Rinse, Repeat

[Brew]

How does the lather for your first pass compare to the lather on your second or subsequent passes?

I often find that the second pass lather is better than the first. It's almost as if resting for a bit, then getting re-mixed, somehow improves the elasticity, slickness, and cushion. Has anyone else noticed a difference between lathers during the same shave?

 

[Dave in KY]

Mine get better as far as shave properties. Also gets thinner as I rinse and relather thus adding additional water.

 

[The Monkey]

My second pass is thinner but slicker. I don't know i this is because I face lather or not.

 

[Brew]

I should have mentioned that I use a scuttle.

 

[Dave in KY]

Yep, I'm a face latherer unless it's a sample

 

[GearNoir]

Face latherer. First pass is usually a little thick, but second and third are usually perfect because of the slight amount of added water from rinsing and that any unmixed soap from the initial face slather before I start building lather, is now gone.

 

[dkeester]

I am also a bowl latherer and have experienced this. My guess is that the bubble structure of the lather changes as it sits in the bowl during the first pass. My bet is that a portion of the bubbles combine into bigger bubbles and then pop leaving a bit less air in the lather when reapplying for the second pass.

 

[Spider]

Face Latherer. I find that the lather in my brush dries out a little in the time it takes me to shave the first pass, so I have to add a bit of water to bring it back, but other than that my lather is the same from pass to pass. Some soaps don't load as well as others, so sometimes my lather does get a little thinner from one pas to the next, but that doesn't bother me. The thickness of the lather on my face does not affect the shave.