Bath House Spanish Fig and Nutmeg shaving soap
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- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:50 am
- Location: Boston
Bath House Spanish Fig and Nutmeg shaving soap
I picked up a thing of spanish fig and nutmeg shaving soap from Bath House a little while back. I've only had miserable shaves with it. I swear I can get a better shave with just hot water than with this crap.
Has anybody had better luck? I try to work up a lather with it - but all I get is this thin lacy foam that is full of air and not much else. I'm about ready to toss it - but I figured I'd check with the experts before doing anything rash!
Thanks!
-Michael
Has anybody had better luck? I try to work up a lather with it - but all I get is this thin lacy foam that is full of air and not much else. I'm about ready to toss it - but I figured I'd check with the experts before doing anything rash!
Thanks!
-Michael
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- Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:47 am
- Location: Macomb, MI
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- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:50 am
- Location: Boston
Interesting. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I typically soak my brush in hot water, shake it out, then swirl it around on top of the soap for a while, then bring it to my bowl and try to work up a lather in my bowl, while adding water as needed. Does any of that sound wrong?Janus wrote:I'm no expert but I get thick, creamy lather from this soap, no problems at all. My favorite vegetable based shaving soap.
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- Posts: 150
- Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:47 am
- Location: Macomb, MI
I've only recently "discovered" (even though many guys have suggested it) that I should be (am now) using distilled water because my tap water is too hard. The distilled water has made all of my soaps and creams come to life with more lather than I ever had before. I have not tried the Spanish Fig and Nutmeg soap even though I've seen it on somebody's internet store for sale.
Gary
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
That's what I do, except I build lather on my face, not in the bowl. I shouldn't think the bowl is the culprit here, however. I think it's more likely that you simply don't have enough soap loaded on the brush. Could also be your water, I suppose, but then you should have problems with other soaps as well. Be that as it may, if it doesn't work for you after you've given it a fair chance then it doesn't. Time to move on. Life's too short for miserable shaves.uoficowboy wrote:Interesting. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I typically soak my brush in hot water, shake it out, then swirl it around on top of the soap for a while, then bring it to my bowl and try to work up a lather in my bowl, while adding water as needed. Does any of that sound wrong?Janus wrote:I'm no expert but I get thick, creamy lather from this soap, no problems at all. My favorite vegetable based shaving soap.
Janus
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- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:50 am
- Location: Boston
I use the bowl with my shaving creams though - no problems there.Janus wrote:That's what I do, except I build lather on my face, not in the bowl. I shouldn't think the bowl is the culprit here, however. I think it's more likely that you simply don't have enough soap loaded on the brush. Could also be your water, I suppose, but then you should have problems with other soaps as well. Be that as it may, if it doesn't work for you after you've given it a fair chance then it doesn't. Time to move on. Life's too short for miserable shaves.uoficowboy wrote:Interesting. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I typically soak my brush in hot water, shake it out, then swirl it around on top of the soap for a while, then bring it to my bowl and try to work up a lather in my bowl, while adding water as needed. Does any of that sound wrong?Janus wrote:I'm no expert but I get thick, creamy lather from this soap, no problems at all. My favorite vegetable based shaving soap.
What's a good source for distilled water? Bottled water?
I got mine at the grocery store for right around a dollar a gallon.uoficowboy wrote:What's a good source for distilled water? Bottled water?
Gary
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
Hi uoficowboy -
Distilled water is "bottled," but it is not the same thing as bottled drinking water, which often has minerals added for flavor. People buy distilled water to use in steam irons and such. It is labeled "distilled" on the bottle.
I lather in a bowl and I start out with gentle swirling, to form a tight lather structure. Later in the process, I add compression strokes to expand the lather more, while swirling helps to smooth it. If your brushwork is too vigorous, especially early on, you will over-aerate the lather. You want to avoid sudsing in the early stages of building lather.
Some soaps aerate more readily than others. Cella soft soap, for example, aerates more than Art of Shaving soap does.
Boar brushes aerate less than badger brushes do. I can get a good lather from Cella with a badger brush, but I find it easier to get the lather I want from this soap with a boar brush.
Regardless of what kind of brush you are using, you might need to use a gentler action to build your lather, especially at the start. Soaps are more persnickety in this regard than creams are.
- Murray
Distilled water is "bottled," but it is not the same thing as bottled drinking water, which often has minerals added for flavor. People buy distilled water to use in steam irons and such. It is labeled "distilled" on the bottle.
I lather in a bowl and I start out with gentle swirling, to form a tight lather structure. Later in the process, I add compression strokes to expand the lather more, while swirling helps to smooth it. If your brushwork is too vigorous, especially early on, you will over-aerate the lather. You want to avoid sudsing in the early stages of building lather.
Some soaps aerate more readily than others. Cella soft soap, for example, aerates more than Art of Shaving soap does.
Boar brushes aerate less than badger brushes do. I can get a good lather from Cella with a badger brush, but I find it easier to get the lather I want from this soap with a boar brush.
Regardless of what kind of brush you are using, you might need to use a gentler action to build your lather, especially at the start. Soaps are more persnickety in this regard than creams are.
- Murray
Re:
I've been face lathering for over a decade and just getting into bowl lathering and I appreciate your advice.CMur12 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2010 2:02 pm Hi uoficowboy -
Distilled water is "bottled," but it is not the same thing as bottled drinking water, which often has minerals added for flavor. People buy distilled water to use in steam irons and such. It is labeled "distilled" on the bottle.
I lather in a bowl and I start out with gentle swirling, to form a tight lather structure. Later in the process, I add compression strokes to expand the lather more, while swirling helps to smooth it. If your brushwork is too vigorous, especially early on, you will over-aerate the lather. You want to avoid sudsing in the early stages of building lather.
Some soaps aerate more readily than others. Cella soft soap, for example, aerates more than Art of Shaving soap does.
Boar brushes aerate less than badger brushes do. I can get a good lather from Cella with a badger brush, but I find it easier to get the lather I want from this soap with a boar brush.
Regardless of what kind of brush you are using, you might need to use a gentler action to build your lather, especially at the start. Soaps are more persnickety in this regard than creams are.
- Murray
I am finding the lather is very airy even though I wouldn't expect it to be!
I'll give your suggestions a go and see how I do.
(I know this is an old thread but I was searching bath house)
Re: Bath House Spanish Fig and Nutmeg shaving soap
Interesting to see what I had to say ten years ago, nav!
Nowadays, I have simplified the process by just lathering on top of the cake of soap.
- Murray
Nowadays, I have simplified the process by just lathering on top of the cake of soap.
- Murray