How much time does it take to make lather.

ladyintheroom · Post by **ladyintheroom** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:15 am

Hi all
Just wondering how long it takes to whip up a bowl of lather.
No guesstimates, please time yourself.
Also what type of brush are you using?
Lastly, would you describe your lathering style as aggressive, moderate, or gentle?
Thanks for the info.
J

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 4:42 am

J, it all depends on what shave cream one is using. Some shave creams are more dense and take more time to whip up a good lather.

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:17 am

ladyintheroom wrote:Hi all
Just wondering how long it takes to whip up a bowl of lather.
No guesstimates, please time yourself.
Also what type of brush are you using?
Lastly, would you describe your lathering style as aggressive, moderate, or gentle?
Thanks for the info.
J

Why? What question or problem are you trying to solve? For me, and I timed myself with a track and field caliber stop watch, it took exactly several moments. It would be hard to rate my 'lathering style' as I work alone and never lathered up amongst other latherers as to compare my 'lathering style.' Maybe, compared to one, I might seem aggressive, while compared to another I may seem gentle. I regret that I may never know this as I have no intention of lathering while in a group.

Maybe if you could express the real problem you are addressing I could offer a more helpful answer.

mparker762 · Post by **mparker762** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:36 am

You are asking for far more precision than is possible, given the lack of information. When would you consider a lather "done"? How would you establish a standard for "doneness" among all respondents? For those that use a soap, is the time to pick up the soap with the brush included in the time? How about the initial soak of the soap, is that included? Given the lack of these basic standards, why is anything more than a guesstimate useful? It just gives you a sense of precision that simply isn't there.

Some guys whip a lather in a bowl, then paint it on their face, others squirt the cream on the brush and lather on their face. Others (like me) fall somewhere in between with some of the lathering done in the bowl and some on the face. In my case, after I've lathered on my face, I strop my razor, then wet my brush and go back over the lather on my face. At what point was my lathering "done", and why would it be useful to know this to second precision?

jww · Post by **jww** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:47 am

As long as you need to get the consistency of the lather that you want and the aroma of the cream/soap in the air

ladyintheroom · Post by **ladyintheroom** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:56 am

I am making a shaving hard soap and cream. I have the lather very dense and it lasts well but I am wondering how much work a man is willing but put into getting that lather. The time from when the brush hits the soap untill you feel it is ready. Right now I am working with a tweezerman 100% badger brush. Bristles are short and it does well with the hard soap. I am expecting another brush with longer and hopefully softer bristles. I have made several versions of the soap recipies lathering both in a bowl and on my face. It takes about 1.5-2 minutes to generate what I feel is a good heavy lather with adequately small bubbles (I have been told I am a pretty aggressive latherer and I do it at Starbucks!

). I hear everyone talking about lather exploding and wonder if I need to change the recipe or add a surfactant so that it lathers faster.
See my questions make sense now.

J

mparker762 · Post by **mparker762** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:25 am

Even from your description I have no idea how that compares to my daily lathering routine, and I use soaps every day. Your idea of "very dense", "heavy lather" and "adequately small bubbles" is probably not mine, and possibly not anybody else's either, and to be honest none of these qualities are terribly important compared to the shave itself. Williams soap, for example, when lathered correctly for a good shave, tends to be a bit thin and bubbly -- if it's lathered dense and creamy it dries out too quickly.

Unfortunately you're gonna have to get somebody (probably a couple of somebodies) that shaves with a soap regularly to try it out, so they can compare how long it takes to get the lather they like with your soap to their normal soap, and see how good the shave is. Everybody does things differently, and different people prefers different types of lather depending on their particular face, beard, razor, shaving style, etc.

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:37 am

ladyintheroom wrote:I am making a shaving hard soap and cream. I have the lather very dense and it lasts well but I am wondering how much work a man is willing but put into getting that lather. The time from when the brush hits the soap untill you feel it is ready. Right now I am working with a tweezerman 100% badger brush. Bristles are short and it does well with the hard soap. I am expecting another brush with longer and hopefully softer bristles. I have made several versions of the soap recipies lathering both in a bowl and on my face. It takes about 1.5-2 minutes to generate what I feel is a good heavy lather with adequately small bubbles (I have been told I am a pretty aggressive latherer and I do it at Starbucks! ). I hear everyone talking about lather exploding and wonder if I need to change the recipe or add a surfactant so that it lathers faster.
See my questions make sense now.

J

Yes, now it makes sense. I use mostly creams (Taylor's, Musgo Real, Proraso) and Col Conk soap. Compared to what you are describing I would consider these as quicker lathering. 1.5 - 2 minutes seem rather long to me. I could spend more time when I wish but on a work day I can lather up quite quickly (less than a minute). If I had a soap that took longer than this I would think there is something wrong with it.

What I would recommend to you is to purchase some Col Conk soap as well as a typical cream and compare your formula's characteristics to them. That way you could see yourself, using the same brush how your formula compares--at least for time and effort in creating a similar lather.

mparker762 · Post by **mparker762** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:44 am

nteeman wrote:What I would recommend to you is to purchase some Col Conk soap as well as a typical cream and compare your formula's characteristics to them. That way you could see yourself, using the same brush how your formula compares--at least for time and effort in creating a similar lather.

She's making a hard soap, which lather differently from glycerine soaps like Col Conk.

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:59 am

mparker762 wrote:
nteeman wrote:What I would recommend to you is to purchase some Col Conk soap as well as a typical cream and compare your formula's characteristics to them. That way you could see yourself, using the same brush how your formula compares--at least for time and effort in creating a similar lather.
She's making a hard soap, which lather differently from glycerine soaps like Col Conk.

It was a suggestion. She can do whatever she wants. Still, if I was doing it I would want to compare all kinds of soaps just to see for myself--hard soaps, glycerine soaps, etc. That way she can see for herself rather than ask somebody how their soaps work for them and how aggressive they lather and what kind of brush they use.

Gatorade · Post by **Gatorade** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:03 am

OK guys let's not make this overly technical. Just look at a second hand when you start swirling and look at it again when you stop. Then post how long it was and what you used. I didn't see this till after I already shaved but when I get home tonight I will time myself with a couple different setups.

Cigar Dan · Post by **Cigar Dan** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:24 am

As we all know, the type of brush you are using will greatly affect the time involved as well. I'd suggest that she send small samples to a few willing volunteers and ask for feedback via PM. This would give ladyintheroom a lot of information in pretty short order.

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:27 am

Cigar Dan wrote:As we all know, the type of brush you are using will greatly affect the time involved as well. I'd suggest that she send small samples to a few willing volunteers and ask for feedback via PM. This would give ladyintheroom a lot of information in pretty short order.

The opposite would probably be quicker-- with ladyintheroom soliciting some samples, and comparing hers to theirs.

Gatorade · Post by **Gatorade** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:31 am

Cigar Dan wrote:As we all know, the type of brush you are using will greatly affect the time involved as well. I'd suggest that she send small samples to a few willing volunteers and ask for feedback via PM. This would give ladyintheroom a lot of information in pretty short order.

She did. I think she is trying to check a new batch now before she sends it out.

mparker762 · Post by **mparker762** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:32 am

ScottS wrote:The opposite would probably be quicker-- with ladyintheroom soliciting some samples, and comparing hers to theirs.

Quicker, but less useful, since she doesn't shave her face. Great looking lather is not necessarily great shaving lather.

I should probably stop carping though, since I've long since settled in with Harris and T&H and not that interested in experimenting with new soaps anyway.

baldchin · Post by **baldchin** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:49 am

Complicated question. I don't use any soaps apart from shaving sticks.

But if it took longer than 2 minutes I'd be fed up. For me it only has to be thick enough not to run 40 seconds approx using a Palmolive stick. I can't believe I just timed making suds on my face. Unemployment has me so bored.........

MOSES · Post by **MOSES** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:10 am

Well, always great to hear someone else jumping into the soap making fray, or especially the cream making fray. Couple of questions. When you say "hard" soap, do you mean a milled soap? Or a glycerin type soap? Especially interested in new handmade creams. I really would both get some samples to compare to, and of course send out to others (sounds like you are doing that, though). 1.5 - 2 minutes does sound a little long. I will time myself tonight. Is that time you listed for your cream, or your soap? Or the same for both? I usually find soap takes me a little longer, at least because of the time involved in picking up soap into the bristles. That said, Honeybee usually lathers up about as fast as my fastest creams.

baldchin · Post by **baldchin** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:43 am

I don't know if lather exploding is a good thing. I've always aimed for a sort of wet, slimy and sticky. The consistency of canned foam is too airy lots of people seem to aim for soft meringue but thats much too firm for me.

Told you it was a complicated question.

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:01 am

I would say that, depending on the brush and the soap/cream, it takes from 1 to 2 minutes: 1 minute for a cream (sometimes even less), and as much as 2 minutes with a soap. I do a fair amount of whipping with the soap, and I adjust the water (adding driblets of hot water). Also, I'm in no hurry: I like to take the time to enjoy my shave. Probably the average soap time is 1.5 minutes. Hope this helps.

ladyintheroom · Post by **ladyintheroom** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:32 am

Thank you everyone.
This does help. I have researched and found that even the true soaps have added surfactants to aid in lathering and add the lather stability. I bit the bullet and added a couple of natural surfactants to the soap recipe that I liked the best. The cream soap lathers easier and faster, but both start off pretty foamy and light and depending on how you like the lather it gets denser and firmer the more you whip. I will be meeting a local wet shave enthusiast Monday and see some of the soaps he has and compare what I have made and will procede from there.
For those of you still planning on timing yourself please do and let me know. I was surprised when I actually timed myself just how long it took as I was underestimating the time when I just guessed.
J

SMF

How much time does it take to make lather.

How much time does it take to make lather.

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