When I first got into bowl lathering, I think I may have gotten into a habit of using my badger brush more often with shave creams. Now I face lather 9 out of 10 times, and I no longer follow that convention. It really doesn't matter which brush and which cream or soap I use. Each combination is different, and building a great lather is dependent on my understanding the characteristics of the brush, cream/soap, and bowl/face. I encourage you to try a variety of combinations. The more you do it, the better you will know what works for you. But even then, a new and different product (be it brush, cream, or soap) can require changes to your technique. Experiment and enjoy the journey.
I kind of agree with this. Most associate short handles with face lathering, but I love them for the bowl because my fingers down near the socket keeps it from banging into the sides of the bowl. I also like dense brushes with lots of backbone even in the bowl.
I always lather off the puck and face lather. I may choose a stiffer brush for a hard soap and a softer one for softer soap but not always. Don't have a shave bowl.
I face lather no matter what brush I have, unless of course I decide to lather in my Grandad's mug. Which means the brush has nothing to do with it, but my mood does.
I used to palm lather a lot, which works fine, but came to enjoy face lathering much more. I've only lately tried using a bowl a few times and that works OK too. Still prefer face lathering, no matter what brush. What I did finally figure out is to use the bowl for water in which to dip the tips of the brush for adding water as I build the lather. It's been instrumental in the better lathers I've been making lately.
I mostly face lather. When I need more water, I scoop up some with my off-hand, and drizzle it directly on the brush bristles. No additional bowl needed, and no loss of soap from the brush.
Do you choose to bowl or face lather depending on brush? No. The only exception is when using creams. I use a badger and scuttle.
The only brush I bowl lather with anymore is the Vie Long Horse Hair brush. Too floppy for a comfortable face lather.
I bowl lather with some of my more scratchy brushes, such as boars or cheaper badgers but given the choice, I prefer to face lather, simply because it eliminates a step and speeds up the lathering process. Why build lather in a bowl and then put it to my face when I can face lather and already have one side of my face lathered up?
Because it's my shave, I enjoy it my way. I have no desire to speed up anything when it comes to my shave. If I don't have time to enjoy my shave my way, I don't shave. But that's me.
Mostly face lather but I may start bowl lathering soon. I tend to find my skin gets more irritation from face lathering than if I bowl (in my case atm palm lather.)
I only face lather. At the moment I only have one brush. It’s a Wolf Whiskers with a Timberwolf Bulb knot. It’s super soft and creates and hold plenty of lather for 3 plus passes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As has been said, different brush hairs require different MO for building lather — how and how much water notably, and synths are the odd ones out. As you have found out. I use badgers 99.5% of the time and always face lather, unless when working with a small sample amount. In which case it’s pressed into a bowl and worked up.
