I agree. I've added water to hard soap pucks to make them easier to load, and I've loaded from dry pucks. I get lathers to my liking either way. I usually stick with the same soap for awhile...so a dry soap puck on day 1 starts to get fairly hydrated by day 7 regardless. To be honest, I see more variation in the quality and consistency of my lather using a synthetic vs. a natural hair brush. I know it comes down to technique. I still haven't mastered the use of a synthetic brush.
Aaahh. The Blooming Wars. Those were terrible times. The great Generals of @Primotenore leading the bloomers with their perfect creamy lather to battle against General @wchnu and his Dry Puck Brigade of pasty dry lathers. The war took many soap lives, but a true winner has yet to be determined. Some say there are battles that still rage on in the distant Shave Den Hills. They say if you stay quiet and listen carefully you can hear the whispers of, "Blooming is for flowers, bowls are for soup..."
I bloomed my milled soaps for many years. In the past few of years I stopped and I get about the same results. But I don't bowl lather, never did. Maybe blooming works better for bowl latherers by providing a water base infused with soapy goodness? I wonder how many bloomers bowl lather?
I bowl lather and bloom, no problems here either. Maybe it is because we are in different sides of the planet
....it is possible. The gravitational pull could be more on this side of the planet causing the brush to load easier. I think the only way to find out for sure is for me to load my gear up and come for a visit. Is the Cartel's jet up and running?
If you need to bloom a soap you have either the wrong soap for your brush, or the wrong brush for the soap. Or the wrong soap period. It is a daft thing to do. (Imho obv.) It ruins the soap and is a waste. If you really can't load your brush quickly and easily without drowning the puck, go and buy a cream.
Welcome to TSD @BlueShaver! Glad you signed up and have joined the discussion. Don't know if you've lurked and are up to speed, or jumping in fresh. This Blooming topic has been around and around, and bowls versus face lathering, too. The best part about TSD is we eventually agree to disagree if our minds are made up. I do hope the Newbies and Undecided gain wisdom from this back and forth discussion. In the end it's still up to each Shaver to choose the Right Way or however others do it. Tapatalk Spam Tag
Hello I am fairly up to speed on the horrors of blooming soap lol. I watch PaulH on Youtube (great bloke and blog). He too, Blooms his soaps for no good reason and then pours most of it down the sink *facepalm*. I shout at him when he does it! Blooming soaps if for limp wristed fairies who are using mega expensive, super soft badger brushes to load from pucks of trippled milled soap whilst being scared to death of ruining the knot. Use a boar brush for hard pucks. Badgers are for croaps and creams. *ducks back behind the fence*
I've come to much the same realization about economical hard soaps and stiff brushes versus floppy bristles and prehydrated more expensive price per ounce soaps. As long as we maintain a Gentlemanly or Ladylike disposition the debate will continue! If any girly men or manly women should chime in we'll gladly hear their views. The Shave Den is a special place amongst Shave Forums (or Fora if you prefer traditional Latin forms) in that we are accepting of others choices even if it flies in the face of our own personal experience. Some of the afore mentioned or read discussion & disagreement in this very thread is carried over from multiple other threads. Have you perused Bloomers without Borders? You are cordially invited to share your views there too!
Thanks @BigD! I keep throwing them out there. Sometimes they are appreciated. (If you have to explain a joke it's not as funny. Click HERE if the cartoon makes no sense.)
