I am new to wet shaving and have been doing it since my wife got me a DE VDH for Christmas. I was using some shave factory soap I bought locally and having good results. My wife did not like the smell, so she picked out some samples from TSD. The problem is that I have a really hard time getting the soap to lather. I did not have this trouble with the shave factory soap, so I thought my technique was good. I like the smells of the soap, but I shave in the morning before work, so the extra time to lather may be a problem. Would a different brush make much of a difference, or is it most likely a technique problem? Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks Steve. I will try your technique tomorrow. I just don't know if I can force myself to stand there and work up a lather for that long. I may just have to go to a cream. I do have several samples to use first, so I guess I will have lots of practice before I decied to switch to a cream. Part of my problem is that I am in the camp of not wasting anything, so extra lather seams like a waste at this point, and anything more than two passes seems excessive (on a work-day, weekends are another story). The first pass today had decent lather, the second was very thin lather, but it still worked good, so it must be some great soap if I can ever figure out how to use it.
I think time spent on the puck is a factor of how hard or soft one's water is. When I visit my folks in Maine my soaps lather up easier (softer water) than they do here in Jersey. Just gotta find what works for you and what you willing to put up with in order to enjoy your shave.
In terms of hardness, TSD original soap is the hardest, TSD Lanolin soap is solid but softer, and TSD Wheat shaving cream is the softest. The softer the product is, the easier it is for your brush to pick up enough product to lather. You have TSD Original soap. Samples aren't available of the other two styles.
I used a little more water and a little more aggression with my brush this morning, and got better results. I have very hard water, so that doesn't help, but technique is going to help. Also, the bowl I use to lather has a smooth bottom, I think this may hinder the lather some. Thanks for all the replies. When I use up all the samples, I think I will go with lanolin or wheat next.
Six of the eight mugs I use for lathering have smooth bottoms. Honestly I don't really notice any difference in creating lather with those mugs and the two with ridges on the bottom. Learn how to use the tools you have before pushing them aside as unworthy. As for the hard water, some folks have used distilled water with good results. Stick with it, you'll find what works.
