I think many of us (especially newer) folks tend to go too lightly with the brush on the soap when loading. I've seen more than a few YouTube vids where the shaver just makes about 2 swirls with his brush tips on the soap and stresses the idea that it only takes a tiny bit of soap to make tons of lather. Steve, I'm glad you pointed out that while you don't mash down hard on the brush and abuse it, you do push down or pump the brush and load it vigorously. It took me a while, but I finally came to the realization that the brush would not be damaged by doing this, and getting some of the harder soaps to load properly was going to require it. Note that these two professional barbers load their brushes and apply the lather with purpose. Note the way each of them hold the brush, and how they work the brush on the face. (oh, and notice that the brush on face time is at least one full minute) So grab hold of that brush and give it good workout. If you aren't already a "brisk brusher", I'll bet you soon will be. Thanks for the excellent post Steve!!
Super review! TSD Lanolin soaps are one of my favorites, JoAnna really nails the sent! Plus they lather by themselves.
JoAnna's soaps lather beautifully. I wet my brush, shake off some excess water and swirl around for 25-30 seconds, then I'm good to go.
I never had any problem lathering The Shave Den soap. Start off with a little water in the brush, load the brush tips with soap, add a ton more water, and continue lathering. I notice that the store is still open. Is The Shave Den soap still being made?