Face lather with shaving cream

[brothers]

Tonight I decided to do it. Splashed hot water on my face and held a washcloth soaked with hot tap water on my beard for a while, then splashed more water on it. Took out a little butter knife and scooped out some shaving cream and transferred it to the index finger on my right hand. Dabbed it on both cheeks then held my hands under the tap for a second and rubbed the shaving cream all over my face for a few seconds. Rinsed my hands and held the badger brush under the hot tap for more than a few seconds until it appeared to be pretty drenched, then I lathered the shaving cream with the brush. While lathering I held the brush under the tap for a fraction of a second to add water to the process and noticed that if I was just using the painting movement, I wouldn't be able to build a very full lather, so yes, I confess I swirled. Swirled, and am proud to say it. The brush was chosen because it holds a lot of lather and releases it on demand. A bit of a longer loft. Three full abundant passes later, there was plenty of lather still in the brush so I squeezed it out and rubbed it on my face before I rinsed the brush and razor and set them to dry. A complete success.

[ShadowsDad]

I regularly face lather cream. If it's in a tube I just take a snurdle onto my finger and transfer it to my cheeks. Then put the brush to it.

From a tub, much as you did, except I use the finger again to scoop some out.

With a pump (KMF) the pump goes onto my finger and, you guessed it, onto my cheeks. Once or twice I have pumped KMF directly onto the brush.

Yup, it works fine. I've been doing that since the first day I've been using creams. I didn't know that there was any other way, it just seemed like common sense to me. It's in the tube, bottle, tub and needs to get onto my cheek to be face lathered. I just put it there by the most efficient means.

[Sam]

I always have face lathered, except for a few dozen times with a shave bowl floating in the hot pot thing. But I load a pea sized dollop of cream onto the brush, pushing it down into the head a bit,and then swirl away

[marine-mp]

Gary......you "swirled" huh??????? Guess we have to send out the "swirl police". Shame on you!!!!!!!! Always face lathered and pretty much follow the same routine. I've got to admit....I swirl, mash, squirsh and do everything else, oh yah, I do paint toward the end of the lathering swirls to make it look perty!!!!! Happy shaving!!!!Semper-fi Mike

[gsgo]

I used to palm lather most of my creams but now just take it right to lathering on my face after loading by either a few swirls in the tub or a quick squeeze on top of the knot with a prepared brush. I see no difference either way as long as you keep and recognize your ratios of cream and water when applying.

[JRTASTER]

I always have face lathered, except for a few dozen times with a shave bowl floating in the hot pot thing. But I load a pea sized dollop of cream onto the brush, pushing it down into the head a bit,and then swirl away

Pretty much what Sam said, tho I have never built lather in a bowl.
Not likely to begin that now... old dogs and all that. Plus 95+% soap user and always lather soaps on the face.
And Phil, you might drop a dime on me to the swirl police... guilty!

[jww]

Like some other posters to this thread -- I first started with palm lathering (which was fun, but messy), then to a bowl, then straight to the face. Haven't gone back.

[Squire]

Is palm lathering a hold over from childhood playing in the mud?

[wvbias]

Face lathering for me. Never tried it
any other way.

Terry

[Rufus]

Like some other posters to this thread -- I first started with palm lathering (which was fun, but messy), then to a bowl, then straight to the face. Haven't gone back.

In all my many decades of shaving, it's never occurred to me to lather in my palm; seems messy and kinky. From day one I've lathered on my face and quickly dismissed lathering in a bowl as being an unnecessary step. Clearly, this is a case of YMWV.

[brothers]

Like some other posters to this thread -- I first started with palm lathering (which was fun, but messy), then to a bowl, then straight to the face. Haven't gone back.

In all my many decades of shaving, it's never occurred to me to lather in my palm; seems messy and kinky.

I can identify with that. The closest I ever came to that was all of those years I used the canned shaving cream. Squirt it in my hand and put it on my face.

[Squire]

I don't suppose it matters if you place the cream on your face or the brush.

[LookingGlass]

Gary mentioned a badger brush. Gary...what brush are you using? Also, what other brushes are folks using when face lathering with a cream? Anyone using a boar to face lather a cream?

[wvbias]

I've used both a badger and a boar.


Terry

[Squire]

Yes I tried boar many moons ago, badger just works better for me.

[brothers]

Gary mentioned a badger brush. Gary...what brush are you using? Also, what other brushes are folks using when face lathering with a cream? Anyone using a boar to face lather a cream?

I went with my sentimental favorite, the Rooney Finest. The shaving cream was XPEC for the same reason. I know it'll make a fantastic lather given half a chance.

[Ouchmychin]

I am the odd man out. When I use a brush and cream, I squeeze about an inch on top of the cake of soap in my old bowl and rub away both the cream and whatever soap I can pick up in the process. When the brush seems heavily lathered I lather more on my face. Right now am using a Simpson Duke II. It has real backbone and can rub lather into my stubble well. I only follow the finger to face process with brushless creams and no brush. Wet hands, squeeze a couple inches of Cremo cream into a wet palm and wet the other hand. Rub hands togdther to dissolve and spread the heavy cream evenly and rub my face with both hands. To each his own.


























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[ShadowsDad]

I use badgers, boars, synthetics , and one horse to face lather creams. They all work fine. It's not the bow it's the Indian. I've always rejected the premise that some brushes are better with one type of product over another. IMO, it's just an excuse for poor craftsmanship or to sell brushes. Lather is pretty simple when one gets right down to it. Load enough soap (creams are even easier), add some water, introduce fine air bubbles into it, fine tune it as required with air or water, done.

Other than on Sunday or if I'm testing something, I rarely test items any more, my upcoming brush and soap is carved in stone. Whatever brush shows up on any given day with any given soap/cream, well, it just is and it's up to me to make it work. Other than Sunday I don't get the option to pick and choose which hardware gets used with which software.

Other than on Sunday, I'm presently using 4 hard soaps and 2 creams to their demise. To lather them, mostly in order, the rotation has 30 brushes at the moment. All soaps and brushes are used in their turn, so every brush gets it's whack at a cream eventually. Other than the way the brush gets loaded I find no difference at all. YMMV. I have preferences though. When I use the Wee Scot I prefer to use it with a cream, but if it comes up in the rotation with a hard soap it still gets used and does a fantastic job for such a tiny brush. Same for the 'Lil Bambino boar. But those preferences are only brush size related. It's much easier to get enough cream on my face than it is to load a hard soap out of a tub unto a tiny brush.

[Rufust445]

I don't suppose it matters if you place the cream on your face or the brush.

After a number of trials, my travel kit now contains a Bestshave Nr. 7 brush and a tube of ARKO adventure cream.
After thoroughly wetting the brush and giving it a shake, the clumped bristles make a nice pocket in which
to squeeze a snurdle of ARKO cream, or Real Shaving Co. when the ARKO runs out.

I've tried face lathering with Wilkinson Sword, Irisch Moos, and LEA sticks with the same problem:
The soap in concentrated form stays in contact with the skin longer while working up a lather,
and working up a lather from soap on the face takes more strokes of the brush. All of the above
contribute to more irritation on my sensitive skin.

A snurdle of cream in a wet brush with occasional drip addition of water works like a charm for me.

[Ouchmychin]

After posting my bowl/face lathering, I decided to try just putting some Coates cream on my finger and smearing it on my cheeks and neck. What puzzles me is the pea size dollop. I like a rich, thick lather and need about an inch or better an inch and a half to get that. I also switched to a best black Omega brush. It was too floppy for my old technique but it has a large knot and holds a lot of lather. (Also the tips seem a bit scratchy, the brush is floppy because they are not densely packed). If I use too small a dollop I run out of lather before 3 passes and I like to also polish because my technique always leaves a lot of stubble after three passes.