As long as you have a smooth comfortable shave,with no post shave irritation then you are OK.I like to have just enough to shave with, so the handle of brush/razor does not get slippy.I've got to improve my technique. The mounds of lather I seen in SOTD photos makes my efforts look futile. I get enough for a nice shave, usually, but nothing compared to the lathermeisters.
soap vs cream
- Thread starter phil-b
- Start Date
- Messages
- 1,860
- Location
- St Leonards, Dorset
You're underestimating capitalism.
I
Please can you elaborate on what you do differently to the video to get a lather that works better for you
- Messages
- 1,860
- Location
- St Leonards, Dorset
- Messages
- 1,538
simple differences..
1. never ever soak a brush in the sink. god that's awful. just think of why you wash your hands in the sink after you give the commode a workout. Even though it hits soapy water, I HOPE, you still leave a lot of unpleasant germs in the sink. And soaking the brush in warm water creates the ultimate condition for growing germs... get those germs on your face and get a few nicks.... instant access to blood stream.
2. Constantly apologizing to people for using a cereal bowl instead of a "real shaving persons scuttle or bowl". Claiming that hes doing that so its not off putting to new people who don't have a genuine labeled scuttle or shaving bowl.
Minute I stopped using a bowl for lather creation, shaving went from "slightly worth doing as a way of saving money" to being "let us stand in the shave aisle at the big stores and convert the heathens from their carts and electrics"
3. his lather thickness is woefully wrong for me. Going for a specific appearance is bad. If you don't know the "right appearance" by seeing it in person your wasting time. And ive found my way of lathering varies only slightly between soaps.
1. never ever soak a brush in the sink. god that's awful. just think of why you wash your hands in the sink after you give the commode a workout. Even though it hits soapy water, I HOPE, you still leave a lot of unpleasant germs in the sink. And soaking the brush in warm water creates the ultimate condition for growing germs... get those germs on your face and get a few nicks.... instant access to blood stream.
2. Constantly apologizing to people for using a cereal bowl instead of a "real shaving persons scuttle or bowl". Claiming that hes doing that so its not off putting to new people who don't have a genuine labeled scuttle or shaving bowl.
Minute I stopped using a bowl for lather creation, shaving went from "slightly worth doing as a way of saving money" to being "let us stand in the shave aisle at the big stores and convert the heathens from their carts and electrics"
3. his lather thickness is woefully wrong for me. Going for a specific appearance is bad. If you don't know the "right appearance" by seeing it in person your wasting time. And ive found my way of lathering varies only slightly between soaps.
OK, so don't soak brush, don't use a bowl.
The next bit I'm sorry for sounding thick but as I've never tried to make a lather yet, it's videos I'm watching to help me get it right. The thickness in this video is wrong according to you, but you didn't say how, what does yours look like, thicker thinner?
The next bit I'm sorry for sounding thick but as I've never tried to make a lather yet, it's videos I'm watching to help me get it right. The thickness in this video is wrong according to you, but you didn't say how, what does yours look like, thicker thinner?
I think you may find that the use of A/S and balms was not all common in the 50/60s, in fact A/S application was probably used only at weekends. More recently the use of such Items has been
promoted by the cosmetic industry, and become a major industry.
These days I use A/S after each shave, but I could quite easily not bother , as I am sure many others could do too.
- Messages
- 1,538
Sorry if you thought im against soaking a brush, always soak a brush. I am against the use of unhygienic practices. Tossing your brush in the sink full of water is SLIGHTLY more hygienic then just tossing it in the toilet bowl.
I use a 1 cup plastic measuring cup with handle. I get the same amount of water each time, I can see how the brush is hydrating. And I have a constant source of water that's the same temp as the brush.. makes for easier extra water.
as for my lather, im a face lather man hands down. Have been playing with a plastic candy container to see if I can get taylors avocado to do better, all ive manage is to reduce the "acid burn" I get from that cream.
The lather I like is "thin". the closest lather I have seen compared to mine was in a kick starter video, EITHER Oristo or Option 5. I didn't write it down so id have to recheck.
I feel I use a lot of raw soap to load my brush at the get go, but I have used a single tub of cella for a combined 5 months in the last year and I do not think I have used more then a table spoon of actual Cella from the tub. At the current rate of usage, I can expect perhaps another 15 months of daily use.
- Messages
- 1,860
- Location
- St Leonards, Dorset
Poor @finnegan! First @Bezoar tells you one thing, and the second post he nearly takes it back. His second post has merit. You want to soak your brush so it gets warm and collects a bit of water. Different type brushes (i.e. boar, badger, horse, synth) retain water much differently from one another. You're just going to have to watch a few hundred youtube videos until you're ready to climb the walls; then experiment. Ask your forum brothers for specific answers to specific questions. If you ask 'What's the best brush?', you're going to get 4,328 different answers.
Start with a nice cream (they're all pretty much okay) and learn how to lather. I would recommend bowl lathering, but youtube has half-naked, hairy-backed guys hand lathering, too. Get a grip on the philosophy of wet shaving and then dive in. Bezoar didn't mention that you also don't want to soak your brush in hot water because it can have detrimental effects on the glue that holds the knot together.
Have fun with this, and don't be surprised if you find yourself completely befuddled by Bezoar's posts. We all are.
Start with a nice cream (they're all pretty much okay) and learn how to lather. I would recommend bowl lathering, but youtube has half-naked, hairy-backed guys hand lathering, too. Get a grip on the philosophy of wet shaving and then dive in. Bezoar didn't mention that you also don't want to soak your brush in hot water because it can have detrimental effects on the glue that holds the knot together.
Have fun with this, and don't be surprised if you find yourself completely befuddled by Bezoar's posts. We all are.
- Messages
- 2,369
- Location
- Silly Suffolk
My grandfather, who was a Sopwith pilot in the RFC during the First World War, always used TCP lotion as an aftershave. The mere smell of it now wafts me back 60 years or so, when I used to watch him shave, with a razor I now own.
Smelly stuff was restricted to the various spray hair potions the barber offered at the conclusion of a haircut, and I well-remember getting in trouble for persuading the barber to douse my hair with some oriental smell.
I first started using things like Old Spice in the 60's, and moved on to Penhaligon, Floris 89 and Trumpers Skye when I worked in London at the start of the 70's. If pushed, I'd be quite happy now with Thayers Witch Hazel in some form.
I wouldn't recommend TCP, by the way, as it's pretty rough and pungent stuff. One can also tire of being asked several times daily, if it had been a nasty wound or cut.
Edit It has just occurred to me that not everyone may be familiar with TCP. It's a liquid antiseptic, details here:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP_(antiseptic)
Last edited:
- Messages
- 1,538
If you would take the time to read the entire first post, I merely stated things I disliked about a shaving video. Then created the SECOND post to correct several bad assumptions from mr Finnegan.
- Messages
- 1,042
- Location
- Kent
@Bezoar . You shouldn't be offering advice to the good folk on this forum if you don't really know what you're talking about. Should you? This year & this month marks 30 years of shaving with a DE razor for me & most of the time, I soak my brush in the sink. Don't you wash your sink that it's so dirty? I think in the past 30 years I've probably nicked myself three times. And that's only because I was rushing. That's the reason for using a good aftershave, it's an antiseptic. Not that you'll ever have to worry about it though. So your 'sink' theory is rubbish. As for you using 'thin' lather even though you've loaded your brush the way you say you do, all I can say is, you're doing something wrong. You must be getting terrible shaves, no protection & probably not enough slickness.
Last edited:
- Messages
- 1,860
- Location
- St Leonards, Dorset
I was trying to compliment your second part of your post. You offered good advice. {Mod Edit - Comment removed}
Last edited by a moderator:
- Messages
- 1,538
To compare how I lather with how you do is wrong, I use a brush you don't have, and water you don't have and don't understand how to lather with. I have facial skin you don't have, and facial hair you don't have. Shaving is not a list of generalities that works with say autmobiles.
Meaning, you can say "the grease or oil used to lubricate two specific moving parts in this model of car must meet these two asme specifications". But you cant for shaving. Sure we can say what works for us, and help nudge people into discovering new tweaks for their shave.
As for your claims of 2 or 3 nicks in 30 years of shaving, a person on shave den or badger and blade once said that:
"a person who claims to never get the random nick or cut from shaving, is either growing a beard or using an electric"
That was from a man who restored straight razors and used straight razors solely for over 20 years.
OP
- Messages
- 309
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
- Thread Starter
- #48
Good bants