A short survey

To bloom or not to bloom, that is the question.
What soaps do you prefer to bloom?

 

What is blooming a soap?

 

I do it from time to time but quite honestly it doesn't seem to really do much [for me].

 

Nope.

 

I don't bloom my soap. I seem to find it unnecessary and wasteful. Even though a tub of soap seems to last forever anyways. It only takes a few swirls on the puck to make enough lather for 3 passes.

 

Soaking your soap in hot water for several minutes prior to shaving, much like blooming yeast prior to baking with it

 

It's like a Blooming Onion only not as salty or greasy

 

Thanks for the answer. No, I do not bloom my soap. Pretty obvious since I did not know what it was.

 

Exactly.

 

I bloomed my soap when I first started wet shaving, but didn't feel like it made that big of a difference. The brush is brings enough water to the puck

 

some soaps do benefit from a good soaking. Ryan's soak of the MWF to let it 'bloom' makes all the difference in that particular puck.
Supposedly Williams does as well—but I have not put it to the test…yet. I have a vintage puck of the stuff I may let 'bloom.'

 

Back in 09 when I joined the advice was to soak the puck. I take it "bloom" is the term du jour?

 

It may be all in my head, but if I use a natural hair brush, I soak the brush but not the soap. If I use a synthetic brush I soak the soap but not the brush. This seems to help with the ease of loading, but again I may just be fooling myself.

 

I do not soak it.
but I do run hot(tap temp) over it, dump of the excess and leave it extremely wet.
I soak my brush in warm( hot tap).
the duration of these procedures is the length of time it takes to wash my face.
I almost always sprinkle a few more drops of water onto the lather remnants between my second and third pass.
it poofs up what's in the brush a little and makes my third pass a little wetter(slicker).
that's how I do it.

 

Oui, oui! La seule chose constante est le changement!
(the only constant thing is change!)

 

Knot eye...

 

Even though I didn't know it, I do bloom my soap.

 

No. Shave sticks are proof this practice is largely unnecessary.

 

I have always soaked my Williams for 5 to 10 min then I pour off the water and load up the brush with the softened puck and then I face lather. It has always given me more lather than I could use for 3 passes.