Your also forgetting about soaking the brush. You should leave it soaking for the amount of time it takes you a shower which means you shouldnt be putting it in water that just came off a boil. Do badgers run around in boiling water? nope? Than their hair wasnt meant to either. Try turning your water heater up during the winter. The only thing I miss about living in my 1 bedroom was that I had a water heater in the apt and kept the water at a scolding temperature.
Well they certainly don't just sit there in it! If I were to scold you, I would tell you not to scald yourself I too let my brush sit in water for 5 to 10 minutes before my shave. It seems to do a little bit better in whipping up the lather that way. I've heard people say the brush will retain the lather better in the bristles when it has been soaked, but I haven't noticed that in my own experience. Maybe it's my brush
Natch . . . I hadn't thought of that. Although the tutorial I read ("If it's on teh interwebs it must be true!") actually mentioned that. It recommended soaking brush and mug in off-boil water, and then, because the brush and mug had "stolen" some of the heat from the water, replacing the water with more off-boil water before an insanely long in-the-bowl lathering. (That may've been why he wanted such hot water to start out with: so it'd still be hot when he finally put it on his face.) For the life of me, I can't find that thread again, but it was stickied somewhere on B&B . . .
5-10 minutes?! I'm almost done shaving by the time you finish soaking! I soak my brush about as long as I prep my beard. 5-10 SECONDS. Hold it under water with one hand and squeeze the air bubbles out with the other. When I see no more bubbles it's time to rock 'n roll.
I don't soak my brush either....I just stick it under the hot tap water making sure it's saturated and give a couple shakes to expel the extra H2O and then load it up with soap..... Raise it to the face and lather away...if it gets a bit dry a little hot tap water is added to the bristles......works like a charm
I've only ever used my boar brush, being so new to this world and all, but I find it to be noticeably stiffer if I neglect to soak it before shaving.
Ah ha... good point sehrgut! I have an old boar brush that I have never used that I keep forgetting about. I will have to try it out during my next shave. Thanks!
Although water temperature is important in working up a good lather and delivering a good shave, in my opinion an equally important factor is how soft (or hard) the shave water might be. I'm fortunate to live in an area with relatively soft water, and, assuming that my shave water is "reasonably" warm (as in anywhere from 100° to 110°F [37°-43°C for those of you outside the U.S., Liberia and Myanmar]), my Slant consistently delivers shaves that are cut-free and BBSmooooth. When I travel to places with hard water, I find that my styptic pencil is my best friend.
It's simple, not science: Use water that is comfortable for you. Soaking the brush (just like using a mug) is overrated. It makes absolutely no difference soaking your brush for 5 - 10 seconds versus 5 - 10 minutes. A brush can only hold so much water and the standard method for creating lather calls for shaking out the excess water. Using a bowl is another one of those steps that can be ditched. I like lathering directly on my face. 1. The lather seems to build faster. 2. I can feel when it's ready rather than trying to see when it's ready. 3. Just more time spent lifting your whiskers rather than cleaning a bowl
I fill my shaving bowl with water and put it into the microwave for 2 minutes will I shower. This is more to heat the bowl then the water, I soak my brush for about 10 seconds dump the water and whip up some nice hot lather. The bowl keeps the lather nice and warm for 2+ passes.
My disclaimer is I use shaving soaps. I believe in keeping it simple. In the morning I have a shower. Before I shower I fill my shaving bowl with hot tap water then drown my brush in the shaving bowl. Thus I don't have to fill the sink with hot water. When it comes time to dry myself off from the shower I add about a tablespoon of hot tap water to my shaving soap. After I dry myself off from the shower I empty the shaving bowl then dump the water from my shaving soap into my shaving bowl. Next I whip my brush in the shaving soap for about 15 seconds then spend a couple of minutes developing lather with the shaving bowl. Temperature of the water? I never worry about it. I've shaved with cold water and hot and have never noticed any difference in the final shave. Yes I do prefer hot water over cold water but both get the job done.
Two minutes on my microwave is more than enough to make the water boil, so I use ir for 1 minutes and 10 seconds. This makes the water near from boiling. By the end of the second pass, the lather is still warm. That's a nice feeling.
Truly Natural Actually, it is. There is a tremendous amount of fine motor control skills and mental use that is needed when shaving. What is not complicated is letting the hair grow naturally.:happy013
