synthetic for face lathering creams. Badgers with decent backbone and boars for soaps.
I prefer my #6 horse(?) to all other brushes I've tried so far. I also find I much prefer bowl lathering to face lathering, no matter what hair type I use.
The Plisson is a nice brush for face lathering IMO. Never tried a WD. For me, the only thing that makes a brush not work for face lathering is scratchiness. I like to avoid skin irritation so it's not that a scratchy brush won't whip up a lather that way, it's just that I don't enjoy it. So I guess Steve's right. It's just about preference.
It depends on what you consider 'better' to be... For example, a lot of face latherers love dense, stubby brushes because they load quick and often feel like a scrubby loofah on your skin -- such as Chubbies or 2-bands. On the other hand, there are also some face latherers who prefer the light, plush sensation of a soft, less dense, somewhat floppy brush on on the skin -- such as with a Vulfix or VP Leonhardy. Personally, I'd take the soft, feather-like Leonhardy over the scritchy, scrub of a tightly packed 2-band any day of the week -- and gladly spend an extra 5-8 seconds loading in exchange for that luxurious, angel wing sensation I enjoy so much. But a lot of guys would consider a Leonhardy little more than a floppy mop that pales in the shadow of a back-bone-packed Thater 2-band. Then there are guys who swear by the virtues of a boar brush -- whereas, others don't care for their feel or want to spend a few weeks or months breaking one in. Bottom line: Any brush will work just fine for face lathering. It's really a matter of what your personal preferences and desires are. Once you know that, you'll easily be able to determine which type of brush used with which soaps/creams will give you the combination of feel, effort, and lather properties that best suits your desires. So, I'd say keep doing what you've already started to do -- try different types to see which ones you prefer most.
I'm a face latherer, always have been. Brush type doesn't really matter to me but I grew up shaving with boars and hard soaps so I guess they're what I'm most comfortable with. Which ever one is best will be in the mind of the beholder. A morphed SOC knot, good face latherer. free picture hosting
I don't have any synthetic brushes either. My WD Silver Tip is one of my favorites. I have found that if I change soaps and don't get a good lather, changing brushes has worked for me.
