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Need some help with creating a good lather

novicewetshaver

novicewetshaver

Sr. Shave Member
I'm pretty new to wetshaving and am trying to get down how to make a good lather. I have been trying to use 1/4 teaspoon of product to about 2 to 3 tsp of water. My lathers come out looking rather foamy and dull and dont really look creamy or a have a nice sheen to them. My skin tends to feel dry tight and dull looking after a shave. I have been using stirling soaps and PAA ck-6. I'm not sure what im doing wrong and any thoughts tips pointers or help would be greattly apreciated. I'm using a captains choice bowl to create my lathers with badger brush. i got the badger brush from elite razor its a 26mm bulb knot high mountain white.
 
Making a good lather is a little like making cream of mushroom soup, you have to add the water slowly, or instead of being nice a creamy, it's just a liquidy mess.
I think at first it's probably easier to load soap directly to the brush as well, rather than scooping some in the bowl, that way you can develop a nice 'photo' lather that you can already tell will become great lather when you get it in the bowl, and gradually add just a tiny bit of water at a time till just right.
 
HMan said:
Making a good lather is a little like making cream of mushroom soup, you have to add the water slowly, or instead of being nice a creamy, it's just a liquidy mess.
I think at first it's probably easier to load soap directly to the brush as well, rather than scooping some in the bowl, that way you can develop a nice 'photo' lather that you can already tell will become great lather when you get it in the bowl, and gradually add just a tiny bit of water at a time till just right.
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how do you know how much lather to add so it doesnt turn foamy but is still well hydrated?
 
It's trail and error, but since you're adding a little bit at a time and mixing it in, you can tell. You might overshoot a few times at first, but that's how you start to develop the sense for where to stop adding and start shaving.
 
I’d not worry about ratios right now. Each soap is different and each person prefers different types of lather builds, so following a formula is near impossible IMO.

Unless you’re using a soap that you know absolutely needs to be bloomed (like if it’s triple-milled perhaps) its better to start with a wet brush (natural hair brushes should be soaked a couple minutes before use; synths just need to be run under the faucet for a couple seconds), shaking out most of the extra water trapped in the bristles, and loading off the puck drier. Slather that on your face (or in your bowl), then add a few drops of water into the brush, then back to the face/bowl to work it into the soap, then more water drops, then back to the face to work it in, etc. until you’ve gotten the lather you’re looking for.

Once you’ve gotten used to a soap, the process won’t take more than a couple minutes at most. I prefer face lathering because it keep my face moist while I’m working up the lather and I know right away where a lather is at instead of having to guess at what I’m looking at in a bowl.
 
Adding onto what Chris said above, I personally find it much easier to dial in a soap through a face lather compared to a bowl lather. YMMV but as long as you're loading a sufficient amount of soap on the brush (which, again, is a bit of trial and error at the beginning) and adding water slowly, a few drops at a time, you'll get the hang of it in no time!
 
Get some soap that you want to learn how to use. For this learning process, I would use your palm or a bowl instead of your face, unless you don't mind rinsing your face many times. Just practice making lathers, rinsing them down the drain and repeating. This is how I learned. By the time you've used up half the cake of soap, you should be pretty good at lathering. You will continue to get better over time. Personally, I like a lather that is almost wet enough that it will sling off the brush as I paint it on my face.
 
Sometimes foamy is not enough water. If it’s foamy but not runny, you got air into it, but not enough water. I’d also say soap is cheap, at least per use. So I’d use more soap so that you know lack of product isn’t the problem.
 
I also use a 1/4 teaspoon (sometimes A little more or less depending on the soap) and mostly bowl lather. I found early on that I am better bowl lathering with a synthetic brush and face lathering with a natural hair brush. Anyway, I always shake out most of the water and build the lather slowly adding drops of water to the brush and working them into the lather. My best lathers start out on the pastey side and develop into creamy as I add water. Each addition of water creates bubbles that i knock down with clockwise, side to side, and counter clockwise brush motions in the bowl. I also use a bowl with texture on the bottom (Piereria bowl or hand hammered Turkish bowl). With Stirling soaps I use the full 1/4 teaspoon and end up adding water about 3-4 times.
 
So, the best thing I learned early on was to switch from bowl lathering to face lathering.
When you bowl lather, you lather until it looks right, which might not be optimal for shaving. When you face lather, you lather until it fells right…. If it feels right, it’s right!

Don’t measure your product, just load with a damp brush for at least 30 seconds. Often times, your issue is not enough product. 30 seconds is enough for just about every product, and some can do with less, but until you can figure that out for yourself, it’s better too have too much, than not enough. Add your water slowly as you lather and it will eventually become optimal!

Check out the member video section. I have several videos, as well as many other members, showing how we make lather. It’s a big help.

Also, welcome to the Cadre! Please take a moment and visit the Newbie & Welcome forum, and introduce yourself!
 
Spider said:
So, the best thing I learned early on was to switch from bowl lathering to face lathering.
When you bowl lather, you lather until it looks right, which might not be optimal for shaving. When you face lather, you lather until it fells right…. If it feels right, it’s right!

Don’t measure your product, just load with a damp brush for at least 30 seconds. Often times, your issue is not enough product. 30 seconds is enough for just about every product, and some can do with less, but until you can figure that out for yourself, it’s better too have too much, than not enough. Add your water slowly as you lather and it will eventually become optimal!

Check out the member video section. I have several videos, as well as many other members, showing how we make lather. It’s a big help.

Also, welcome to the Cadre! Please take a moment and visit the Newbie & Welcome forum, and introduce yourself!
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i think i may be adding too much water. i have noticed that the less water i used the better shave i get. i notice if i use 1/2 teaspoon of product to about 3 to 4 tsp of water i get a good shave. I i add more than about 4 tsp of water to my lather i notice that i dont get a good shave, i get razor burn and my face doesnt feel all that great after the shave.
 
Spider said:
That seems like a ton of water. I go in with a wet, but not soaking brush, and usually only need to add a few drops of water. Maybe 1 tsp total.
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Agree. I have a the thinnest stream of water coming from the sink I can make. Sometimes it’s more like very fast drops. I estimate I might add in 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoon. 2 tops those times I add water to make it slicker once the lather is formed.
 
Spider said:
That seems like a ton of water. I go in with a wet, but not soaking brush, and usually only need to add a few drops of water. Maybe 1 tsp total.
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the reason i was doing it this way is because someone from another forum had told me that 1/4 product to 1tbs water was a good ratio. i can back down the amount of water im putting in. im not face lathering, so this may be the problem as well. i do notice that when i add less water the lather feels a lot better, so both you and nursedave are more than likely correct. i will keep experimenting with the lather im still a rookie when it comes to lather making
 
I'm with @Spider on the face lather, starting with a drier load and adding water on the face for feel. [mando voice] This is the way [/mando voice]

I even setup thinner wetter lather for straights based on face feel. Lather is more an art not a strict science.
 
I am a confirmed bowl latherer. As mentioned above your badger brush will need to soak a bit before you start lathering. I load the brush directly from the puck and dump any excess water from the puck into the bowl. I picked up a trick from another bowl latherer who I hope sees this and chimes in. I squirt water in with a spray bottle. The same one I go after the cats with when they get on the dining room table. This gives you pretty good control to find the optimal water-band of the soap you are using. (They are all different)
 
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