SMF

just for the heck of it, the other day i face lathered a cream and was quite impressed with the results. i have always built the lather in my dirty bird scuttle so the lather would be nice and warm. i soaked the brush in hot water, gave it a shake and litely dipped the tips of the brush in the cream. i used about 1/4 to 1/2 of what i usually use. it went on my face warm and was really easy to work into a great lather. i think it was easier to make a good lather in this way than stirring and adding water in the scuttle. so i'm hooked and will use the warm scuttle as a warm resting are for the loaded brush. if you have not tried face lathering a cream i highly recommend it.

I think face lathering works just as well or better than any other method, no matter what cream or soap you are using. The only exception IMO is if you have a face that doesn't get along well with having a brush used on it.

If you have a scuttle big enough to make lather in, it may not be the best size for keeping your brush warm. I don't have a scuttle, but I do have a small but thick-walled coffee mug that holds enough heat to keep the brush a bit warm.

I think I'll give this a shot tomorrow, but I have to ask, do you run the risk of using too much cream? I think I may, by habit, leave a thick layer of cream due to my previous experience with Stephan's cream, which rewards "liberal" application with comfortable shaves.

oh no !!!!

i invision a dirty bird in the selling forum soon

just kidding
marc

gil i think you deserve the smf award for your inventiveness and trying so many ways and things

if my mind worked even a little like yours i would have a constant headache

keep doing what you do

marc

function wrote:I think I'll give this a shot tomorrow, but I have to ask, do you run the risk of using too much cream? I think I may, by habit, leave a thick layer of cream due to my previous experience with Stephan's cream, which rewards "liberal" application with comfortable shaves.

Well, sure, on your first try you may get the amount wrong. I wouldn't really call it a "risk" though; you just notice your mistake and use a more suitable amount the next time. After a couple of tries, you'll know.

function wrote:I think I'll give this a shot tomorrow, but I have to ask, do you run the risk of using too much cream? I think I may, by habit, leave a thick layer of cream due to my previous experience with Stephan's cream, which rewards "liberal" application with comfortable shaves.

rather then hitting the cream in the scuttle with a damp brush leave the brush wetter then you normally would. dip the brush in the cream just to get the center section bristles just a little coated. about 2 mm. i used less cream then i would normally have used. i had enough lather for 3-4 passes

marsos52 wrote:gil i think you deserve the smf award for your inventiveness and trying so many ways and things

if my mind worked even a little like yours i would have a constant headache

keep doing what you do

marc

yeah, remember when i used 2 de's in the razor. i haven't tried it again but it really worked great! i mean it very smooth shave

FWIW, 'face lathering' creams never worked at all well for me and I avoid doing it under any circumstances. If I'm at a hotel that does not provide cereal bowls or similiar I just use the palm of my free hand to work up the lather, a la the old Trumper barber approach.
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon: Do you think it's a matter of brush characteristics (you and I seem to prefer something quite different in a brush), or is it maybe something else that makes the difference?

I avoid direct lathering on the face because of my concerns about skin irritation. All that mechanical action followed by the blade action might be too much for my skin to handle, especially with a four-pass shave. So I use a scuttle with creams and enjoy the warm lather. When traveling, I don't depend on the hotel to provide a container. Instead, I bring along my own, which is an empty shaving cream tub. With a small brush, it works perfectly for mixing lather from a cream.

face lathering is the only way for me, whether cream or soap. I've tried it in a mug and in my hand. But I just can't get used to it. I love the massaging of my brush while building the lather. Its very relaxing and if it feels like its getting a bit dry, I just dip the brush in the hot sink water. I will admit though, after my 3rd and final pass, sometimes my brush is still loadwd with lather. So I can see where you feel like you're using to much cream. But it doesn't happen often, and its really not that much, but as you know a little cream goes a long way. If its the size of an almond we're supposed to use, and you happen to use 1.5 its not that bad, and easy to adjust.

yea i remember the two blade thing ..i actually tried it ..it didnt make things better or worse

i would think for face lathering one would use a brush thats extra soft and with less backbone

those backbones hurt like hell

marc

a non-loaded boar has a lot of drag, my big shavemac absorbed the lather but the polo was perfect for the process

Multiple ++++++s on face lathering.

wendall one think we differ on ..

mug/scuttle lathering is +++++++++=

David, I doubt that it's the brush, as I do use brushes with different characteristics. I just found it much more difficult to consistantly get the texture of lather that I want. Lathering the cream up in a bowl first seems to give me much more pinpoint control over the water/cream ratio and the final consistancy. Years ago, when I first tried soft creams, and was attempting to face lather them, the results were so poor that it sent me back to hard soaps for a year or two ( chuckle ). I can do better today, but I still find bowl lathering first to be preferable.
Regards,
Gordon

it's kinda hard for me to get the right lather in a bowl. i seem to never know what i have till the lather hits the face, and then i ad water if needed. so i'm doing the exact same thing by face lathering the cream. also, what i've noticed is the scent is much more pronounced when the lather hits the face cause the cream is more concentrated

I think you folks are over-conceptualizing the matter. You put a dollop of cream - any cream - in a bowl, mix it up with a wet brush for half a minute, and voilà! You've got a good lather. What could be simpler?

Porter, I agree, and that's pretty much exactly what I do. It's especially easy if both the brush and the cream are ones that one is familiar with.
Regards,
Gordon