Using them slightly different lately...... The beauty (one of the beauties ) of building lather is that you can make them as "thin" or "thick" as you prefer. Lately, with shave sticks, I have been allowing the lather to stay thick. I rub the stick on the beard quite a bit, leaving a heavy coating. Then I introduce a small amount of hot water, via the brush (much smaller than usual). What you end up with is a VERY thick, rich lather......almost paste-y -> which is more protective than you can get with any normal lather from a cream. I also find that re-latherings for multiple passes are much easier, as the brush is still loaded with this thick/pastey lather. You just swipe it on and proceed with the razor. It works very well, the razor glides and slices through the whiskers as if it were nothing, all the while your skin is very protected. Give it a try
